"History of Southern Oregon, Comprising Jackson, Josephine, Douglas, Curry and Coos Counties. Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources." A. G. Walling, Publisher. Portland, OR. 1884. pg. 543. L. L. WILLIAMS In all animate life there are grades of intelligence so plainly marked that the difference is evident at a glance. Between men this gradation is so distinguishable and universal that attention has only to be called to the fact, to secure its unquestionable recognition. Among the Australian Bushmen or in the court circle of kings, the genius of a few men lead, while the many follow. These are but truisms, facts old as the human family; still, it is not out of place to call attention to them and the additional truth that it is not infrequent for many, who follow some distance in the rear to forget, when the smoke of battle has passed, that they were not in the van. Nature designs some men for active service, and for such to fall short of becoming an important element in the progressive operations of whatever sphere circumstances places them, would be something they could not do. It would be impossible for comprehensive minds to dwell upon that which failed to possess the charm of intricacy or magnitude something beyond the ordinary; and those possessing such faculties move off in the advance, plan and execute where others hesitate and fail to act. Every community has within it characters of this kind more or less marked, who are termed the leading men or minds. In Southern Oregon there was one of this class who stood so far in the van of progress, that his name has but to be mentioned to elicit a universal approval of the assertion from all except his personal enemies, or the envious, whose opinions are of little value. We refer to the gentleman whose name heads this memoir, and the reader has but to learn what his operations in this county have been, to cheerfully accord him the meed of approval. He did not derive as much personal benefit from the result of his labors as the people of the county have, and his business efforts were all of a nature, calculated to inure to the public advantage more than his private advancement. Mr. Williams was born in Vermont in 1831, and with his parents moved to Michigan in 1833, and in that state resided some sixty miles from Detroit until fifteen years of age. That region was then newly settled, and young Williams never attended school. At the age above mentioned he joined a party of trappers and hunters, and from that time he became a self-reliant frontiersman, which character he well maintained until the time of his death. He reached Californian in 1850, and the following year came to Port Orford with Captain Tichenor. In 1851 he was seriously wounded in an engagement with the Indians, near the mouth of the Coquille river, from the effect of which it is doubtful if he ever fully recovered. A few years later he served as treasurer of Umpqua county for two terms, and afterwards was twice elected county clerk of the same county. After the consolidation of Umpqua and Douglas he was three times elected and twice appointed to the office of county clerk, and was one of the most faithful and capable officers that county has ever had. In 1863 he became captain of a company of Oregon volunteers, and served about three years against the Indians. During the last ten years he traveled much, visiting the Black Hills, the Yellowstone park, and the various portions of the British possessions. While on a visit to California he was taken sick in San Francisco, and after a short illness died March 25, 1881. His remains were taken charge of by the Odd Fellows, of which society he was an exemplary member -- and conveyed to Roseburg, where they were deposited in the Odd Fellow' cemetery, and by that order a beautiful monument was erected to his memory, a view of which appears among the illustrations of this work. He was a man of superior ability, a self-taught scholar, rigidly temperate and virtuous in his habits, and scrupulously honest in his dealings with his fellow men. ******************* Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in July 2005 by Diana Smith. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.