A CYBER RIVER MULTI MEDIA PRESENTATION
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

CROOKSVILLE OHIO
PERRY COUNTY
HISTORY
a pictorial
genealogy
of the

WILLIAMS FAMILY

from  1710 TO 2008 England & Germany


 
 
 

Main street Crooksville Ohio
 

Williams family home
pine street crooksville


 

THE WILLIAMS FAMILY
1710 TO 2008

 
 

PLEASE LET IMAGE BELOW
"LOAD"
THEN SCROLL
 
 
 

(LEFT TO RIGHT)
STANDING BETTY SUE & JOSETTE
SEATED MOTHER MILDRED, KAROLE LEE, FATHER RILEY  &
RODNEY

Betty Sue, Josette, Karole Lee and Rodney
(photo taken 1935 at Duncan falls Ohio)

WILLIAMS FAMILY TREE
Compiled by Ellie Nowells
professional researcher



 
 
 
 
 
 
. Richard Williams
born in 1710 at
West Jersey England		 . William Pettit
born in 1736
North Hampton 
died in 1798 Burlington New Jersy		 Beulah Nears
born 1758 Elisabeth
town New Jersey
died 1825 Burlington 
New Jersy (wife of
William Pettit)
John Williams (son of
Richard Williams born
1740 West Morland
County Virginia death
date unknown		 . . John Pettit (son of 
William Pettit) born
in 1773 in New Jersey
died 1858 in Morgan
County Ohio		 Sarah Morris born in
1785 in Monmouth New Jersey died 1830
in Morgan County 
Ohio (wife of John
Pettit)
Joseph Williams
(son of John Williams)
born1769 in Virginia
died 1856 Ringgold
Morgan county Ohio		 Sarah Lawson born
1771 died 1811
Belmont Colorado
(wife of Joseph)		 Philip Saylor born 1752 in Pikeland Pa.
fought in revolutionary
war) died 1845 in
Morgan county Ohio		 Silas Saylor (son of
Philip Saylor) born 1797 died 1891 in
Morgan County
Pennsville Ohio		 Ann Pettit daughter of
John and Sarah Pettit
7 wife of Silas Saylor
born 1801 in New
Jersey died 1893 in
Morgan County Pennsville Ohio
Thomas Williams
(son of Jeseph Williams) born 1793
West morland coounty
Virginia died1862
Wolf creek Morgan county Ohio		 Mary Stewart wife of
Thomas Williams born
1795 Holton Kansas
died 1880 Holton Ks.		 Isaiah Shepard (war of
1812 soldier) born in
1795 in Virginia died
1867 Morgan County Ohio		 Elizabeth Dawson born 1797 in Virginia
(wife of Isaiah Shepard died in Penn.
township Morgan County in1888		 Reuban Riley born 1801 Jefferson County
Virginia died 1888
Morgan County Ohio
married Jane McCarty
born 1800 Louden county Virginia died
1873 Malta township
 Morgan County Ohio
Otho Williams
(son of Thomas Williams) born 1821
Belmont Colorado
died 1903 Wolf creek
Morgan County Ohio		 Agnes Shepard wife
of Otho Williams and
daughter of Isaiah
Shepard born 1824
Belmont Colorado
died 1894 union
township Morgan County Ohio		 . Joseph Riley son of
Reuban Riley born
1837 Ringgold in
Morgan County Ohio
died1873 at Malta
in Morgan county		 Laura Taylor wife of
Joseph Riley and 
daughter of Silas
Saylor and Ann Pettit
. John Charles Williams
son of Otho Williams
born 1859 died 1947
Pennsville Morgan
County Ohio		 . Hettie Riley wife of John Charles Williams
daughter of Joseph
Riley born 1862
died 1948 Pennsville
Morgan County Ohio		 .

