View source for William J Clinton

'''William Jefferson Clinton''', 42nd [[Presidents of the United States|US President]], 1993-2001

==Bill Clinton==
Commonly known as Bill Clinton, he was born William Jefferson Blythe III at the Julia Chester Hospital in Hope, [[Hempstead County, Arkansas]] on [[Aug 19]], 1946.  His parents were William Jefferson Blythe, Jr. and his wife Virginia Dell Cassidy.  (Although some databases report his name as "IV", I've seen nothing in my research that would make me think his father was a III, instead of a Junior.)

Bill Clinton was born posthumously, his father having died in a car accident on [[May 17]], 1946 near Sikeston, Scott County, [[Missouri]].  Four years later on [[Jun 19]], 1950, in Hot Springs, Hot Springs County, Arkansas, his mother Virginia married Roger "Dude" Clinton.

In 1962, in [[Garland County, Arkansas]] William Jefferson Blythe, legally had his name changed to William Jefferson Clinton.

He met and began dating his future wife while both were students at Yale University.  On [[Oct 11]], 1975, in Fayetteville, Washington County, Arkansas, he married [[Hillary Diane Rodham]] (b. 1947).  They had one child, Chelsea Victory Clinton, on [[Feb 27]], 1980 in Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas.

In 1976 Clinton was elected Attorney General of Arkansas and in 1978 Governor of Arkansas for a 2-year term.  He was defeated when he ran for re-election in 1980, but then reclaimed the Governorship in 1982 and remained Governor for ten years.  In 1992 he was elected President of the United States and then re-elected in 1996.

===Secondary sources===
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton "Bill Clinton"] on Wikipedia
*[http://www.wargs.com/political/clinton.html "Bill Clinton"], ancestry research by William Addams Reitwiesner, "The following material on the immediate ancestry of Bill Clinton is taken almost verbatim from Gary Boyd Roberts, Ancestors of American Presidents, First Authoritative Edition [Santa Clarita, Cal.: Boyer, 1995]."

==William Jefferson Blythe, Jr.==
William Blythe, was born the sixth of nine children on [[Feb 27]], 1918 in Sherman, Grayson County, [[Texas]] to William Jefferson Blythe and his wife Lou Birchie Ayers.

He was married four to five times, one being questionable.  On [[Apr 24]], 1943, he enlisted or re-enlisted in the Army, but evidently was still state-side as his last wife was Virginia Dell "Ginger" Cassidy who he married [[Sep 3]], 1943 in Texarkana, Miller County, Arkansas.  He then went for a tour of duty in World War II.  Just after he returned at the end of 1945, he and Virginia went to live in Chicago for a short time.

She moved back to her parents house in Hope as they were preparing to look for a house there.  It was while he was coming back to Hope that he died in a car accident on [[May 17]], 1946 near Sikeston, Scott County, Missouri.  Virginia was pregnant and gave birth to William Jefferson Blythe III (now known as President Bill Clinton) on [[Aug 19]], 1946.

===Primary sources===
*Death certificate of William Jefferson Blythe stating "Scott County; three miles west of Sikeston; Usual residence Chicago, IL; William Jefferson Blythe; World War II Veteran; male; white; married; Virginia Cassidy, 22 years old; born Feb 27, 1918; 28 years old; born Sherman, Texas; traveling salesman; Mantee? Eqt Co; Father William Jefferson Blythe, born Ripling, Miss; Mother Lou Birchie Ayers, born Miss; Informant Mrs Virginia Blythe of 117 S Herney? St, Hope, Ark; Burial, Rose Hill Cemetery; died May 17, 1946; Drowning in dredge ditch due to car accident; Orville Taylor, Coroner of Sikeston, MO."  This is an unusual four-page death certificate, with a supplementary page stating "The car he was driving left the roadway and overturned in drainage ditch".

*[http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=WWIIenlist%2c&rank=0&tips=0&gsfn=William&gsln=Blythe&sx=&gs1co=2%2cUnited+States+&gs1pl=1%2cAll+States&year=&yearend=&sbo=0&sbor=&ufr=0&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&srchb=r&prox=1&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&o_iid=21416&o_lid=21416&o_it=21416&fh=12&recid=623745&recoff=1+3 US World War II Army Enlistment Records 1938-1946] showing "William J Blythe; born 1917, white; of Caddo, Louisiana; enlisted Apr 24, 1943; private, no branch assignment; enlisted for the duration of the war; 3 years of high school; Civil occupation Salesman; Seperated without dependents"

*[http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=WWIIenlist%2c&rank=0&tips=0&gsfn=William&gsln=Blythe&sx=&gs1co=2%2cUnited+States+&gs1pl=1%2cAll+States&year=&yearend=&sbo=0&sbor=&ufr=0&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&srchb=r&prox=1&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&o_iid=21416&o_lid=21416&o_it=21416&fh=11&recid=623744&recoff=1+3 US World War II Army Enlistment Records 1938-1946] showing "William J Blythe, born 1917, white; of Ochiltree, Texas; enlisted May 23, 1941; enlisted at Fort Bliss El Paso, Texas; Private in Warrant Officers; 4 years of high school; Civil occupation: Engineering Aide or Sales Clerk; Single, without dependents; Height 71; Weight 203"

