Another in the list of relatives from the excellent family history “A Family Called Skinner,” this documents my great grandfather’s life (my dad, Clark Watts’ grandfather on his mother’s side). (I’ll admit, I’m getting a little carried away with the genealogy stuff right now…)
William, better known as Bill or Billie, was the oldest son of Thomas Hosea and Martha Olivia (Perkins) Skinner. He was born April 26, 1854 at Shiloh, Alabama. His mother died when he was seven years old and his father married secondly, Martha’ Louise Tucker. The children of his first and second wives were most agreeable, and love between them was outstanding. The older children looked upon the children of the second wife as their own brothers and sisters. There was also a wonderful relationship between the older children and their stepmother.
When William was about 16, he left home to go to a boys school, “Lower Peach Tree Academy in Alabama. There he studied the Blue Back Speller., and Bullion’s Practical Grammar. William was a mischievous boy and a few quips and notations are penciled in the margins of the pages.
William married Amanda Antoinette Davis, born January 24, 1858. She was the daughter of Captain Stephen and Julia Antoinette (Scranton) Davis of Brooklyn, New York, who had moved from Brooklyn to Shiloh, Alabama, shortly after the War Between the States.
William had erected a two-room house about four miles from Shiloh where he took his bride. They went on their honeymoon to Mobile, going by boat on the Tombigbee River, which usually took from two to three days.
William set up a saw mill in Marengo County, and had a commissary to provide for the mill hands. On his farm he raised cotton which he shipped in bales to Mobile.
William loved sports, and at every opportunity he would go fishing or hunting, as well as when there was no opportune time. On some occasions when he was getting well up in years, some of the family went fishing with him but were pushed to keep up with him for none could keep up the rigorous pace and accept the accommodations that he could survive. He went to the same Presbyterian Church at Laurel that his grandfather had built in 1843, and was from time to time, a deacon or elder.
He was an avid reader, especially interested in history. He was excellent in math and often was called upon to work out an equation that some teacher had failed to get. He was a champion checkers player and played with people.
He was a faithful member of the Order of the Masons and for many years he was Worshipful Master of his lodge. He was a Justice of the Peace for many years, and his children remember him performing many marriage ceremonies at his house. If it was warm he performed the ceremony on the porch; if it was cold, he invited them into the parlor.