The Williams family once claimed to own as many as tens of thousands of slaves, of course, this was their own propaganda. During the time when slavery existed, such promotion was also a symbol of strength.
Having so many slaves meant they needed just as many "cowboys." These cowboys were not the romanticized figures representing the West as seen nowadays, but actual gunners and family guards.
They would ride horses across the farmland, armed with two or three rifles, moving in groups, urging the slaves to work, and suppressing slave revolts when necessary.
In other words, these cowboys were private armed forces.
After the Williams family changed their course, it seemed they were no longer connected with the big farm owners or plantations, but it wasn't entirely so.
There were still members of their family running farms, and those small farm owners who once depended on their family were still around.
