1938 Wellston (OH) High School Football Team Picture

1938 Wellston (OH) High School Football Team Picture (Back)

My maternal grandfather, Ralph Scott Williams Jr., was on the 1938 Wellston (OH) High School Football team.  He is pictured in the front row, second-from-left (# 43).  He wrote the names of all the players on the back of the picture.  Below is the certificate he received for participation on the team.

Ralph Williams 1938 Wellston (OH) High School Football Certificate

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr.

Williams Family Picture

Although it’s damaged, I really like this picture of my mother’s family.  The Williams Family (Left to Right): my mother, Christine Davis (Williams), my grandmother, Madrith Jean Williams (Williams), my aunt, Teresa Lynn Kaiser (Williams), and my grandfather, Ralph Scott Williams Jr.  Picture taken approx. 1955 in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams)

Nellie Ruth Williams Son-In-Service Navy Pin

Nellie Ruth Williams Navy Flag Picture

This pin belonged to my great grandmother, Nellie Ruth Williams.  The one blue star on the flag denoted that one son (or husband) was serving in the Armed Forces. A gold star was used to indicate that the family member was killed or had died during the war. Her son (my grandfather), Ralph Scott Williams Jr. served in the United States Navy (USN on the pin) during World War II.  In the second picture, you can see my great grandmother and the Son-In-Service United States Navy flag hanging in their window.

If you have any family treasures you’d like to contribute, please take a picture of the item and email it to me.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. – Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits)

This is my first attempt at creating a video out of family photos and home movies. It took me about two days to complete the project and I’m very happy with how it turned out. I created the project using Apple iMovie ’09. The video centers around my maternal grandparents and an inscription on one of their photographs, “Remember.” I’m hoping to create several more videos in the near future.

A couple of tips when viewing the video:

• Depending on your download speed, you may need to do the following: After clicking on the play button in the center or bottom left-hand corner of the video screen, pause the video in the bottom left-hand corner and wait for the entire video to load (you can tell it’s completed when the entire status bar at the bottom is full.) After it is completely loaded, press play.  This will prevent the video from stopping to load while it is playing.
• Set the resolution of the video to 720p. You may not be able to tell a difference, but this will guarantee you are watching it in the highest resolution available.

I hope you enjoy the video. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.  If you’d like to subscribe to my YouTube channel, click here.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. and Madrith Jean Williams (Williams)

My grandfather, Ralph Scott Williams Jr.  Photo taken approx. 7/1922 on Walnut Street in Lancaster, Ohio.   My grandmother, Madrith Jean Williams (Williams).  Photo taken approx. 5/1925 in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. and Madrith Jean Williams (Williams)

On 10/28/09, I sent the following request to the National Archives and Records Administration:

Modern Military Records Unit (NWCTM)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001

Dear Sir or Madam:
I have been researching my grandfather (Ralph Scott Williams Jr., USNR, 570 06 78)’s service in World War II for several years.  I am writing to find what records are available pertaining to the ship that he served on overseas. 
He served on USS LCI(L)-11 from 5/21/1943 to 11/4/1944.  In his military file, it states he took part in the invasion of Sicily, Italy, the assault landings at Anzio, Italy, and the D-Day assault in Normandy, France.
I would greatly appreciate any help in locating records pertaining to this ship.

Thank you,
Brian M. Davis

I recently received the vessel’s action report from Operation Overlord, dated 7/12/1944.  It states the following:

[LCI(L)-11] participated in transporting officers and men to Utah assault area – invasion of Normandy from 6-13 June 1944 – in task force 125.

Click on the above images for more detailed information pertaining to LCI(L)-11 and its role in Operation Overlord. I am currently piecing together a short history of my grandfather’s naval service for my World War 2 project, which should be posted sometime next year.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr.

Ralph Scott Williams Jr. Dog Tag

This dog tag was given to me by my mother, Christine Davis (Williams), around the time I started doing genealogical research in 2001.  It belonged to my grandfather, Ralph Scott Williams Jr.  The following information is on the dog tag:

Name: Ralph S. Williams; Service Number: 570-06-78; Tetanus Toxoid (Vaccination) Received 5/1944; Blood Type O; United States Naval Reserve; Religion: Protestant 

I am currently doing a lot of research on World War II service in my family.  Look for the launch of another website dedicated to this topic sometime next spring.

If you have any family treasures you’d like to contribute, please take a picture of the item and email it to me.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr.

My aunt, Terry Kaiser (Williams), contributed these photos of my grandfather’s (Ralph Scott Williams Jr.) United States Naval Training Station class, taken 11/17/1942 in Great Lakes, Illinois.  He is in the second row, second from-the-right. The original photo was torn in-half and had considerable damage as can be seen in the above pictures.  I decided to have the photos retouched and put back together.  I contacted Miles Abernathy at 399Retouch, asking if this could be done.  For an affordable price and fast turnaround time, I thought they did a great job.

Ralph Scott Williams Jr. Retouched USNTS Picture

Now, I need to find a reputable online professional photo printing service to print copies (7 1/2 inches x 19 3/4 inches).  This picture will look great framed and be a nice addition to our family picture collection.

Update: I had to resize and crop the image to 5 inches x 15 inches. I used MPix to print and ship the picture.  Hopefully, it will look nice when it arrives.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr.

My grandfather, Ralph Scott Williams Jr., served on LCI(L)-11 during World War II from 5/21/1943 – 11/4/1944.  I have sent a letter to the Modern Military Records Unit (NWCTM), a branch of the National Archives, requesting copies of the records (deck logs, casualties, diaries, etc.) pertaining to this ship.  It took part in the invasion of Sicily, the assault landings at Anzio, and the D-Day assault at Normandy, France. 

I’ve recently been working on a timeline for my grandfather’s naval service.  When completed, it will probably have its own website.  Most likely, it won’t be completed until sometime next year, but should be very informative to those interested. 

LCI(L)-11 = Landing Craft Infantry (Large) #11

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr.

Ralph Scott Williams Jr. Navy Picture

My maternal grandfather, Ralph Scott Williams Jr., served with the United States Navy during World War II.  I have posted the pictures I have from his naval service on Flickr.

Someday, I hope to track down some information on the other named men in the photos.  Although not likely, it would be interesting to track down someone that served with my grandfather during the war. In the near future, I will post all of the details of his military service, including images of his naval documents, headstone, etc.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr.