James Horatio Williams: The Ocracoke Captain Who Watched A Nation Go To War
James Horatio Williams photographed in 1887 in Philadelphia, PA. This photo appears in O’Neals of Ocracoke Island: Their Ancestors and Descendants 3rd Edition by Earl William O’Neal Jr. Image used with credit to the published work. By the time James Horatio “Horatio” Williams entered the world on October 8, 1827 , the white tower of the Ocracoke Lighthouse had stood watch over North Carolina’s Outer Banks for only five years. Built in 1823, it guided mariners through the shifting waters of Ocracoke Inlet, a passage that would shape Horatio’s life from childhood. Horatio was the youngest of three children born to James Nelson Williams and Elizabeth Barzilla “Zilly” O’Neele Williams. Although surrounded by the beauty and opportunity of island life, his childhood was marked by heartbreaking loss. History Snapshot 1825–1829: John Quincy Adams, 6th President 1829–1837: Andrew Jackson, 7th ...
