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October 3, 2019

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Alex Smith

Also of note to readers (i know you've mentioned before since you have clipped on newspapers.com) is Dismukes ranking him the 8th best pitcher he ever saw.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26391688/pittsburgh_courier1930215p14/

JohnR

New York Amsterdam News (October 30, 1929)
Obituary
Williams, Andrew (String Beans), of 14 Sickle street, Bronx, died Oct. 28, 1929, in Morrisania Hospital, with sudden attack of pneumonia, aged 57. He was one of the greatest colored pitchers that has ever been in baseball. Funeral services Friday, 2 o'clock, from Fred Williams, undertakers, 249 West 128th street.

Gary Ashwill

Kim, that's a great find--I don't think I'd seen it before. As you said, I see H. P. Warmack and other players on the same page. It looks to me like Williams's age is 37 (that's also how it's transcribed on Ancestry.com)...which would match with the death certificate & 1916 passenger list.

Gary Ashwill

JohnR--yeah, I saw Frank R. Steward mentioned a few places (e.g. he was sent to the Philippines as an officer in 1899) and I found at least one mention of an Andrew Williams in a black Spanish-American War unit. Military records aren't my strong suit, really, but I'll keep looking.

kim agan

Andrew Williams shows up on the 1910 French Lick Indiana census, living in employee housing of French Lick Springs Hotel, along with the rest of the 1910 Plutos team. The census shows he was born in Kentucky (further adding to the "Alabama Wonder" mystery) & was 31 years old.

JohnR

Hi Gary,
I remember trying to track Andrew Williams down awhile back and got just as far as you did (his death is actually noted in one of the major black newspapers). I even contacted the cemetery to see if they had any additional information (they did not). One strange thing is that, if you look up Captain Frank R. Steward as a Spanish-American War veteran, he exists and so do, if I remember correctly 3 Andrew Williams. If Williams did serve in the 1898 conflict, he was probably as old as was claimed; and perhaps his birth info could be tracked down through military records (like Dobie Moore's info). One other thing, Andrew Williams lies in an unmarked grave. Perhaps the funds could be raised for a headstone.

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