On September 17, 1923, in the rural community of Mount Olive in Butler County, Alabama, Hiram Williams was born. He was the third child of Jessie Lillybelle “Lillie” (née Skipper) and Elonzo Huble “Lon” Williams (1898-1955). (1891–1970). Elonzo worked as a railroad engineer for the W. T. Smith lumber company before being drafted during World War I and serving from July 1918 to June 1919. After falling from a truck, he broke his collarbone and received a severe blow to the head. Ernest Huble Williams, the family’s first child, was born on July 5, 1921, and died two days later.

They eventually had a daughter named Irene. Williams was named after Hiram I because both of his parents were Freemasons. His name was misspelled “Hiriam” on his birth certificate, which was completed and signed when he was ten years old. He was mostly of English ancestry, with some Welsh thrown in for good measure.

Hank Williams siblings: Meet Irene Williams

Hank Williams’ sister was Irene Williams. She was a journalist as well as a country music historian. She got her start in country music by working as a booking agent for the “Drifting Cowboy Band,” which was led by her younger brother Hank Williams.