 
 

John Charles and Hettie Williams
with daughter
Agnes
 

John Charles & Hettie Williams
(parents of Riley Williams)
 

Grandparents farm in Pennsville
(left to right)
backrow Hettie, John Charles & Betty Sue
Front row Josette, Rod & Karole Lee

Grandparents home
in
Pennsville

pen & ink sketch of Pennsville farm house
by
Josette
(SKETCH IS REGISTERED)
 
 

Last pictures of Grandparents home (house is gone-barn remains standing

Gradfather Joseph P Grossman (far right)
in Franklin Pennsylvania
(mother's father)

PHILIP GROSSMAN, son of John F. and Christina (Fass) Grossman, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany. He came to this country with his parents in 1850, who located in Allegheny county, three miles south of Pittsburgh, where his father died in 1860 and his mother in 1885. Philip learned the trade of baker, and worked in various parts of the country until 1861, when he settled in Franklin and started the first bakery in the place. In August, 1861, he sold his business and removed to Rynd Farm on Oil creek, and engaged in merchandising, where he remained until the death of his father-in-law, John Minich, when he returned to Franklin and purchased the brewery which he has since conducted. Mr. Grossman was married in February, 1862, to Josephine, daughter of John Minich, and by this marriage six children have been born: John F., Edward F., Joseph P., Louisa, Victoria, and Philip, Jr.

Mother as a teenager
Franklin Pennsylvania

Mother  boating

Mother's brother Joe Grossman Jr.
served as fighter pilot in world war 1
died in combat

The oil connection

Franklin Heavy Crude & Beer

More than 100 wells were drilled within the borough limits of Franklin during the 1860s and early 1870s. Heavy crude oil sold for a premium price, reaching a brief high of $20 a barrel. The Franklin Heavy Oil field spread out along the French Creek and Sugar Creek valleys with most of the larger wells located on Point Hill, Galloway and the Patchel Run areas.

Point Hill, a formidable steep bluff near the confluence of French Creek and the Allegheny River, was not tapped until the late 1860s because speculators were at first convinced that oil was found in the valleys. By 1870 when Ralph Keeler of the weekly magazine, “Every Saturday,” visited the region, he noted: “The hill is now the center of oil producing and oil excitement about Franklin. A year ago the whole hill could have been bought for $1,500; today it could not be bought for half a million.”

Derricks soon covered this 40-acre hillside and one well sparked one of the oil region’s most fascinating legends. As liquid started to rise in a new well, workmen were struck by its unusual appearance. They continued to pump and tales abound that they tasted the stuff and were amazed at its potable properties. Whether that part of the tale is true or not, it was a fact that the drilling apparatus had penetrated a cave at the base of the hill where Philip Grossman had his beer vault, storing the beer which was made at his brewery on the opposite side of French Creek. Three large vats were pumped dry and Mr. Grossman filed a claim against the well owners to cover damages for his lost beer. The oil well that flowed beer has been the subject of cartoons and trivia questions since the 1881 incident was reported.

The heavy oil was found in the first sand at a shallow depth. Although yields were small, drillers seldom hit dry holes and the wells were noted for their longevity. The last segregation of the Franklin Heavy Crude was for the Wolf’s Head Refinery in Reno which processed about 6,000 barrels annually into the early 1970s. Since then the crude has been mingled with other oils from the region.

Written by Carollee Michener.

Josette, Karole Lee, Betty Sue and Rod
at May crowning.

Rod & Dad
(note popular straw hat of the day)

Dad maintained two occupations
a barbershop on main street Crooksville
and the town's only Chiropractor with
offices in the Crooksville bank building
(pictured with Don Eveland)

Mother (far left)
worked as a chemist at a
federal plant in Zanesville

Our favorite Uncle
Estel
with his ford Model A
aboard the Cincinnati
Delta Queen
River boat

Dad with brothers
Doubt, Everett and Estel
 
 

Williams
family home
607 Brighton Blvd.
Zanesville Ohio

Josette
winter scene

Music by the fire place
was a nightly event
and.....

reading was
a
family tradition

Karole Lee, Betty Sue & Josette
in the family library
 

Rod & dad

Mother's
required family attire
for church

Betty Sue, Rod, Josette & Karole Lee
at the family cabin on the Muskingum
river
 

Ohio Governor
Frank Lausche
named four girls to represent Ohio on the state float in the
TRUMAN INAUGURAL PARADE
in Washington D.C.
Three were from Zanesville
Betty Sue (foreground)
Karole Lee (seated at the rear of the float) Josette standing
 

Family reunion
at Embry park in Pennsville ohio

Karole Lee, Josette, Rod & Betty Sue
in McConnelsville Ohio
Morgan County

current family of record
Betty Sue Colopy children Matt, Mark & Michelle
Josette Davison Children Laurie, Bethany & Dexter
Rod Williams children Holly & Heather


A CYBER RIVER MULTI MEDIA PRESENTATION