William McKinley Big Bill Caudill and Rebecca Becky Adams

William McKinley Big Bill Caudill
and Rebecca Becky Adams

Big Bill Caudill

Back L-R: Big Bill Holding Harold Keith Caudill, and Etta Dixon Caudill. L-R Front: Virgil Glenn, Mabel Ruth and Lillian Doris Caudill

Ethel Ison Jones and Big Bill Caudill
William McKinley Big Bill Caudill b 27 Apr 1896 d 12 Jul 1966; buried Caudill Family Cemetery, no location given; s/o Henry Caudill and Barilla Jones. William McKinley Big Bill Caudill m. 3 Jul 1917 to (1) to Rebecca Becky Adams b 20 Jun 1901 Letcher Co KY d 15 Oct 1918 Letcher Co KY (2 weeks after the birth of her only child of influenza in the flu epidemic of 1918); d/o George Washington Adams and Sarah Elizabeth Kincer. Child of William McKinley Big Bill Caudill and Rebecca Becky Adams;

1. William Little Bill Caudill b 11 Oct 1918 d 6 Nov 1938 (murdered out of jealousy by slashing and stabbing with a knife by Lester Amburgey: See Article Below); m. 23 Aug 1937 Whitesburg, Letcher Co KY to Georgia Helen Parsons b 23 May 1923 d 20 Feb 2002; buried Green Acres Cemetery, Ermine, Letcher Co KY; d/o Willis Burton Parsons and Ruby Evelyn Kilbourne. Georgia Helen Parsons m. Hillard Roberts b 1922; s/o Frank Roberts and Nervesta Bolling.

William McKinley Big Bill Caudill
and Etta Dixon

William McKinley Big Bill Caudill b 27 Apr 1896 d 12 Jul 1966; buried Caudill Family Cemetery, no location given; s/o Henry Caudill and Barilla Jones. William McKinley Big Bill Caudill m. 24 Dec 1921 to (2) to Etta Bea Dixon b 10 Sept 1899 d 8 Sept 1938; buried Caudill Family Cemetery, no location given; d/o James C Dixon and Evelyn Eva Back. Children of William M Caudill and Etta B Dixon;

1. Helen Madge Caudill b 23 Aug 1935 d 9 Sept 1935; buried Caudill Family Cemetery, no location given.

2. Virgil Glenn Caudill b ? d 1995

3. Mabel Ruth Caudill; m. Male Frazier

4. Lillian Doris Caudill

5. Harold Keith Caudill

William McKinley Big Bill Caudill
and Etta Dixon

William McKinley Big Bill Caudill b 27 Apr 1896 d 12 Jul 1966; buried Caudill Family Cemetery, no location given; s/o Henry Caudill and Barilla Jones. William McKinley Big Bill Caudill m. 29 Oct 1939 Whitesburg, Letcher Co KY to Ethel Ison Jones b 31 Aug 1905 Letcher Co KY d 15 Feb 1997 Michigan; buried Oak Grove Cemtery, Manchester, Washtenaw Co Michigan; d/o Zachariah Zack Ison and Sally Cornett.

Notes: Ethel Ison Jones Caudill
31 Aug 1905 - 15 Feb 1997

More about Ethel Ison Jones Caudill: Birth: Aug. 31, 1905 Letcher County Kentucky. Death: Feb. 15, 1997 Michigan. Ethel (Ison) Jones Caudill was the daughter of Zachariah "Zack" and Sally (Cornett) Ison. She married first to Tom Jones on September 15, 1925, in Blackey, Letcher County, KY. They had three children: Helen Louise (Jones) Blair, Doris Jones and Walleen Alafair (Jones) Cook Leach. Ethel married second to William McKinley Caudill on October 28, 1939, in Whitesburg, Letcher County, KY. They had no children of their own.

Obituary: Ethel Ison Jones Caudill
31 Aug 1905 - 15 Feb 1997

Ethel Caudill of Manchester, aged 91, died Saturday, Febraury 15, 1997 at her daughter's home. She was born on August 31, 1905 in Whitesburg, KY, the daughter of Zachariah and Sally (Cornett) Ison. Mrs. Caudill had resided with her loving daughter in Wayne and Manchester since 1966. She was amember of the Baptist Church in Whitesburg, KY and was saved and baptized in 1947. She married William M. Caudill in Whitesburg, KY, and he preceded her in death on July 12, 1966. Survivors include two daughters, Mrs. W. A. Walleen Leach of Manchester, Mrs. Joe (Louise) Warren of Detroit; two stepdaughters, Mrs. E. (Lillian) George and Ruth Frazier, both of Milbourne, FL; three sisters, Maxie Frazier of Romulus, Lola Stanifer of Jeffersonville, IN, and Elsie Nichols of Titusville, FL; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; one great-great grandaughter; several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by one daughter, Doris Jones, and one brother, Lillie Ison. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, February 18, 11 AM at Cole Funeral Chapel in Chelsea, with Pastor Bob Toler of North Sharon Baptist Church officiating. Burial followed in Oak Grove Cemetery, Manchester. Her family received friends on Monday; memorial contributions may be made to North Sharon Baptist Church.

