Among those believed to be buried at Forest Grove Cemetery is Miss Annie Williams (death certificate says “Lexington”). Miss Annie is a beloved character in Lexington’s history. She had a colorful personality, and was immortalized on a local postcard. Her favorite expression was “Ain’t it dish?”
Miss Annie was born into slavery at Dover, Missouri in about 1831. The names of her parents are unknown, but they were born in Kentucky. She was married to George Williams, and was widowed by 1910.
Her feistiness occasionally got her into trouble. An article in the Lexington Intelligencer from August 15, 1885, reports “Ann Davis and Ann Williams, two colored women, had a a fuss at the “colored” Baptist church last Sunday morning. The case was before Recorder Welborn last Thursday afternoon, and a jury assessed a fine of $10 against Ann Davis. There were about 18 witnesses in the case and the fine and costs amounted to $32.45.”
Miss Annie always dressed in the color red, and when she died, she lay in state at The Baptist Church in a specially made casket lined entirely in that color.
On December 14, 1924, Miss Annie was killed when she was struck by an automobile in the streets of Lexington.
(Some of the information for this bio is from the Lexington Sesquicentennial Commemorative book)