William M. Yaws Jr. appears to have been part of an early Louisiana-to-Texas frontier family that later migrated into eastern New Mexico during the late 1800s cattle and railroad expansion era. Here is a reconstructed history based on genealogical and historical records: Early Life William M. Yaws Jr. was reportedly born in December 1838 in Louisiana, likely in either St. Landry Parish or nearby Avoyelles Parish. Several genealogical records place the Yaws family in south-central Louisiana during the 1830s-1850s. His father was probably: William Yaws (born about 1815 in Louisiana) His mother is believed to have been: Sarah Rosanna Henry, connected to the French-Creole Henry family of St. Landry Parish. Family Migration By the 1850s-1860s, the Yaws family had moved westward into Texas, especially around: Bastrop County Gonzales County This migration pattern was common among Louisiana farming and cattle families after the Civil War. Several Yaws siblings settled permanently in Texas. Marriage Records indicate William married: Nancy Catherine Reader on September 5, 1872, in Bastrop County, Texas. Some records also mention an earlier marriage to: Susan Townsend before Nancy Reader. Children Known children associated with William M. Yaws include: Georgia Ann Yaws Decker (1884-1958) There were likely additional children born in Texas and New Mexico during the 1870s-1890s. Move to New Mexico Late in life, William moved west into what became: Quay County near the small settlement of Lloyd, outside Tucumcari. This area experienced rapid settlement after the arrival of the railroad in the 1880s-1900s. Many Texas cattle and farming families relocated there for ranch land opportunities. Death Most records place his death in: 1908 or 1909 near Lloyd, Quay County, New Mexico. There is some disagreement in surviving records: one source says 30 May 1908 others simply list 1909. Historical Context William M. Yaws Jr.’s life followed a classic Southern frontier migration route: French-Creole Louisiana origins Post-Civil War Texas settlement Westward migration into New Mexico Territory The Yaws family became connected to ranching, farming, and frontier communities across Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Siblings Possibly Associated With Him Records identify several likely siblings: Andrew Jackson Yaws Charles Louis Yaws Elias Yaws Christopher Columbus Yaws ===== Here is the best reconstruction I can support from available records. William M. Yaws / Yaw Jr. Born: December 1838 or possibly 5 Dec 1842, Louisiana Died: 1909, Lloyd area, Quay County, New Mexico Parents: William Yaws/Yaw and likely Sarah Rosanna Henry, though another genealogy source gives Elizabeth Reed as mother. The Henry family page says Sarah Rosanna Henry married William Yaws on 1 Nov 1834 in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Census timeline 1840 - St. Landry Parish, Louisiana Likely in the household of William Yaw. The Stockman family research places William Yaw in St. Landry Parish in the 1840 census. 1850 and 1860 - not yet located One compiled family history says the family moved to Texas about 1850, but no 1850 or 1860 census record had been found for William Yaws/Yaw. 1870 - Bastrop County, Texas William M. Yaws Jr. is not clearly shown in his own household. His father appears as Will Jawls, age 55, farm laborer, born Louisiana, with several children in Bastrop County. 1880 - Wards Store / Snake Prairie, Bastrop County, Texas Listed as Wm. M. Yaws, age 32, born Louisiana, farmer. Household: wife Nancy C., age 23, born Alabama; children Wm. T., Elvira, Minnie S., and Cicero, all born Texas. 1900 - likely not fully confirmed yet Open web indexes point to a 1900 census entry involving William Yaws and daughter Laura Yaws, but I could not verify the full household image from the public search result. Marriage He married Nancy Catherine Reader in Bastrop County, Texas, in September 1872. One source gives 5 Sep 1872; another gives 25 Sep 1872. Both place the marriage in Bastrop County. Some records also list an earlier wife, Susan Townsend. Known children From the 1880 census and later indexed records, likely children include: William T. Yaws, born about 1875, Texas Elvira Yaws, born about 1876, Texas Minnie Civil / Minnie S. Yaws, born about 1877, Texas; later lived in Quay County, New Mexico, and died in 1913. Cicero Yaws, born about 1879, Texas Laura A. Yaws, born about 1882; FamilySearch index connects her to William Yaws and Nancy Katherine Reader. Georgia Ann Yaws, born 24 Dec 1884, Shiner, Lavaca County, Texas; Find a Grave lists her parents as William M. Yaws and Nancy Reader Yaws. There may be additional children after 1884, but I would treat any list beyond these as unverified until checked against the 1900 census image, marriage records, and probate or cemetery records. Gravesite I did not find a confirmed Find a Grave memorial for William M. Yaws himself. The strongest burial clue is that multiple genealogical sources place his death at Lloyd, Quay County, New Mexico. Quay County land I did not find a direct indexed land patent for William M. Yaws in Quay County. Quay County did have many public-land patents, including thousands of homesteads, so he may have settled there through homestead, purchase, or family land, but I cannot confirm a specific tract yet from open indexed results. Obituary-style biography William M. Yaws, a Louisiana native and longtime Texas farmer, was born in December 1838, though some family records give his birth as 5 December 1842. He was a son of the early Louisiana Yaws/Yaw family, connected with St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, before the family moved westward into Texas. As a young man, William followed the migration path common to many Louisiana families of the period, settling in Bastrop County, Texas. There he married Nancy Catherine Reader in 1872. By 1880, William and Nancy were living near Wards Store, also known as Snake Prairie, in Bastrop County, where William was farming and raising a young family. Their known children included William T., Elvira, Minnie, Cicero, Laura, and Georgia Ann Yaws. In later years, members of the family moved farther west, eventually reaching the Lloyd community near Tucumcari in Quay County, New Mexico Territory. William died there in 1909. William M. Yaws’ life traces the westward movement of one branch of the Yaws family from Louisiana to Texas and finally into eastern New Mexico.