Fourth Generation

120. William Webster (Billy) Bray^{58,123,127,134,136,142,143,144,145,146,147,148,149,150}. Birth: 1 July 1875, [Anderson County], Tennessee.^134,142 He referred to himself as W. W. Bray or as W. W. Bray of Texas.

Census: 1880, Anderson County, Tennessee. William 4 son, male, single, white, born TN, father and mother born TN.

Missing from census: 1900,.

Missing from census: 1910,.

Census: 1920, Navarro County, Texas. Ward 3, Enumeration District 147, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas, 3 Feb 1920; page 154a, 631 North Beaton Street, dwelling number 216, family number 279; Bray W. W. 38 head male married white, poultry dealer, born TN, father and mother born TN; Belle 30 wife female married white, GA TX TX.

City Directory: 1922, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas.¹⁴⁶ Bray Wm W (Belle), mech, r 631 N Beaton. City Directory: 1926, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas.¹⁴⁹ Bray Wm W (Belle) mech h1710 W 7th av, Bray Wm W (Belle) trav h631 N Beaton. City Directory: 1928, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas.¹⁴⁸ Bray Wm W (Belle) h631 N Beaton.

Census: 1930, Navarro County, Texas. Ward 3, Enumeration District 175-5, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas, 16 Apr 1930; page 100b, 631 North Beaton, dwelling number 418, family number 483; Bray William W. 47 head male w w mechanic, oil fields, born TN, father and mother born TN; Mary A. 9 daughter, female, single, white, TX TN TX.

City Directory: 1931, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas.¹⁴⁷ Bray Wm W h631 N Beaton

Death: 17 January 1963, age 87, Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee.^134,142

Obituary: Corsicana Daily Sun, Tuesday, 22 Jan 1963.
Rites Tuesday for W. W. Bray. Graveside services for W. W. Bray, 79, former Corsicanan, will be held Tuesday a 3 p. m. at Oakwood cemetery. He died in Knoxville, Tenn. Sunday. The body arrived on the Rock Island Lines passenger train Tuesday shortly before noon. The rites will be conducted by Rev. Robert Wooddy, pastor of the First Baptist church. Surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Carl Brewer, Houston; two grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, and a brother, G. S. Bray, Knoxville, Tenn., and other relatives. McCammon directs.

Burial: 22 January 1963, Oakwood Cemetery, Nararro County, Texas.^134,142 Grave marker: William W. Bray, 1 Jul 1883 - 17 Jan 1963.

He was known in the family as Uncle Billy. He was involved in a famous court case where he was tried for burning down his own house after taking out large insurance policies on the house. The well known Knoxville trial lawyer Ray Jenkins got him off. Part of the defense strategy in the closing argument was to cry about poor Billy using a large handkerchief as a prop and where the lawyer's tears where helped along by an onion hidden in the handkerchief. As a part of the crying strategy, Ray Jenkins held an Army jacket over his arm to suggest that Billy was an Army veteran. But the jacket belonged to Billy's brother Walter who did have a distinguished Army career.

William Webster (Billy) Bray and Rhoda Amos Marriage: 29 September 1895, Knox County, Tennessee.¹⁴³

Rhoda Amos^151,152, daughter of Charlie Amos and Dicy Ann Smith,. Birth: 3 November 1881, Tennessee.¹⁵²

Missing from census: 1900,.

Census: 1910, Loudon County, Tennessee. Rhoda 30 boarder f m2-6 w laborer/foundry, born TN, father and mother born TN, 4 children, 2 living, enumerated along with her husband and children household of Eli McMahan.

Census: 1920, Roane County, Tennessee. Rhoda 39 wife female married white, born TN, father and mother born TN.

Census: 1930, Loudon County, Tennessee. Rhoda 49 wife female m@24 w, born TN, father and mother born TN.

