Hugh Welch Williams

Hugh Welch Williams (1830-1881)

Hugh Welch Williams was born September 11, 1830 in Lichfield, Connecticut to his parents Edwin Williams and Jane Livingston. He was named after his mother's cousin, Hugh Peebles Welch.

At the trying age of fourteen, just when he would need a father's guiding hand and a mother's gentle encouragement, Hugh's father Edwin passed away and just two short years later, his mother, Jane followed him in death. When Hugh's parents, Edwin Williams (1795-1842) and Jane Livingston Williams (1797-1844) died, the family was broken up. The two older boys, Benjamin and Edwin were old enough to provide for themselves. Catherine, the oldest child of the family whom was lovingly called 'Dear Aunt Kate' secured the position of governess to the two Mansfield daughters, Ellie Burnham and Louisa Mather Mansfield (Kate never married); with whom she made her home for many years. Mary, the youngest daughter, a baby at the time, was adopted by Mrs. Thomas Mather. Mr and Mrs Welch (Helen) were by this time married and they too made their home in Lichfield, the rare old town with it's beautiful trees edging lovely streams and winding roadways. There they made a home for the four youngest boys- Livingston, Hugh and the twins Charles and Fredrick. Interesting how Hugh's name sake, Hugh Welch Williams, would be reared and guided until he was ready to leave home.

From this home about 1854 when Hugh was a young man of twenty-three years old, so went forth the two brothers, Hugh and Charles with one of the companies of the New England Emigrant Aid; Pilgrims to this new land on the western prairies. After the close of the Civil War, came Mr and Mrs Welch with their two young daughters, Jennie and Gertrude to add one more family to the citizenry of Lawrence.

Upon Hugh's arrival in Kansas, he made a land claim and homestead at Hickory Point and we next find Hugh making his home at bachelor's hall. Hugh considered his claim worth a thousand dollars. He had 12 acres of improved land on it. He told his brother Charles that he would sell it and go further back into the country and take up another and with the money go into Missouri and buy cattle.

As fate would have it, Hugh had made his home in the same neighborhood as the Gleason family. It was at evening school that Hugh and Annis White Gleason officially met. Annis Gleason is the daughter of Salem Gleason and Polly Houghton Gleason. At a Thanksgiving dinner they were both invited to at the home of James Gleason (Anni's big brother, they were close), on the mile drive Hugh and Annis grew intimate. Soon after this they were engaged to be married. The marriage day was October 24, 1858 at a point ten miles south of Lawrence, Kansas by Justice William P. Nettleton.

Then came the Civil War. Hugh W. Williams was enrolled in the service the 11th day of September 1861 at Lawrence, Kansas. By Lieut. Allen and mustered into service as a private in Co. B. 9th Regiment Kansas Cavalry Volunteers, on the 22nd of October at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas by Lt. Hollister Nov 19 1861. He was appointed Sgt from Pvt Nov 20, 1861. Promoted First Sgt June 1, 1862. Promoted to second Lt May 17, 1863 and resigned April 9, 1864.

During his enlistment, Company B spent most of their time at Ft. Hallock which is now an abandoned fort in the northern part of Colorado. The company was ordered out to this post to guard the Overland Stage going through Utah and points west, from Indian attacks. The Sioux Indians begin very hostile at that time. In a letter home he describes a battle the Company and Indians engaged in.
In a letter dated July 9th, 1865 from Ft. Hallock we learn of Hugh's activities;

" Last night we went in pursuit of Indians and came onto them soon after daylight. I with Corp. Watson rode ahead of the Company in order to have a talk with them. Three rode down and shook hands with us and while we were talking, the seven of them opened fire on us and by the way the bullets flew for a few minutes, I thought you "stood a right smart chance" of being a widow, but the Company made its appearance over the hill and the dark skinned gentlemen fell back to their main position. After which I dismounted two platoons and attacked them. We fought them two hours. The Indians chose a splendid position in which to receive the attack. They stationed themselves on top of a hill with the woods in the rear and on both sides of them.
First we fought them at long shot and then, closed in on them and drove them back into the woods and had them in full retreat when very much to my disgust, we were ordered to withdraw.
Our loss was one man dead and four wounded. We killed 94 Indians. This morning we buried out dead man. He was Sergeant Waugh from Big Springs.
Your Aff. Husband,
Hugh"

For ten years Hugh and Annis lived in contentment, tilled their ample acres, raised their family, neighbored with their fellow farmers and forgot the cruel separation and turmoil of war.

