Born in Temple, Texas to Nelle Eliza Derrick and William Aubrey Bownds. As a young boy, he lived on a farm in Lexington, TX. He rode with his mother on a horse to a one-room schoolhouse where his mother was the teacher.

Bill graduated from Texas A&M, class of 1940. In 1941 He married Ricky Kathleen 'Kay' Leverton and returned to A&M for graduate school. This endeavor was interrupted by the start of WWII. He entered the Army as a 2nd Lt. and served as an aide to General Ridgeway. Later he entered the Army Air Corps and served in the 8th Air Force, 93rd Bombardment Group, 329th Squadron as a bombardier on a B-24 and flew 26 missions over German occupied territory.

He was honorably discharged as a Captain and returned to Houston where he and his wife raised seven children.

Bill opened his first nursery in Bellaire in 1955. His love of trees led him to open Bill Bownds Nursery, specializing in trees, in Spring Branch and later in the Sugar Land area. Bill was an innovative nurseryman, finding a niche handling large specimen trees. His introduction of many species of trees has added immensely to the diversity of Houston's urban forest.

When asked by a grandson how he would like to be remembered, he replied, "That I feared the Lord and loved His word."

Bill was originally buried in Houston National Cemetery, Houston TX. He was interred in Magnolia Cemetery, Katy, TX, 11 Aug 2016.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GRANDPARENTS:
** William Ira Bownds (1858-1933), was born in Arkansas, lived in Milam Co., Texas where he was a farmer.
** Genoa Adeline "Addie" Coffman (1862-1941), born in Lee County, Texas, she and her husband had nine children.
------------------------------
** James Washington Derrick (1866-1934), born in Texas, the Derrick line can be traced back to Johann Simon Derk (Derrick), born in 1718 in German and came to America in 1738. James ha several occupations; Livestock Dealer, Boss at Saw Mill, and Driver for Health Dept.
** Annie Louraine Ogg (Derrick) (1868-1940), born in Texas, she and her husband had seven children.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PATERNAL GREAT GRANDPARENTS:

**Berry Bownds (1828-1908), was a farmer and a Confederate soldier.
**Jane Thomas (Bownds) (1835-1925), daughter of John Covington Thomas and Sarah Terrell.
-------------------------------
**William H. Coffman (1831-1903), Farmer, farmer, Lieutenant in Confederate States Army, Texas State Representative in 18th Legislature.
**Nancy Cordelia Brown (Coffman) (1832-1875), daughter of Jesse Brown and Anna Laird. All four of Nancy's great grandfathers were Revolutionary War Patriots.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MATERNAL GREAT GRANDPARENTS:

**Fleming Van Buren Derrick (1839-1891), was a Confederate States Army Soldier. Occupations were listed as carpenter, steeple jack and stonecutter. He fell to his death on a construction site.
**Sidney Taylor Millholland (Derrick) (1843-1917), as a child, journeyed to California on a 175 wagon, wagon train that her father was Captain.
------------------------------
**James Ogg, was a Confederate States Army Soldier. His occupation was farmer and he was also a shoemaker.
**Elizabeth Pearl Heflin (Ogg) (1843-1901), born in Alabama and lived in the Magnolia area in Montgomery County, Texas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PATERNAL GREAT GREAT GRANDPARENTS:

**John Bownds (Bounds)(1802-1867), farmer and Baptist preacher. John Bownds was born in North Carolina and moved to Mississippi. In 1851, he and his family moved to Texas where he was a farmer.
**Mary Saphronia Cooley (Bownds) (1808-1869), daughter of William C. Cooley. She was born in Darlington Co., South Carolina.
------------------------------
**John Covington Thomas (1784-1861), born in Richmond, North Carolina. John fought in The War of 1812 with Andrew Jackson. He also served as a Mississippi State Senator and Representative.
**Sarah Terrell (Thomas) (1801-1870), born in South Carolina. Daughter of Revolutionary War soldier, Edward Young Terrell.
-------------------------------
**John Franklin Coffman (1805-1884), born in Hopkins Co., Kentucky and son of Henry Coffman, a native of Pennsylvania, who moved to Kentucky. John was a farmer.
**Elizabeth Irvin Cobb (Coffman)(1813-1888), according to DNA evidence, Elizabeth was descended from Ambrose Cobbs (1603-1655) , who emigrated from Kent, England to the vicinity of Jamestown, VA in about 1635, less than 30 years after the first English colony in America was founded.
--------------------------------
**Jesse Brown (1795-1870), son of William A. Brown and Sally Hutcheson. His grandfather, Richard Hutcheson was a Revolutionary War Patriot. Jesse was born in Mecklenburg Co., Virginia. He moved to Kentucky with his parents and was a farmer.
**Anna Laird (Brown)(1802 - abt. 1832), first wife of Jesse. Both of her grandfathers, David Laird and James Kerr, were Revolutionary War Soldiers. Anna was born in Augusta Co., Virginia an move with her parents to Kentucky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MATERNAL GREAT GREAT GRANDPARENTS
**Jefferson Jackson Derrick (1818-187), born in Alabama, came to Texas by 1852. He was a farmer and Confederate Soldier, Texas State Troops.
**Theresa Devaney (Derrick) , Jefferson's first wife, died in Alabama.
---------------------------------
**Levi Millholland (1819-1872), born in Kentucky, Captain of Wagon Train of 175 wagons going from Missouri to California. He was also a farmer. He died in Texas.
**Sarah Jane Lindley (Millholland) (1823-1859), first wife of Levi. Daughter of Judge Jacob Marion Lindley, who was educated as a teacher and lawyer and became a judge. He was also a farmer and successful merchant. His daughter, Sarah died in Texas.
---------------------------------
**Thomas "John" Ogg (1808-1875), born in Georgia and was in the Republic of Texas in 1842. Thomas was a farmer. He is buried in Montgomery Co., Texas.
**Martha Fulcher (Ogg) (1812-1888), born in Georgia and was in Republic of Texas in 1842. She was daughater of Armistead Fulcher and his wife, Nancy Daniel.
---------------------------------
** Joseph Alonzo Heflin (1811-1881), born in North Carolina, was in Texas in 1840 and on 1846 Republic of Texas Tax Rolls. He was a farmer.
** Sultana 'Nettie' Holt (Heflin) (1815-1882), born in Tennessee, married Joseph in Alabama and was living in Republic of Texas in early 1840's.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bill's ancestors; REVOLUTIONARY WAR PATRIOTS:

1) Edward Young Terrell (1765-1833) - 3rd great grandfather
2) Stephen Thomas (1765-1825) - 3rd great grandfather
3) William Thomas (1741-1800) - 4th great grandfather
4) John A. Cooley (1745-1796)- 4th great grandfather
5) John Covington (1735-1809) - 4th great grandfather
6) James Fulcher (1755-1839) - 4th great grandfather
7) James Bownds (1735-1800)- 4th great grandfather
8) Thomas Brown (1747-1794) - 4th great grandfather
9) James Kerr (1737-1812) - 4th great grandfather
10) Richard Hutcheson (1744-1807) - 4th great grandfather
11) David Laird (1744-1800) - 4th great grandfather
12) Thomas Pettus (1712-1780) - 5th great grandfather
13) William Lamme (1715--1797) - 5th great grandfather
14) John Pyle, M.D. (1726-1804) - 5th great grandfather
15) Gideon Hogg (1720-1793)- 5th great grandfather
16) Thomas Dockery (1717-1800) - 5th great grandfather

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*