Key Facts

Snapshot:	farmer's wife
Parents:	74Randall Williams 75Penelope Jenkins
Born:	22 April 1855 probably Laurens County, Georgia
Died:	12 August 1923 at 5:00 PM Militia district 1720 (map), Laurens County, Georgia
Buried:	Thigpen cemetery, Laurens County, Georgia Coordinates: N32.45203 W82.70423

Alleged photograph: On 10 May 2015, Ancestry.com user Nicole Smith uploaded a photo (titled simply "Android Photo") tagged as showing 36William M. Thigpen and 37Serena Williams. Unfortunately, Nicole doesn't cite a source, or even mention the photo's origins in a more casual way. Therefore, one can't be confident in the identification, or even that the photo isn't an outright forgery. Nevertheless, if you are aware of the shortcomings but still want to see the photo, click here.

37Serena A. Williams was born 22 April 1855 to her parents 74Randall Williams1 and 75Penelope Jenkins,2 probably in Laurens County, Georgia.

Problem: Resolved Where was 37Serena born? 37Serena's death certificate reports her birthplace as Johnson County, Georgia:1 and her birthdate as 22 April 1855:1 However, Johnson County didn't exist until it was created on 11 December 1858 from parts of Washington, Laurens, and Emanuel counties, so 37Serena's death certificate is unequivocally wrong. Her actual birthplace was probably Laurens County since her parents were living there in 1850 and 1860.2,3

The 1860 census 37Serena with her family in Laurens County.2

1860: 37Serena's family in Laurens County, Georgia. Full page.

37Serena married 36William M. Thigpen in Laurens County on 22 September 1875.4 For more information about their marriage, their lives together, etc., see his profile since that information won't be repeated here.

37Serena died of pneumonia at her home on 5:00 PM on 12 August 1923. Her death certificate is copied below.1

37Serena and her husband are buried in the Thigpen cemetery in Laurens County, Georgia at coordinates N32.45203 W82.70423. Photos of her grave are below. The inscription reads, "Farewell my children all. From you a mother Christ doth call." 4

Sources Cited:

1: Laurens County, Georgia death certificate 23826 for Serena Thigpen. FamilySearch, <https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-11-11224-1075-31?cc=1320969>, accessed 18 December 2014.

2: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Laurens County, Georgia. Page 584, dwelling 43, family 42, Randal Williams household. NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 129. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/stream/populationschedu129unit#page/n90/mode/1up>, accessed 15 October 2021.

3: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). District 49, Laurens County, Georgia. Page 233A, dwelling 62, family 62, Randal Williams household. NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 75. FamilySearch, <https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11929-129796-12?cc=1401638> accessed 15 October 2021.

4: Laurens County, Georgia. Marriage book for July 1870 to February 1879, page 167, marriage of William Thigpen and Serena A. Williams. FamilySearch, <https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXV6-X8Y>, accessed 17 December 2014.

5: Tombstone of Mrs. S. A. Thigpen, Thigpen Cemetery, Laurens County, Georgia at coordinates N32.45203 W82.70423. Photographs taken by Bryant Knight, 26 April 2012.