KWEE: Liberian Literary Magazine AUGUST 1, 2015 ISSUE | Page 36

Liberian Literary Magazine

Forgotten Heroes
Anthony David Williams (17991860) was a freeborn man who
migrated to Liberia in 1823. It
appears that he had traveled
alone, what remains uncertain is if
he had other relations in Liberia
that prompted him to make the
journey or he simply wanted to get
away from America and start a
fresh life in Africa. He was one of
the few (actually only three)
unmarried freeborn missionaries
to come to Liberia –within the first
thirty years- intent on spreading
the word of God. In total, there
were only seven unmarried
missionaries to sail to Liberia
then. He was 24 years old when he
arrived. He had migrated from
Petersburg, Virginia. He was a
Methodist minister.
He served as Colonial Agent for
the ACS during the years of 1837
to 1839. Under his administration,
the colony of Mississippi-in-Africa
was established. Supporters of the
colonization movement had hoped
that this would boost the colonial
drive and bring in more freed
blacks to Africa. It could also
mean more money for the colony.
He owes his ascension to the
Vice Presidency to the House of
Representative as they ended up
selecting him the winner of the
most fiercely contested elections
(in 1949) since independence.
Three formable candidates each a
seasoned
administrator
and
politician contested and split the
votes cast. After the original
results failed to produce a clear
out winner between the three
candidates, the legislators made
the final selection. He served as
Liberia’s second Vice President
from 1850 to 1854.
He later married and had
children, one of whom (Anthony D.
Williams Jr.) served Liberia as
Secretary of War and Navy. Much
later, in 1891, the junior Williams

July 15, 2015 ISSUE # 0715
. for presidency.
ran unsuccessfully
He ran as the candidate for the
New Republican Party (the same
party as his dad). His second
attempt in 1893 was also
unsuccessful as J.J Cheeseman of
the TWP flogged him again. He
tried to change his fortune when
the opposition, by now under the
name of the National Union Party,
featured him as their candidate at
the turn of the century’s election-1899.

Children’s Story

Why We Have
Death

L

ong ago, Sno-Nysoa made

everything and then he made
people. Before He went back to
the skies to rest, He put Life and
Rest in charge of the world,
especially people. Soon, Life and
Rest fell in love with people. They
were
too
complicated
and
everything about them was hard to
understand. However, people
were very good. They behaved
nicely and helped all other
animals, plants and one another.
Nothing else created were like
them. Because of their good ways,

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Life and Rest got into a palava.
Life wanted to keep people; Rest
also wanted the same thing. When
people go to Life, he would not
want them to go back to Rest.
Back then, Rest did not keep
people forever. He kept the gates
to the Other World opened. People
could come and go as they pleased.
They would spend some time in the
Other World with Rest and then
come to Life and spend time with
him on earth.
Out of jealousy/selfishness, Life
started making things on earth so
interesting to fool people so that
they should not go back to the other
world. Sometimes, he even covered
the way to the Other World just so
they could get lost and remain here
with him. Rest complained to him
many times, but he did not listen so
Rest took the matter to Sno-Nysoa.
Sno-Nysoa listened to both of
them and decided that he was going
to divide things. Life with keep the
beautiful things- flowers, oceans,
and all the wonderful creatures but
only for a certain times. After each
circle, plants will shed their leaves,
which Rest will take. He created
Death to be the mediator and to
make things fair.
When it came to people, SnoNysoa decided that Life would have
them first, when they are born.
After a certain time, Death will
come for them and take them back
Rest. Rest wanted to avoid cheating
so he asked Sno-Nysoa to remove
the bridge between the two worlds;
this way, if a person was with Life,
they remained there until their
time and then Death will come for
them and cross them over. Life
can’t go to the Other World
anymore, nor can Rest come to
Life’s world.
This was how Sno-Nysoa settled
the matter. That is why we have
Life and Death and Rest.
Retold by:
Harriet Agyemang Duah

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