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Little could Braddock Williams (1799-1881) have realized when he became a lighthouse keeper in 1854 at Florida’s Cape St. George Lighthouse, that he had started in a career that would be the beginning of a lighthouse family dynasty. Technically, it all started when he was able to secure the position of assistant keeper in 1857 for his son, James A Williams (1827-1908), at Cape St. George Lighthouse, where Braddock was the head keeper.
James A. Williams later transferred to Florida’s Crooked River Lighthouse in 1895. About a decade later, this family group photo was taken on the front porch of the keepers’ house there, showing James A. Williams, with the white beard in the back, along with his wife Lucretia and three of their sons who also served as lighthouse keepers.
Albert Williams is standing next to his father on the right, and served as James’ assistant keeper at Crooked River Lighthouse from 1898 until 1906, when he replaced him as head keeper. Four stairs below Albert is James C. Williams (1866-1937), who served at both Cape St. George Lighthouse and Mobile Point Lighthouse. Sitting on the bottom step on the far right is Charles H. Williams (1876-1946), who was his brother Albert’s assistant at Crooked River from 1906 to 1909.
James T. Williams, the son of James C. Williams, is the tallest boy standing in the back, who later married Nora Gordon, daughter of lighthouse keeper Ralph Gordon, who had over 30 years of lighthouse service. Keeper Gordon started at Chandeleur Island lighthouse in 1903 and eventually ended up at the Port Eads Lighthouse Depot where he served until the end of the Second World War.
James T. Williams would go on to serve at Florida’s Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, as well as Sabine Pass Lighthouse and the New Canal Lighthouse, both in Louisiana.
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2 -- Historic image of Florida’s Cape St. George Lighthouse where Braddock Williams, who started the Williams’ family dynasty, served as head keeper from 1854 to 1861 and again from 1868-1874, and as assistant keeper from 1874 to 1879 due to his advanced age of over 75. In 1874, his son, Arad L. Williams, replaced him as head keeper, but died from injuries suffered from a fall the following year. At that time another one of Braddock Williams sons, James A Williams, who had been as assistant keeper here from 1857 to 1861, became the head keeper in 1875, a position he held at Cape St. George until 1893, when he transferred to Apalachicola Bay Range Lighthouse, and finally, in 1895, as head keeper at Crooked River Lighthouse until his retirement in 1905.
Other members of the Williams family who served at Cape St. George Lighthouse as assistant keepers were John W. Williams from 1879 to 1886 and James C. Williams from 1886 to 1893.
Already threatened by erosion, the Cape St. George Lighthouse was deactivated in 1994 and finally toppled over in October of 2005. Using many of the original bricks, the lighthouse was rebuilt in 2008-2009 on St. George Island, Florida.
3 -- Historic image of the Crooked River Lighthouse in Carrabelle, Florida, taken in 1895 as it was close to completion, and just before the Fresnel lens was installed in the lantern. It was here where James A. Williams became the first keeper of the new lighthouse.
Also, Charles H. Williams served here as an assistant keeper from 1906 to 1909 and John L. Williams served here as an assistant keeper from 1909 to 1911.
Today, the lighthouse is cared for by the Carrabelle Lighthouse Foundation who operate a museum and gift shop in a replica of the keepers’ house.
This story appeared in the
Jul/Aug 2023 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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