Talk:Daniel Hale Williams

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Before I edit the article I offer this for comment. I am the author of the non fiction book A President in the Family published by Greenwood in 2001. My fraternal grandfather's mother was the cousin of Daniel Hale Williams. D.H. Williams and his biographer, Helen Buckler, corresponded with my grandfather, Howard D. Woodson (1876-1962), who was born in Pittsburgh PA. H. D. Woodson worked in Chicago for a short time then after 1908 worked in Washington DC. A high school there is named in his honor. My great great great grandfather, Thomas Williams bought a Bible and recorded a family tree there. My grandfather likely never saw the Bible but information contained there was passed to him. My grandfather's great grandmother, Catherine, the wife of Thomas Williams, lived until 1898 (age 92) and likey kept family connections alive. As of 1948 the Bible was in the possession of Charles Kelly of Pittsburgh, son of Elizabeth Williams Kelly(grandson of Thomas Williams). --- According to Buckler, the ancestors of D H Williams lived in York County PA. My great great great great grandfather, Samuel Williams lived in Hellam Twsp. York County in 1810 as per the U.S. Census. Robert Hale lived there as well along with other Williams family members in mixed race families. Samuel Wiiliams lived in Harrisburgh PA in 1830 according to the Census. In 1830 a Daniel Williams lived in Lewistown PA. Thomas Williams is placed in Lewistown by a source other than the Census. Daniel Hale Williams was born in Hollidaysburg PA in 1856. The family slowly migrated west. --- The father of D H Williams was Daniel Williams (mother Sarah Price Williams) and according to Buckler his grandfather was Daniel Williams Sr. (mother was likey a daughter of Robert Hale). --- Samuel Williams was the great grandfather of D H Williams. The father of Samuel Williams was Joseph Williams, who was born in 1760 according the information handed to my grandfather. According to the U. S. Census Joseph Williams (a free negro)lived on Cresson's Alley in Philadelphia in 1790. According to the Constitution Center, which was built at the site that once included Cresson's Alley, Joseph Williams was a painter, presumably a house painter, and not an artist. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Bww1 (talk • contribs) .

Thanks! Most of this genealogicial information is beyond the scope of an encyclopedia, though. --Dhartung | Talk 02:03, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Vandalism

I've reverted the article to this revision, as the final cut-and-paste action was not caught by the vandalism bot. It seems to be a copyvio as well. I had to clean up this Talk page, too, it appears to be rarely visited! --Dhartung | Talk 02:03, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

I have noticed quite a few instances of vandalism from Naconkantari, who's removing relevant links from several pages, including this one, because they do not conform to his politically correct beliefs. I am in the process of reverting his acts of vandalism. 69.118.97.26 21:58, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

The above user is apparently a fan of www.brinkster.com, which hosts an anonymously authored list of debunkings of claims of African-American inventors/discoverers. I cautioned him that not only is brinkster.com a problematic source and probably not reliable-source policy compliant, but invention is a complex thing not given to "did / did not" debates. Most inventions are minor improvements on something that has gone before and this is the case with Williams's surgical advance at a time when pericardial surgery was being advanced. --Dhartung | Talk 06:35, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Race

Dr. Dan's race is a sticky problem. He obviously identified throughout his life as an African-American, but also as a light-skinned black. There has always, and then especially, been a bit of a divide between lighter-skinned African Americans, particularly those who could "pass" or intermarry, and those with darker skin. But I don't think his father can easily be classed as "white". According to one genealogical site he was marked with a "B" on a census form (earlier in his life he was marked with an "M" for mulatto), and I've often seen him described as a "free Negro". His ancestry was a mix of African-American, Scots-Irish, and German-American. Williams's mother was part black and part Indian. Upshot: I think we should still describe him as "African-American". He certainly wasn't 50% white and 50% black in the usual modern sense of the term. --Dhartung | Talk 06:45, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

People don't even want to except 50 - 50 as mulatto. Barack Obama Just because someone wants to be something, does not make it plausible. Shakam 03:09, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

"Mulatto" is unacceptable in U.S. dialect, so we cannot use it. Alternatives include "mixed race" or multiracial, which is the title of our article. Since the contemporary term used for him was generally "negro", it seems like labeling him African-American is simplest. "African-American with a multiracial background" might be most correct. --Dhartung | Talk 04:12, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

Who are you to decide what is acceptable in U.S. dialect? At any rate, if you label him African-American you're adhering to socially constructed "racism." He was not, the malapropistic word, "African-American."

I would however accept black/white multiracial. Shakam 05:18, 25 October 2006 (UTC)