William Watson Family Papers are now open

William Nathaniel Watson (1883 – 1933) moved from his home state of Virginia to Morristown, New Jersey at the turn of the 20th-century and found work as an ash collector, a job that he turned into a successful waste removal businesses and later expanded to trucking and real estate. Together, he and his wife Addie L. Daly (1882 – 1961) raised seven children: William Nathaniel, Jr.; Clara; Francis; John Morton; Hazel; Gertrude; and Evelyn, all of whom attended and graduated from Morristown High School.

William owned and operated William Watson and Sons, located a short distance from the couple’s home in Morristown near where Headquarters Plaza was eventually built. In his spare time, Mr. Watson founded the Morris County chapter of the NAACP, was a leader of the Colored Republican Club, president of the Booker T. Washington branch of the YMCA, and member of both the Elks and Union Baptist Church in Morristown.

Two of William’s sons, John and Francis, joined their father’s business after high school and would inherit it following his death in 1933. Many of Addie and William’s children studied for careers in education and medicine, with Evelyn becoming a teacher and Clara a registered nurse. William Nathaniel, Jr. studied dentistry but died shortly after fulfilling his World War II Army service, and while Francis initially pursued a career as a physician he ultimately joined his brother John to run the family business for forty years.

The 0.5 linear foot collection consists of obituaries and funeral programs, an account book from William Watson and Sons, and a number of diplomas, yearbooks, and reunion programs. It also contains a series of letters to Nannie Watson from her grandchildren and children. The papers include photographs of patriarch William N. Watson, Sr. and his son William, Jr., in addition to the former’s obituary that features his portrait. A small group of ephemera hint at some of the family’s charitable, religious, and social activities. An interview with Clara Watson Pinkman recorded in 1983, in which she discusses her family’s life in Morristown can be found here.