The Ladies of the WPA: Garnett Williams
1930 U.S. Population Census, Buckingham County
Unlike WPA fieldworker Elizabeth McCraw, Rosa Garnett (Agee) Williams of Dillwyn inconsistently signed her reports. She is listed as Rosa G. Williams, Mrs. Garnett Williams, and Garnett Agee Williams.
“Garnett” was the daughter of Cornelius “Hamilton” Agee and Rosa Kate Claiborne. The Hamilton Agee family lived at Gravel Hill, not far from the Buckingham Collegiate Female Institute, and close to the old Claiborne home at Cold Comfort.
In 1930, approximately six years before Garnett took the job as a fieldworker for the Virginia Historical Inventory, she was living adjacent her parents with her husband, Freddie Williams, and her young son, Freddie, Jr.
Garnett Williams lived into her 80s and one Agee cousin noted that she was “quite elegant and lovely – good bones!” I can remember women of my mother’s generation making similar comments about great cheek bones.
If anyone knows more about Garnett Williams or is willing to share a photo of her, please let me know.
Note: To explore the Virginia History Inventory online, visit the Library of Virginia.
slate river ramblings . . . . 
Garnett was my great aunt.she married Fred Williams, son Samuel & Callie Duncan Williams. They had 1 son & 2 grandchildren. Garnett and family lived in rooms above stairs. I used to visit them with my grandfather,Frank Agee. When hwy 15 expanded,they sold the store and moved in to take care of her father, C Hamilton Agee and’a cousin Meg’ last name unknown. Fred died then her father & she sold the home place to her brother,Marshall Agee who remodeled the home, then sold it & new owners did not like the house so it was torn down. Garnett was in her 90s when she died in a nursing home in FarmVille where her sister, Mary Agee Stone resided. Garnett had an apartment at SProuses Corner for a number of years. The only member living is Marshall’s wife,Rubywoh resides in Midlothian, Va. I have family pic that I will forward to any requests that came from local newspaper. Kathy in Okc
Hello Kathy, Thanks very much for the information about Garnett Williams and her Agee family. I would like to see the Agee family photo. Please send it to me at jlyeck@gmail.
Joanne