The papers in this collection are arranged topically according to the subject of William's research. They are divided into five series: FAMILY HISTORIES, LOCAL HISTORIES, NATIVE AMERICANS, PERSONAL PAPERS, and SCHOOLS. The bulk of the material found in each of these series (except PERSONAL PAPERS) primarily consists of newspaper articles collected by Williams and her notes on various subjects. The PERSONAL PAPERS include correspondence, autobiographical sketches, and personal documents such as her teaching certificate and her first teaching contract. In addition to the material described in this document, the collection also contains a number of photographs which remain unprocessed.
FAMILY HISTORIES contain the genealogical information that Williams gathered on thirty-one different Marinette county families focusing on when the family first arrived in the county and their subsequent movements. Much of her research is in the form of handwritten notes taken from oral interviews Williams had with family members or unidentified other sources and is arranged by family surname. Williams also collected newspaper clippings about prominent or notable local citizens and these are divided into marriage announcements, obituaries, and general news articles.
LOCAL HISTORIES constitute the largest series in this collection and reflect Williams' dedication to writing individual histories of each of the towns located in Marinette County. This series again consists of newspaper clippings about the towns and their history as well as other handwritten notes taken by Williams to supplement this information. In addition, this series contains information regarding the early economic and industrial development of the area, especially in the lumber industry, and general information about Marinette County and Menominee (Mich.). Also included are two serialized newspaper articles written by Fred Burke and Howard Emich about Marinette County and Menominee, respectively.
NATIVE AMERICANS document the history of these groups in the Marinette region. Especially well represented in this section is the history of Queen Marinette, daughter of a French trader and a Native American woman who grew to be a powerful figure in the region and who was the eponym of Marinette Town and County.
The SCHOOLS series consists of news sources and other notes about the various schools in the county, several of which Williams either taught at or attended, with some general information about Menominee and Marinette county schools generally. This series is arranged alphabetically by school.
