BOB MCWILLIAMS  

The following bio was taken from page 295 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission. 

Transcribed by Shirley Koym 

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Cemeteries of Texas 

James Walter McWilliams, grandfather of Robert Pinkney (Bob) McWilliams, was born in Tennessee on January 12, 1812.  He was twenty-four years old when he joined a group of volunteers and left his home and family to fight in the Texas War for Independence.

In the new Republic of Texas, James was an active citizen and served on the first grand jury held in Nacogdoches County in 1837.  He later became county clerk of Rusk County.  During the Mexican War, James fought in the streets of Monterrey, Mexico, under the leadership of General Zachary Taylor.

Upon returning to Rusk County, James established a trading post two and one-half miles west of Henderson on a 320-acre land grant awarded to him for his service to the Republic of Texas.  There he met Martha Robinson, the daughter of Andrew C. Robinson, a neighbor and blacksmith.  They were married by Rev. W. H. Johnson on February 28, 1850.

Two years later, James and Martha purchased the original 290-acre tract of land in the Joinerville Community (then Cyril), where Bob McWilliams lives today.  The price was a thousand dollars and a gray pony.

In 1865 James died of pneumonia shortly before Martha had her eighth child.  Martha and her children lived on their homestead until she died in 1912.  The children were:  Columbia Elizabeth, Caroline, Sarah, Laura, James Alander, John, Hugh Harris, and Robert L.

John was the only one of Martha’s married children who remained in Rusk County.  He was married in 1889 to Eddie Greenwood, whose uncle, Hugh Lee Gaston donated the property for the Gaston Schools (now a part of West Rusk).  Jon and Eddie served as postmasters at the Jacinto Post Office on the railroad between New London and Henderson for several years before moving back to the homestead to care for his aging mother and operate the farm.

John and Eddie had six children:  Florence Columbia, Jeannette, Mary Lou, John Moody, Robert Pinkney, and James Weldon.

Robert Pinkney (Bob) McWilliams married Freddie Alma Coats on October 21, 1924 in Sherman, Texas.  Freddie’s family were natives of Nacogdoches County, some of them having arrived in Nacogdoches during the days of the Republic.  Bob took over the management of the homestead shortly after he and Freddie married and has continued to build and care for the land.  He has been active in local civic and political affairs all of his adult life, serving thirty years as a member of the Gaston School board.  The McWilliams have a family of six children:  Ena Louis, Robert Pinkney, Jr. (Buddy), Carolyn, Helen, Sue and Jim.  They also have twenty-one grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.

The youngest son, James Perry (Jim), is now serving as a State Representative from Rusk and Harrison Counties, carrying on the tradition of service set by James Walter McWilliams and R. P. (Bob) McWilliams.  Last fall Jim married Miss Pamela Mercer.  (See Talmadge Mercer story.)

Submitted by Jim McWilliams