author
A. W. (Andrew Woods) Williamson
1838–1905
Raised close to Dakota communities and later a professor at Augustana College, he brought firsthand experience to his writing on language, history, and genealogy. His best-known work explores the Dakotan language with the curiosity of a scholar and the perspective of someone who knew the region deeply.
1 Audiobook
The Dakotan Languages, and Their Relations to Other Languages
by A. W. (Andrew Woods) Williamson
About the author
Born on January 31, 1838, in Lac qui Parle, Minnesota, Andrew Woods Williamson grew up in a family closely connected to missionary work among the Dakota. He studied at Knox College and graduated from Marietta College in 1857, later earning a master's degree in natural sciences from Yale.
Williamson served in the Union Army during the Civil War and was also involved in the Dakota conflict of 1862. He later joined Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where he became known as a professor and scholar.
As a writer, he is remembered especially for The Dakotan Languages, and Their Relations to Other Languages, a work that reflects his long interest in language and Native history. He also contributed to genealogical research, including material used in The Descendants of Robert and John Poage, Pioneer Settlers in Augusta County, Va.