“Andrew Williams of Seneca Village: A Family Visionary and his Descendants” Presented by Cal Jones, Manhattan Borough Historian Emeritus

Cal Jones, Manhattan Borough Historian Emeritus, has traced the history of the Andrew Williams family from the mid 1800s to the present. Williams, a bootblack and cartman, bought land in Seneca Village, a community composed primarily of African Americans, that once thrived on land that is now part of Central Park, from West 83rd Street to West 89th Street. He built a house on the three plots that he had purchased for $120, moved in with his wife Elizabeth, and eventually raised his family there.

The Williams family lived in Seneca Village from 1825 to 1857 when life there came to an abrupt end. The entire village  was acquired by the city via eminent domain and all of its homes, two schools and three churches were razed to make room for the new park. Now, after two years of research, Jones has reconstructed the trajectory of the Williams family, all the way to the present day.

Cal Jones served as Manhattan Borough Historian for three Borough Presidents, beginning in 1997. He has been a contributor to The Encyclopedia of New York City and the author of the Manhattan African-American History and Culture Guide, published by the Manhattan Borough President and the Museum of the City of New York; he volunteers at the Museum of the City of New York, teaching history to school children. Among his many other affiliations, he is a member of the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History.