Ephraim S. Williams
Encyclopedia
Ephraim Smith Williams was the seventh mayor
of the Village (now City) of Flint, Michigan
serving from 1861 to 1862.
1834 - 1st Postmaster of Saginaw City.
1853-1890 - Knight Templar in the Masons. (Genesee Valley No. 15)
1853-61 - Postmaster of Flint, Mich.
1861-62 - Mayor of Flint, Mich.
Life-long Democrat of the Jacksonian School.
In the spring of 1828, E. S. Williams, with his brother, Gardner D. Williams, engaged in the fur trade in Saginaw City, under the auspices of the American Fur Company, remaining there twelve years. The two brothers built, during 1834, the first sawmill in Saginaw Valley, which was known as the “G.D. & E.S. Williams Mill”.
During his residence in Saginaw City, Mr. Williams was elected County Clerk and Register of Deeds, and prepared the first Circuit Court record of that county. He was also appointed Postmaster, by President Jackson, and held that position until 1840. In that year, he removed to Pontiac, where he carried on mercantile business and farming.
In April 1850 Williams came to Flint and engaged in the grocery and crockery business, and built the first brick block in the city. Upon the election of Franklin Pierce, Mr. Williams was appointed Postmaster of Flint on May 7, 1853, and retained his office eight years.
In 1861 he was elected Mayor of the city of Flint. One of the Flint papers of that time contained the following with reference to this event: "The friends of Colonel E. S. Williams will be pleased to learn that the Democracy of Flint, in the face of a heavy Republican majority, and against one of the best men, have elected him Mayor of that city,--an honorable position, conferred upon an honorable man."
He also operated as a land merchant.
In the long pioneer life of Mr. Williams occurred many incidents of interest, and consequently he was an accomplished chronicler of his time and is responsible for a considerable number of entries in various volumes of the "Michigan Pioneer & Historical Society Collections" which serve as accurate portrayals of the pioneer life and times of early Michigan.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the Village (now City) of Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
serving from 1861 to 1862.
Early life
Came to Detroit, Michigan at age 13 (from Concord, Massachusetts with his family) in 1815.1834 - 1st Postmaster of Saginaw City.
1853-1890 - Knight Templar in the Masons. (Genesee Valley No. 15)
1853-61 - Postmaster of Flint, Mich.
1861-62 - Mayor of Flint, Mich.
Life-long Democrat of the Jacksonian School.
In the spring of 1828, E. S. Williams, with his brother, Gardner D. Williams, engaged in the fur trade in Saginaw City, under the auspices of the American Fur Company, remaining there twelve years. The two brothers built, during 1834, the first sawmill in Saginaw Valley, which was known as the “G.D. & E.S. Williams Mill”.
During his residence in Saginaw City, Mr. Williams was elected County Clerk and Register of Deeds, and prepared the first Circuit Court record of that county. He was also appointed Postmaster, by President Jackson, and held that position until 1840. In that year, he removed to Pontiac, where he carried on mercantile business and farming.
In April 1850 Williams came to Flint and engaged in the grocery and crockery business, and built the first brick block in the city. Upon the election of Franklin Pierce, Mr. Williams was appointed Postmaster of Flint on May 7, 1853, and retained his office eight years.
In 1861 he was elected Mayor of the city of Flint. One of the Flint papers of that time contained the following with reference to this event: "The friends of Colonel E. S. Williams will be pleased to learn that the Democracy of Flint, in the face of a heavy Republican majority, and against one of the best men, have elected him Mayor of that city,--an honorable position, conferred upon an honorable man."
He also operated as a land merchant.
In the long pioneer life of Mr. Williams occurred many incidents of interest, and consequently he was an accomplished chronicler of his time and is responsible for a considerable number of entries in various volumes of the "Michigan Pioneer & Historical Society Collections" which serve as accurate portrayals of the pioneer life and times of early Michigan.