William Hawkins.— With indisputable evidence of culture and development on every hand, it seems a long way to look back to the time when Williams County called her settlers pioneers, but one of these, who is a veteran of the Civil war, William Hawkins well remembers pioneer conditions when he came here in 1842.
William Hawkins was born in Westchester County, New York February 28. 1833. His parents were Joseph and Matilda (Crissy) Hawkins, who were natives also of Westchester County and were of English descent. When Mr. Hawkins was three years old he was taken to Fulton County, Ohio, and in 1842, when nine years old, came to Williams County. There were many of the usual hardships to endure in the newly settled township where he grew to manhood, and his school privileges were exceedingly limited. In 1861 he answered the first call of President Lincoln for soldiers to preserve the Union enlisting m Company C, Fourteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and served out his enlistment of 100 days: three of his brothers also serving m the Union army.’ He did his duty as a soldier and then returned to the farm.
In 1862 Mr. Hawkins was married to Kercilda Young, who was born in Bridgewater Township, Williams County, Ohio, February 23 1840, and they have two sons, Alpheus and Guy S. Alpheus Hawkins was reared on the home farm in Bridgewater Township and obtained his education as did his brother, in the public schools, and has always been a farmer. On February 18, 1886, he was married to Alice Miller and they have two children, Dale and Guy. Dale is a farmer in Bridgewater Township and married Naomi Fightner. His brother Guy attended the high school at Montpelier and is in the employ of the Wabash Railroad at this point. He married Alice Case. Both Dale and Guy belong to Montpelier Lodge No. 745, Odd Fellows, and Dale belongs also to the Encampment. Guy S. Hawkins, the second son of William Hawkins, is also a farmer in Bridgewater Township. Mr. Hawkins and both his sons have always voted the republican ticket. He has made his own way in the world, being poor when he came to Williams County, where for many years he worked industriously and exercised great economy. He now lives in comfortable retirement and has a valuable farm of 160 acres situated in Bridgewater Township. He is known all through this part of the county and is held in universal esteem, being one of the county’s most venerable residents.
He is a member of Hiram Lowden Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Montpelier.
Source: Bowersox, Charles A. ed. A standard history of Williams County, Ohio: an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, educational, civic and social development , 2 vols. Publisher Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co. 1920.