William Henry Williams was born in Terre Hauta, Indiana November 18, 1838 to Washington and Hester (Stevens) Williams. He moved with his family to Ohio and on to Iowa before they started west across the plans on April 8 1850, Henry would be eleven years old. As Samuel Brooks mentions of his recollection, it was a drought year as they pulled into Fort Dalles in Sept 1850 a bunch of sunburnt weary and half-starved immigrants who had just crossed over 1500 miles of dusty treeless roads with much suffering along the way. The Family would not stay long as they traveled on to Oregon City and set up home on Donation Land Claim #1020.
Henry and his older brother, Richard, both fought in the Indian Wars. They are found on the muster roll of Captain K Kelly and Samuel Stafford, company C with the Oregon Mounted volunteers and with Colonel James W Nesmith and James Kelly fighting against the Yakima (and other Indians) on October 1855. Henry was just one month sort of his 18th birthday. A month later his older brother James, would die of consumption at Oregon City, something his mother had suffered with for years. Henry along with his brothers mined in Yreka, California with their father Washington and in 1858 there are rumors that the brothers tried their hands at the Fraser Gold Rush. Washington Williams would head east helping his widowed son's wife, Frances, return to her family, he would never make it out west again.
August 11, 1859 Henry met and married Amanda Abbott from Oregon City another 1850 immigrant. The wedding was at Nes Mudge performed by William Armpriest. She was the daughter of John and Keturah Ballinger Abbott. The Williams family all decided to move to The Dalles and Henry settled his family along with Amanda's mother to eight mile where the land stayed in the family name for the next 5 generations. Henry would work as a Freighter and was road master for many years. We would see his name in the paper as many large picnic gathers were held at the William's Grove. His name is often seen on the jury list, one such list was the State of Oregon Vs. William McIntyre for the killing of The Dalles City Sheriff Charles H Keeler.
The couple would have fourteen children born to them, most of them on the eight mile farm, seven sons and seven daughters. All the children would make it to adulthood and there would be many descendants from this couple. Henry would get ill and die on the family farm on Valentine's Day Feb 14, 1915. The Dufur news states "Well known pioneer and eight mile residents, dies at his home. His funeral was one of the largest ever held in Wasco County. All his neighbors and friends all over the country were present." The funeral service was held at the family farm on eight mile and he would be buried in the IOOF Cemetery in The Dalles.



1850 Oregon City, Oregon
Washington Williams 44 Kentucky 1806
Henry Williams 43 Ohio 1807 (Hester)
Lear Williams 19 Indiana 1831 female
Lucy A Williams 17 Indiana 1833 female
Richard M Williams 15 Indiana 1835 male
Wm H Williams 13 Ohio 1837 male
E B Williams 6 Indiana 1844 male
H T Williams 2 Iowa 1848 male
James S Williams 24 Iowa 1826 male