During the years he was raising his family, Hugh wrote a letter to his sister, Kate in Middletown, Connecticut. Dated October 17, 1868,

"Dear Sister,
We now have a post office established at this place, hereafter please address Vinland Douglas Co. Kansas. Our house is only about 60 rods from Galveston R.R. and the prospects are that a village will be built up here.
We have not sold our house in Lawrence but I exchanged an interest for horses, wagon, lumber etc. to go on with this place. This is a school section for which I pay thirteen dollars per acre in ten annual installments with interest at 10%. That is a high price but this is a choice piece of land. The quarter section south of us was sold at $8.00 per acre. I had my choice at those prices. We have an excellent neighborhood and a good school, and I feel better contented than I have on any place before. The land is, of course, unimproved and I have no crop in this year.
You ask about the children. I am a poor hand at description. Charley has got to be a great boy, rather backward in his studies but has a mechanical turn of mind, is rather tall for his breadth and has a head as large as mine. Is getting to help me a good deal about my work; is a good boy and I can depend on him.
Mary is good sized girl for her age, quick in her motions and quick to learn. She always succeeds in her undertakings.
Frank, Helen says, looks and acts just as I did at his age, but I do not think there ever was this much mischief in me that there is in him.
Eddie is the strongest one of the lot and the most practical. Thinks there is nothing too great for him to perform. When we were in town, Annis was known as "that woman wit the pretty children" and it is said that Katie was the prettiest of all. She had blue eyes. All the rest are black.
Yes, our little darling Katie is an angel in heaven. She had an excellent disposition, never cried and was the most patient baby I ever saw. Through all her sickness she endured the most severe pain without complaint. It did seem hard to part with her. As Mary says, "There is love for all." We do not know how much we love our little ones until they are called away from us.
Although we have four left, this is a lonesome house. On every side there is something missing; that little joyful face is not there-gone forever. Edwin talks about her every day and wishes she had not died so that he could have his "Darling Katie" to play with. Every day they all go to her grave.
Annis joins me in love. The longer I live the more I can appreciate the kind sister you have always been to me. God bless you always.
Hugh"

Hugh and Annis would go on to have three more children, Fred, Alice (died in childhood) and Ellie Burnham.

Then came the year of the Calamities of 1874. First, they years was not six weeks old yet when Ellie was born. Next, it wasn't until warm weather that the other pests arrived. Just as the young corn was coming into the ear, the drumming of wings filled the air and clouds of grasshoppers darkening the sun in their flight, arrived in hordes to complete the devastation of Kansas.

And a second year the grasshoppers came to get what they had overlooked the year before. Our part of Kansas was laid waste and desolate. There was no feed for man nor beast. Then began the Higera, those who could, moved away. We stayed on-we had to. Our cattle and horses were all dead, we could not leave. Even we children had nothing bur cornbread and water to wash it down. Somehow we lived through it, but the country was so impoverished there was no work for any man, so father (Hugh) had to look far away to make provision for his family. His opportunity came in an offer to go out on the northwest and act as purchasing agent for Mason and Brother.

All would have been well, but in that same year, and old Sioux squaw must pick up gold nuggets out in the Dakota Hills and come raving into Deadwood (Dakota Territory) about the find, starting a stampede to Deadwood and vicinity to locate mines. Of course Father (Hugh), the work now giving out at Mason and Bros. could see nothing better to do than locate claims along with the others. If Mrs. Squaw had thrown that gold nugget back on the rock pile and returned to her hunting grounds, she would have saved Hugh Welch Williams many lonely years, heartache and ultimate disillusionment.

Hugh set our for the far west and the Black Hills from Cheyenne on June 15, 1876. He writes home,

"I find Denver very lively, every one very busy and seemingly has plenty of money. Mr Mason, in connection with a partner, has a large livery stable here. He has at Ft. Collins a flouring mill with a large amount of wheat. He has a train (ox train) hauling from Ft. Collins to this place on the road all of the time and he has sent quite a lot of flour to the Black Hills. Ox trains are leaving here every day for the hills and fabulous reports come in of the amount of gold taken out on Deadwood Creek."

