Williams, H. Hamilton (1911-1981) to Mother
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09587.303 Author/Creator: Williams, H. Hamilton (1911-1981) Place Written: Los Angeles, California Type: Typed document Date: 6 January 1954 Pagination: 5 p. ; 28 x 21.5 cm. Order a Copy
Letter to Cordelia S. Williams signed "Doc" from her son Dr. Harold Hamilton Williams. He tells her he is glad she has a T.V. now. He describes the Rose Parade he attended and "the guys" he is living with and how in the same day, one had burned food and the other had broken the T.V. He describes the Christmas presents he recieved and the Christmas party his friends threw. Williams then tells her that George Jeffries, someone from Roanoke (Williams' hometown) who had stayed with him in Los Angeles had written a number of letters address to Rose Sheffey but were really intended for "Hazel". In the letters in Jeffries attacked H. Hamilton Williams' character and insisted that Cordelia Williams disliked Hazel. Hamilton Williams suggests that perhaps this would explain Hazel's strange behavior. Williams then describes the work he has been doing cleaning up the house and making general repairs. He pays special attention to the business of clearing the rot from the timbers. Then Williams tells his mother that soon he will have finished paying off the house and will own it. He asks after "Aunt Nannie" and says now that he is earning more money, he can send more of it to Cordelia and would like to set up a joint bank account for the two of them. He tells her he sprained his back recently but because of his insurance was able to go to a doctor, which was a great help. He ends the letter saying he is glad he took the time to write her such a "decent" one and that he hopes she can come visit him soon. On the back of the last page is printed Cordelia Williams' address in Roanoke.
Dr. Harold Hamilton Williams
Born Harold Hamilton Williams on December 23rd, 1911. He is sometimes referred to as H. Hamilton Williams, Hamilton Williams, or "Doc." He was the oldest child of Cordelia Shelton Williams and Reverend James T. Williams Sr. James Williams Sr. died in the mid 1930s and Hamilton later wrote that he was expected to be the man of the family after this. He attended the Hampton Institute and eventually became a teacher there. He was employed by the Institute during 1938; it is possible he was working there before or after as well. He had a passion for music, playing the organ, occasional composing (see GLC 09587.212) and serving as a choral director (GLC 09587.234). During the war, he served in the Navy and trained at the Hampton Institute’s naval training school. By 1944, he was starting a PhD. program at Cornell University (see GLC 09587.138). At some point after James Jr.’s death, he appears to have had a falling out with his mother, though they seemed to reach some reconciliation. By 1954, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and eventually worked in landscaping. He died in Los Angeles in 1981.
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