Notes: Big Bill Caudill
27 Apr 1896 - 12 Jul 1966

Source: William McKinley "Big Bill" Caudill was the son of Henry and Barilla (Jones) Caudill. William, who was 6' 3" tall, was also known by many as "Big Bill" Caudill. He married first to Rebecca J. "Becky" Adams on July 3, 1917, in Whitesburg, Letcher County, KY. They had one son: William McKinley "Little Bill" Caudill, Jr. Rebecca J. Becky Adams had their son while William McKinley Big Bill Caudill was serving overseas during World War I and she died two weeks later of pneumonia caused by the Spanish Influenza. Big Bill married second to Etta Bea Dixon on December 21, 1921, in Whitesburg, Letcher County, KY. They had five children: Virgil Glenn Caudill, Mabel Ruth (Caudill) Frazier, Lillian Doris (Caudill) Morris George, Harold Keith Caudill and Helen Madge Caudill who died in infancy. After Etta's death, Big Bill married third to Ethel (Ison) Jones on October 28, 1939, in Whitesburg, Letcher County, KY. They had no children of their own, but Ethel had two children, Helen Louise Jones and Walleen Alafair Jones, from her previous marriage to Thomas Jones.

Big Bill and his younger brother, Jesse "Jet" Caudill, were orphaned at an early age when their parents, Henry and Barilla, died a few months apart in 1899. Big Bill and Jet were primarily raised by their Aunt Becky (Caudill) Webb. Big Bill lived most of his life in Uz, Letcher County, KY. However, sometime around 1930 he moved his family near St. Marys, KS, for a few years to farm during the depression. By about 1933, Big Bill moved his family back to Uz, Letcher County, KY. William was a Private in the Army during World War I. He was inducted on April 13, 1918, at Whitesburg, Letcher County, KY, and he was honorably discharged on May 20, 1919. He served in the following organizations: Indianapolis Tng. Det., Indianapolis, Indiana, to June 7, 1918; QMC Mech. Rep. Shop 305 to September 5, 1918; and MT Overhaul Park 731 to discharge. He served overseas from September 15, 1918 to May 13, 1919. Big Bill was a farmer and he worked for the state highway department for many years until he retired in about 1961. He died in his sleep of heart failure at his home at Uz on July 12, 1966.

Obituary: William McKinley Caudill
27 Apr 1896 - 12 Jul 1966
July 14, 1966 Mountain Eagle (page 3)
Funeral Friday for William Caudill

William M. Caudill of Whitesburg, a retired state highway department employee, died July 12 (1966). Funeral services for him will be conducted at 10 a.m. July 15 (1966) at his residence. Burial will be in the Caudill Cemetery at UZ. The Rev. H. B. Reedy will officiate. Mr. Caudill was a son of Henry and P. Jones Caudill. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Ethel Caudill, four children and two step-children. Moore and Craft Funeral Home handled funeral arrangements.

Rebecca J. "Becky" (Adams) Caudill was the daughter of George Washington and Sarah Elizabeth "Betty" (Kincer) Adams. She married William McKinley "Big Bill" Caudill on July 3, 1917, in Whitesburg, Letcher County, KY. They had one son: William McKinley "Little Bill" Caudill, Jr. Becky had their son while William was serving overseas during World War I and she died two weeks later of pneumonia caused by Spanish Influenza at the age of 17.

Mt Eagle Article 10 Nov 1938
Young Man Slashed to Death By Knife
Billie Caudill; s/o William
Caudill and Rebecca Adams

The following article is from The Mountain Eagle newspaper dated 11/10/38, page 4, column 6: Young Man Slashed To Death By Knife. A sensation was created in the County Seat Saturday night when a young man, Billie Caudill, 22, of Dry Fork, seriously cut and slashed on the head, face and throat and apparently nearly bled to death was brought to Dr. Collier's office here and after slight surgical attention was rushed to Fleming hospital. The badly butchered young man died from his wounds Sunday morning without gaining conciousness.

The cutting took place on Little Colly about dark Saturday night. It is said that Billie Caudill and Dana Smith, daughter of the late Hocker Smith were walking down the road when Lester Amburgey, 18, son of Monroe Amburgey, residing in the neighborhood walked up and began using a knife on young Caudill. In the fray Miss Smith was cut in the arm. Jealousy on the part of young Amburgey is said to have prompted the tragedy. William Caudill, Jr., was a son of William Caudill, a grandson of Mrs. Bettie Adams of Dry Fork and a nephew of Dock and Alvin Adams, well-known citizens of near the County Seat.

He was a graduate of the Whitesburg High School, class of 1936, and regarded as a very excellent young man. Soon after the cutting, young Amburgey fled from the scene. Officers have been on the lookout for him but so far he has not been arrested. A reward of $100 has been posted for his arrest. He has a great number of relatives and friends in the county.

Mt. Eagle Newspaper 5 Jan 1939

Officers succeeded in arresting young Amburgey and placing him in jail here. An examining trial will be held this week. The following article is from The Mountain Eagle newspaper dated 01/5/39, page 1, column 1: Grand Jury Reports Three Indictments.

The Grand Jury made its first report on Tuesday and returned three indictments one of which charged young Lester Amburgey with the murder of William Caudill, a young man who lost his life When severely shot on Little Colly a few months ago. Young Amburgey was brought into court and his trial set for Thursday, Jan. 12th.

On the same page of that issue, in column 7, the members of the Grand Jury are listed as follows: Lawrence Webb, James Fields, Dawson Dixon, Sherman Baker, Delzie Collins, Troy Stamper, Frank Mullins, Elihu Blair, Beckham Bates, John H. Campbell, John H. Craft, and Sam Blair - forman.

Mt Eagle Newpaper 19 Jan 1939

The following article is from The Mountain Eagle newspaper dated 01/19/39, page 1, column 1: Young Man Gets Life Sentence: Lester Amburgey, edging around 18, charged with the murder of William Caudill another young man on Little Colly about two months ago confessed to the charge in Circuit Court a few days ago and was given a life sentence in the state penitentiary. Young Amburgey heard the verdict of the jury without flinching glad to escape a worse penalty - and was soon after sentenced by the Court. He belongs to one of our best families, one of the leading ones of the mountains and one of the first settlers.