In 1877, Hugh writes,

"I am now out of employment, as Mr. Mason cannot send more flour here; freights are so high he can not compete with other routes. I have an interest in one of the richest gold lodes in the Hills, but the title is in dispute. Courts will be organized now in 60 or 90 days and the thing will soon be settled. My interest is a small one but the quartz is very rich and if we gain the suit it will give me enough to clear the place and buy a team.You many know our lawsuit is of some magnitude as the lawyers fees at $12,000 if they gain the suit. Was the mine I have interest in without a lawsuit it would be worth half a million dollars, but the company I belong to are all poor men while we are in content with three powerful companies with an immense capitol. It is now tied up with injunctions and is not being worked.
About two weeks ago, two parties of men had a fight in the mine. A tunnel in which about twenty men were at work was blown up and one man was killed by a rifle shot. Our company had nothing to do with it. Seventeen men were arrested and are now in jail waiting trial.
Kiss the children for me. I wish I could do it myself and you too."

While waiting for his lawsuit to be settled, Hugh occupied himself with prospecting likely locations.

From Deadwood 1878

-"I have just arrived from camp to Deadwood. I am here to attend Court. Our case comes up in a few days, the case now looks very favorable to us. It will not be settled this term of court, perhaps not for years. There has been a terrible snow storm here, snow in Deadwood seven feet deep. I had moved the camp the day before it snowed and luckily found a vacant cabin to go into. It snowed four days with terrible wind, the cabin was open and there was not door, so that the wind filled the cabin with snow. We had but one animal in camp, a donkey. We took him into the cabin with us. We had to sit up all night but we had plenty of pitch pine and kept a good fire. After the storm, we were nearly out of provisions and the other three men started out for Deadwood, twenty-five miles in hopes of making it in two days. I could not go on account of my rheumatism so there were but two of us in camp, the donkey and myself. The sixth day one man came back carrying a little flour and bacon and I had a feast as I had been living on beans for four days. The snow has gone off very rapidly and I got to Deadwood yesterday."

Hugh writes home again 1879 Camp on the Box Elder,

"Have been snowbound now for two months and the weather has been very cold but I have been comfortable under the circumstances as we have a warm cabin and are never without a dear hanging at the door. There are four of us together, all agreeable intelligent men which makes it much pleasanter than if they were otherwise."

1880 Hugh writes,

"It has been a long time since I have heard from you, I have put all my money into the mine but it was not enough so that I am now hold up for the winter. The snows have set in and I suppose communication will soon be cut off. Give my love to all the children, your affectionate husband, Hugh"

Hugh struggled against so much adversity, Indians, inclement weather, loneliness, disease all while searching for his illusive gold. He died not having produced any income from his mining endeavors and died alone in the dreary Black Hills that had so betrayed his faith. He died at Galena, Dakota Territory September 18, 1881.

One of Hugh's and Annis daughters, Mary went to Galena a number of years after his passing with the intention of marking his last resting place with a soldiers monument, but even the location of his grave has been forgotten.

Hugh's daughter, Mary writes of this time, "Father became interested in mining at Deadwood and was never home after that. He died in Dakota, leaving mines from which he never realized any income. The older boys were old enough to work on the neighbors farms, which kept us from starving."

The Children of Hugh and Annis:
Charles Eli Williams
Mary Maria (Williams) Meek
Frank Gleason Williams
Edwin Stanton Williams
Catherine Livingston Williams (died young)
Frederick Livingston Williams
Alice Catherine Williams (died young)
Ellie Burnham (Williams) Gamber

Much of the information above was taken from the writings of Ella Burnham Williams Gamber the youngest daughter of Hugh Welch Williams and Annis White Gleason Williams.

His grave marker is in the Vinegar Hill Cemetery at Galena, South Dakota placed in fall of 2018.
The descendants have a debt of gratitude to pay to Mr Michael Laufman with the Galena Historical Society of Galena, South Dakota for spearheading the Hugh W Williams headstone project. He petitioned the Veterans Affairs and had a stone authorized for Hugh. He additionally oversaw it's installation. Thank you Mr Laufman! We so appreciate you.

Hugh Welch Williams, Sept 11, 1830-Sept 18, 1881
Vinegar Hill Cemetery, Galena, South Dakota
installed in the Fall of 2018

The Leavenworth Standard, 24 Sept 1881, Saturday, page 2