Amelia Worthington Williams (March 26, 1876 – April 14, 1958) was an American historian who researched the

Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event and military engagement in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alam ...

and

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

Biography

She was born in Maysfield, Texas, on March 26, 1876, to Thomas Herbert and Emma Massengale Williams. She was a

collateral descendant A lineal or direct descendant, in legal usage, is a blood relative in a person's direct line of descent – the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc. In a legal procedure sense, lineal descent refers to the acquisition of estate b ...

of the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

. Some of her ancestors had been planters in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

in the

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern US ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum architectu ...

era; later, her father, a veteran of the

Confederacy A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

, started a plantation in Milam County. Williams was the oldest of seven children. She was recognized for her scholastic abilities. She attended Stuart Seminary in Austin. She graduated with a liberal arts degree from Ward Seminary in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, in 1895. She managed the family plantation and helped raise her four younger sisters after the deaths of her parents. She worked as a history and English teacher and worked on her Bachelor of Arts degree at

Southwest Texas State Normal School Texas State University (TXST) is a public research university with its main campus in San Marcos, Texas, United States, and another campus in Round Rock. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to be one of the largest univer ...

, which she earned in 1922, followed by Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

in 1926. She was a student of

Eugene C. Barker Eugene Campbell Barker (November 1, 1874 – October 22, 1956) was an American historian at the University of Texas, the managing director of the Texas State Historical Association, and the editor of the ''Southwestern Historical Quarterly''. He ...

. She earned her Ph.D. in 1931 when she was 55 years old. Williams was an instructor at the University of Texas from 1925 to 1951. She researched and wrote about the

, of which she was considered a foremost authority, and

. Her dissertation was the first scholarly study of the survivors of the Alamo. Portions of the dissertation were published in ''Southwestern Historical Quarterly'' in 1933 and 1934. She collaborated with Barker on ''The Writings of Sam Houston''; she is credited with convincing Houston's descendants to provide access to documents. Williams was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

and a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. Williams died in

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

on April 14, 1958. She had been working on a biography of Sam Houston. She was buried near her hometown of Maysfield, Texas in the Little River Cemetery.

Memberships

Daughters of the Republic of Texas The Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) is a lineal association dedicated to perpetuating the memory of the founding families and soldiers of the Republic of Texas. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas is best known for its former role as ...

(Honorary lifetime member) *

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, a ...

Order of the Eastern Star The Order of the Eastern Star (OES) is a Freemasonry, Masonic List of fraternal auxiliaries and side degrees, appendant Masonic bodies, body open to both men and women. It was established in 1850 by lawyer and educator Rob Morris (Freemason), R ...

Source:

Selected works

* "The Siege and Fall of the Alamo," thesis, 1931. * "A Critical Study of the Siege of the Alamo and of the Personnel of its Defenders," Ph.D. dissertation, 1931. * ''Following General Sam Houston, 1793–1836''. The Steck Company, 1935. * ''The Writings of Sam Houston, 1813–1863''. With

. 1837–1843.

Papers

Williams' papers are held at the

at Austin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Amelia Worthington 1876 births 1958 deaths Academics from Texas American women academics Historians from Texas University of Texas at Austin faculty University of Texas at Austin alumni American women historians Writers from Texas Women non-fiction writers 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American women writers Presbyterians from Texas

Biography

Memberships

Selected works

Papers

Further reading

References