Hi Ed Adams, thak-you for the link to the African Americans in Coles County website. It is great! Perhaps the most heinous villain in the history of southern Illinois was John Hart Crenshaw. He managed the saltworks at Equality, Illinois and was a kidnapper and slave catcher. His house is still standing as a reminder of his callous cruelty. Crenshaw held his captives in a hidden attic lined with cells inside his mansion. He was never brought to justice. Some who escaped, found safe haven and refuge in the Lakeview Settlement which was near the "Old Slave House". One of the surnames listed on the settlers monument at Lakeview Cemetery is Williams. Could these have been some of your relation?
Steven Alfred Cole