George Washington Williams (Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century)
Early Life
George Washington Williams was born in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania, on October 16, 1849. His father, a free black named Thomas Williams, is believed to have been the son of a white Virginia planter and a slave woman. Sometime during the 1840’s, the elder Williams moved to Bedford Springs, where he met and married Ellen Rouse, a light-skinned local black woman. George was the second of five children born to the couple. His childhood was a difficult one, plagued by frequent moves, family instability, a scant education, and Thomas Williams’ heavy drinking....
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