William Burl Ledbetter

William Burl Ledbetter was born on September 15, 1934, in El Paso, Texas, the younger of two sons born to Col. John Jackson Ledbetter Jr. and Loraine Leonora Lackey. His brother, Jack Wallace Ledbetter, had been born four years earlier.¹

Marriage and the Morris Connection

On August 27, 1955, in Austin, Texas, William married Barbara Jean McDuffie, the daughter of Margaret Alline Morris Craig and E. S. McDuffie. This marriage united two deep Texas family lines: the Ledbetter heritage of Missouri, Arkansas, and West Texas with the Morris-Thompson-McAdams heritage of East Texas and the Carolinas.¹

Through Barbara Jean’s mother Margaret, William’s children became connected to a family that stretched back to the Texas Revolution — their great-great-great-grandfather, John McAdams Jr., had served with Sam Houston’s forces and helped found the McAdams Community in Walker County.

Children

William and Barbara had four children:¹

• William Burl Ledbetter Jr. — born June 13, 1957, Austin. Married Donna Glenn on August 20, 1978, in College Station. They had five children: Micah, Hannah, Leah, Josiah, and Noah.
• Craig Alan Ledbetter — born February 20, 1963, Austin. Married Juanita Mae Dicken on May 24, 1985, in Springfield, Missouri. They had five children, including Sarah Grace, born in Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland.
• Kathleen Elaine Ledbetter — born January 15, 1965, Bryan, Texas.
• Paul Marney Ledbetter — born November 5, 1967, Bryan, Texas. Married Margaret Rose Hanrahan on November 19, 1994, in New Orleans.

William later married Bonnie Sue Shelton on November 26, 1976, in College Station.¹