Death: 11 June 1941, age 59, Loudon County, Tennessee.¹⁵²

Death Certificate #29197
1. Name - Rohoda A. Green (sic)
2. Died - 6 11 1941
3. Death place - Loudon County, Dist. 2, rural, at home, lived in community for years
4. Legal residence - Tennessee, Loudon County, Dist. 2, Lenoir City, R#2
5. Race - w
6. Sex - f
7. Status - divorced
8. Age - 60 years, 5 months, 11 days
9. Born - Nov 3, 1881
10. Birth place - Loudon County, Tenn.
11. Husband or wife of -
12. Veteran - no
13. Usual occupation - paired hose C. H. Bacon Co.
15. Father - Charlie Amos, born in Loudon County, Tenn.
16. Mother - Desa Sartin (sic, was Dicy Ann Smith), born in Loudon County, Tenn.
17. Informant - Fred Green, Lenoir City R#2
18. Buried - 6-13-1941, Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Loudon Co.
19. Undertaker - B. H. Biereley, Lenoir City, filed 4/9/42, W.C. Malonie.

Burial: 13 June 1941, at Pleasant Hill Cemetery Loudon County, Tennessee.¹⁵²

William Webster (Billy) Bray and Rhoda Amos had the following children:

William Webster (Billy) Bray and Annie Belle (Belle) Clark Marriage: before 1920,.¹⁴⁵

Annie Belle (Belle) Clark^142,144,145, daughter of W. T. Clark and Anna Bell Sweeney,. Birth: 19 October 1884, Freestone County, Texas.^142,144,145

Census: 1900, Navarro County, Texas. Belle 14 daughter, female, single, white, Oct 1885 at school TX AL TX.

Census: 1910, Navarro County, Texas. Belle 25 daughter, female, single, white, TX AL TX.

Census: 1920, Navarro County, Texas. Belle 30 wife female married white, GA TX TX.

Death: 7 August 1929, age 44, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas.^142,144,145

Obituary: August 8, 1929, the News.
Mrs. Belle Bray Buried, Special to The News.
Corsicana, Texas. Aug. 8. - Funeral services for Mrs. Bell Bray, wife of W. W. Bray, were held Thursday from the family home with burial in Oakwood Cemetery. Surviving are her husband; one daughter, Mary Anna Bray, and mother, Mrs. Annie Clark of Corsicana. Pallbearers were T. J. Walton, Cecil Foster, Tom Eady, John C. Hughes, W. T. Parker and Sam Allen.

Obituary: The Corsicana Daily Sun, 7 Aug 1929.
Mrs. Belle Bray Died Wednesday; Burial Thursday. Mrs. Belle Bray, aged about 40 years, wife of W. W. Bray, 631 North Beaton street, died at the family home Wednesday afternoon at 1 o'clock following an illness of three weeks and the funeral will be held from the residence, Thursday afternoon at 4 o'clock with burial in Oakwood cemetery. The funeral services will be conducted by Rev. F. P. Culver, pastor of the First Methodist church. Mrs. Bray is a native of Texas and had resided in Corsicana practically all her life. Surviving are her husband, one daughter, Mary Anna Bray, and mother, Mrs. Annie Clark, Corsicana.

Texas Death Certificate #41795
1. Died - Navarro County,Corsicana, 631 N. Beaton
2. Name- Mrs. Belle Bray, 631 No. Beaton, resident 25 years
3. Sex - female
4. Race - white
5. Status - married
6. Born - Oct 19, 1884
7. Age - 45 years, 2 months, 12 days
8. Occupation - hotel hostess
9. Birthplace - Freestone Co., Tx
10. Father - W. T. Clark
11. Father born - Alabama
12. Mother - Anna Bell
13. Mother born - Freestone Co., Tx
14. Informant - W. W. Bray, Corsicana, Tx
15. Filed - Aug 8, 1929, A. P. Welch, Registrar
16. Died - Aug 7, 1929
19. Buried - Oakwood, 8/8/1929
20. Undertaker - W. T. Ona?, Corsicana

Burial: 8 August 1929, Oakwood Cemetery, Nararro County, Texas.^142,144,145 Grave marker: Annie B. Clark Bray, 19 Oct 1884 - 7 Aug 1929.

William Webster (Billy) Bray and Annie Belle (Belle) Clark had the following children: