J. R. Williams, born in Faulkner County in 1853, was a partner in the general merchandise firm Witt & Williams in Conway, Arkansas. The business, established in 1879, underwent several name changes before Williams joined in 1888. The store, facing the public square, was one of the largest in the county. Williams, the youngest of six children, started farming in 1872 and moved to Conway in 1881 to establish a general collecting agency. A prominent business figure, he served in local politics and was active in temperance and community affairs. He married Louisa Hartje in 1872, and they had seven children.
J. R. Williams, of the firm of Witt & Williams, general merchants at Conway, Ark., carries a complete line of clothing, dry goods, groceries, hardware, and in fact, everything to be found in a first-class establishment of its kind. The business was first organized in 1879, under the firm name of Walton & Witt, but in 1881 Mr. Walton withdrew, and the name was changed to Griffing & Witt. It continued under this heading until 1883, when it was changed to Witt Brothers. In 1888 Mr. Williams entered as a partner, and the name then became Witt Bros. & Williams, but in January the firm underwent another change, the name being now Witt & Williams. This establishment has one of the finest locations in the city, facing the public square, with three approaches to it. Their business is among the largest in the county, and they have built up a reputation for honesty, fairness, and enterprise that no competition can shake.
Mr. Williams was born in Faulkner County in the year 1853, and was the youngest in a family of six children born to Samuel and Eliza (Henderson) Williams, of Alabama and Arkansas, respectively. The father first came to this state with his parents when only eighteen years of age and settled in Berryville, Carroll County, where they were the first settlers of that place. When twenty-eight years of age, the elder Williams moved to Perry County, where he first met his wife, and after their marriage, he farmed in that place, and made it their home until the year 1851, when he moved to Faulkner County. He purchased a tract of land at this place and resided upon it until 1873, when he moved to Perry County, where he remained for one year. He then returned to Faulkner County, where he lived up to the time of his death, on March 8, 1887, at the age of seventy-one years. In politics, he was always active and a leader in his party, and for several years served as justice of the peace. The mother died in 1863.
J. R. Williams was reared and instructed in the various duties of farm life, and received his education in the district schools of Conway County. In 1872 he commenced farming on his own account, and in 1878 purchased his first tract of land, consisting of 200 acres, of which he placed twenty-five under cultivation. He remained at this occupation with success until 1881, when he moved to Conway and established a general collecting agency. His career since that time has been marked by untiring energy and enterprise, and he is now one of the leading business men in that section. Mr. Williams is an active politician, but votes for the man who, in his judgment, is best fitted for the office, and sympathizes with no particular party. He has always advocated the principles of sobriety and is one of the foremost spirits in the temperance movement. In 1877 he was a member of the town council, and for some length of time was also constable of Cadron Township. In secret societies, he is a member of Green Grove Lodge No. 107, F. & A. M., and also belongs to Woodland Lodge No. 11, K. of P.
In 1872 he was married, in Faulkner County, to Miss Louisa Hartje, of that county, a daughter of Augustus and Louisa (Bartlett) Hartje, the father a native of Germany, who arrived in this country when eleven years of age. By this marriage Mr. and Mrs. Williams have seven children: Samuel A., Mary Alice, Elether Emma, Benjamin Orion, Roscoe Hartje, Robert Edward, and Lewis. Mr. Williams and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and are liberal contributors to all religious and educational enterprises.