Spotlight Ancestor

William Trezevant Jr.

William Trezevant Jr. was born on 17 November 1877, in Fort Worth, Texas. His parents were William Trezevant Sr. and Neomi Davis. William had three siblings, Margaret Janie Trezevant, James Shannon Trezevant and Harry Trezevant.

On 28 August 1896, William Jr. married Helen Carpenter in Tarrant County, Texas. He remarried on 18 March 1907, to Polly Cox, who died on 21 June 1924. According to the 1920 U. S. Census, William Jr. and Polly had two sons, L.E. and Harry.

In 1901 William Jr. was employed as an expressman. In 1902 he was a porter for J.Z. Wheat Company. William Jr. worked as a porter for various Fort Worth saloons. He became the owner of a Negro Cafe in Fort Worth, Texas. When William Jr. registered for the draft in 1918, he listed his occupation as restaurant owner. The cafe remained opened until 1931.

In 1916, William Jr. provided the chief of the police department with information that led to the arrest and conviction of Sandy Sadler. The following is an newspaper clipping regarding the event. The article referred to William Jr. as a proprietor of a club.

On 25 September 1926, William Jr. married Katie Gilbert. He continued to reside in the area which became known as Trezevant Hill. Trezevant Hill was an early African American Community.

William Jr. played in the Negro baseball league that he started. Subsequently, he was president of Texas-Oklahoma baseball league from 1929-1931. William Jr. died on 8 June 1940.