*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=6061&iid=TXT625_1808-0649&fn=William+J&ln=Blythe&st=r&ssrc=&pid=22748714 1920 Census of Justice Precinct 1, Grayson County, Texas] showing "William J Blythe, 36, MS/MS/MS, Farmer; Birchie L wife, 27, MS/GA/GA; Clifford P son 12 MS; Raymond W son 10 MS; Laura P daughter 9 TX; Ernest C son 7 TX; Maurine G daughter 3 2/12 TX, W J son 2 TX; Hubert Poor lodger, 24, TX"

===Secondary sources===
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Jefferson_Blythe_Jr. "William Jefferson Blythe Jr"] on Wikipedia

==Virginia Dell Cassidy==
Virginia Cassidy was born [[Jun 6]], 1923 in Hope, Hempstead County, Arkansas to James Eldridge Cassidy and his wife Edith Grisham.  She was married five times, twice to the same man.  By her first marriage to William Jefferson Blythe Jr, she gave birth to President [[William J Clinton|Bill Clinton]].  That first husband died several months before Bill Clinton was born.  Virginia was living with, or near, her parents in Hope, when she met Roger Clinton.

Roger "Dude" Clinton was born [[Jul 25]], 1909 in Dardenelle, Yell County, Arkansas but had moved with his family in 1919 to Hot Springs County.  Around 1946, with his brother's help, Roger had started the "Roger Clinton Buick" Company in Hope, Arkansas.  

Roger Clinton and Virginia Cassidy, commonly called Ginger, had one child, Roger Cassidy Clinton on [[Jul 25]], 1956.  In April 1962, while living in Hot Springs, she filed for a divorce which was granted on [[May 15]].  They reconciled and were remarried in August.

Dude Clinton died Nov 1967 in Hot Springs and Ginger next married George Jefferson Dwire on [[Jan 3]], 1968 in Hot Springs.  It is unclear at the moment whether he died or they divorced, but she lastly married Richard "Dick" Kelly on [[Jan 17]], 1982.  When she died her name was Virginia Kelly.  She died [[Jan 6]], 1994 at her home in Hot Springs, Arkansas and is buried beside her first husband at Rose Hill Cemetery in Hope.

===Secondary sources===
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Clinton_Kelley "Virginia Clinton Kelley"] on Wikipedia

==William Jefferson Blythe==
He was born abt [[Jan 21]], 1883 in Tippah County, Mississippi, the son of Henry Blythe and his wife Frances "Fanny".

He married Lou Birchie Ayers about 1906.
They lived in Sherman, Grayson County, Texas.

===Primary sources===
*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=6061&iid=TXT625_1808-0649&fn=William+J&ln=Blythe&st=r&ssrc=&pid=22748714 1920 Census of Justice Precinct 1, Grayson County, Texas] showing "William J Blythe, 36, MS/MS/MS, Farmer; Birchie L wife, 27, MS/GA/GA; Clifford P son 12 MS; Raymond W son 10 MS; Laura P daughter 9 TX; Ernest C son 7 TX; Maurine G daughter 3 2/12 TX, W J son 2 TX; Hubert Poor lodger, 24, TX"

*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=6482&iid=TX-1953400-4445&fn=Willie+Jefferson&ln=Blythe&st=r&ssrc=&pid=14664277 World War I Draft Registration Card] showing "Willie Jefferson Blythe; resident of Grayson County, Texas, born Jan 21, 1883; Farmer in Grayson County; nearest relative Mrs Birchie Blythe; registered Sep 12, 1918"

*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7884&iid=TXT624_1557-0670&fn=William&ln=Blethe&st=r&ssrc=&pid=28094940 1910 Census of Howe, Grayson County, Texas] showing "William Blithe, 27, married 4 years ago, MS/MS/MS, Farmer; Birtchie, wife, 19, mother of 2, 2 living, MS/GA/GA; Clifford son, 2, MS; Raymond son 1 2/12 MS; Fanny Blithe, mother-in-law, 51, widow, mother of 7, 6 living, MS/SC/NC; Wardie (or Mandie?), sister in, 23, MS/MS/MS; Isa May, sister, 14, MS/MS/MS; William J, Uncle, 51, widower, MS/MS/MS; Carl Rowland, hired hand, 17, MS/MS/MS"

*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7602&iid=MST623_830-0013&fn=Fan%3f%3f&ln=Blythe&st=r&ssrc=&pid=36147803 1900 Census of Childes Mill, Tippah County, Mississippi] showing "Fanny Blythe, Dec 1858, widow, mother of 7, 7 living, MS/TN/SC; Laura daughter Sep 1874 MS/MS/MS, School Teaching; Mamie E daughter Feb 1877; John H son Oct 1880 Farmer; Willie J son Jan 1883 Farmer; Wardie B daughter Apr 1884; Mattie V daughter Oct 1888; Isia M daughter Sep 1895 MS; John Crosby, boarder, Mar 1876 MS/MS/GA Farmer"

*[http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=6742&iid=MST9_666-0101&fn=Laura+E.&ln=Blythe&st=r&ssrc=&pid=14336978 1880 Census of Tippah County, Mississippi] showing "Thomas Blythe, 51, Farmer AL/TN/TN; Elizabeth 49, wife TN/NC/NC; Martha 25 daughter; Mary 22 daughter, C Columbus, 12, son; Henry Blythe 28, son MS/AL/SC; Francis E, 21 MS/TN/SC, daug law, Laura E 4 G Daughter, Mary E 3 G Daughter"

==See also==
*[[Presidents of the United States]]

[[Category:Ancestry research]]
[[Category:Hempstead County, Arkansas]]
[[Category:Arkansas]]
[[Category:Illinois]]
[[Category:Missouri]]
[[Category:Texas]]