Wilhelmina Williams

Wilhelmina is the seventh generation to live on the original land grant from 1777 of her ancestors’ Henry and Mary Stephens Earnest in Greene County. She believes that history is more fun to learn when you know your ancestors were part of events in times gone by. 

Her passion for history continues with visits to museums, historic sites, trails, cemeteries, and state and national parks. She attends the Tennessee Association of Museums Conference and is a member of the Northeast Tennessee Museum Association. She works to have significant historical sites placed on the National Register of Historic Places and leads efforts to restore historic buildings including fund raising, grant writing and preservation. She is on the Dickson-Williams Historical Association Board, is currently president of the Earnest Family Fort House Association, and the Blue Springs Historical Association and past president of the Greeneville-Greene County History Museum. Memberships include Daughters of the American Revolution, Overmountain Victory Trail, Greene County Heritage Trust, American Battlefield Trust and TriCities Civil War Round Table.

She is a historic tour guide working for Main Street: Greeneville and gives “A Walk with The President: Andrew Johnson” and the Dickson-Williams Mansion tours. She has researched and developed tours of “American’s First Frontier”, “Where David Crockett Country Begins, The Historic Nolachuckey River Valley”, and “The Civil War from Greeneville to Russellville” 

Wilhelmina graduated from the University of Tennessee. Professionally, her career was in Health and Human Services with a focus on working with at-risk children and families. She served as a founder and President of the Kentucky Family Resource and Youth Services Coalition. After returning to Tennessee she was Executive Director of the Northeast Community Services Agency and received the Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare Professional Advocacy Award and the Children’s Advocacy Centers Award. She served as Chairman of the East Tennessee State University, Rural and Community Health Board working with the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Public and Allied Health.

Wilhelmina and Beverly have a son and daughter and four grandchildren.