Dusty Williams

150 years after Texas gained its independence from Mexico, Dusty Williams made his debut in Grayson County. He remarks that his first breath was of that sweet and savory Grayson County air. Williams is a 9th generation Grayson County, Texas resident who can trace his ancestors to every little knock about community in Grayson County. He started researching his family history when he was fourteen under the direction of his grandmother, Kim Williams. Having such deep roots in Grayson County, he found that as he traced his lineage, he was also tracing the history of Grayson County. Williams began holding family reunions before he graduated high school as well as giving private tours of northwestern Grayson County.

In 2006 he founded a volunteer group called, Lost and Found Cemetery Preservation. The groups main purpose was to locate lost and abandoned cemeteries in the Texoma area. After the cemeteries were found and documented, the group would work to have the cemeteries cleaned up, usually working alongside other groups such as the Boy Scouts of America.

Over the past five years, Williams has written three books, two of which are local historical books. The first is a history of the Grayson County Poor Farm. Williams connection to this facility is that his ancestor, William Herman Goldston was the superintendent for a large part of the twentieth century. Williams maintains the records of the residents that lived at the county farm and is the only individual with records from the county farm as the original structure burned in 1946, destroying the records.

In 2015 Williams began writing a historical article for the Van Alstyne Leader which received great success. Williams targets histories that are less talked about and often brings attention to historical aspects that are in danger of being forgotten. One of his articles in 2015 brought attention to the First Christian Church in Howe, which was almost a pile of rubble. Since his article ran, the structure is now almost completely remodeled. The collection of his articles made his second historical book, Trails of Our Past. Williams continues to write historical articles for the Van Alstyne Leader and other publications throughout the area. Currently he is working on a new book entitled, 9 Generations of Grayson County History. This book will not only trace some of his family, but will also tell the histories of several local communities and unique events native to Grayson County that quite literally make up his family scrapbook.

Williams is a member of several local historical agencies including The Grayson County Historical Society, Board Member for the Grayson County Frontier Village, Tom Bean Genealogy Group, The Grayson County Historical Commission, Historian for Holloway Cemetery and is currently the President of the Van Alstyne Historical Society.

Williams currently teaches 6th grade at Tom Bean Middle School.