New information about Tom Lyle Willliams brother Noel James Williams locked in a safe for over 80 years - just discovered.
Noel James Williams carrying a file under his arm while walking down the street outside the Maybelline Building in Chicago. Could this be the missing file that has just been returned to his family.
Here's the scoop:
For over 80 years a file containing private information about the Maybelline Company was lost, only to be discovered recently by a twist of fate. My publisher Bettie Youngs of Bettie Youngs Books received a call from a man who said he had a file belonging to Noel Williams that he'd been holding onto since 1985. Turns out Mr. Harold Ramsey bought a safe that year from the company Tom Lyle Williams sold the Maybelline Company to in 1967, Plough Inc. When Mr. Ramsey opened the safe he found a file with important documents dating between 1932 and 1939 that he hoped to return to the rightful heirs of the Noel James Williams family, but after so many years he'd given up. For some reason, he said, he got a hunch and googled Maybelline, Williams one last time, and up came The Maybelline Story.
To make a long story short the file has been returned to the Noel James Williams family and wow what an amazing tale has been revealed. It turns out that Tom Lyle's brother Noel not only postponed his wedding for one year to loan his brother the money to finance the first advertising campaign for Lash-Brow-Ine in 1915, he continued to loan the Maybelline Company money during the depths of the Great Depression. While other companies fell by the wayside with large overheads, Maybelline navagated through the storm with Noel James at the helm. This is humongous information and needles to say now documented in tax returns from the 1930's. Noel James Williams, must be given the credit he deserves and be remembered as one of the founders and financiers of the Maybelline Company and his younger brother Tom Lyle's greatest ally.
Read more about The early day's of building an empire, Noel James contribution to it's success and the never before told story that has been kept secret for five generations in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind it.
When Maybelline sold to Plough in Dec of 1967 it was the most successful eye cosmetic company in the world -commanding 75% of the market - today Maybelline New York is still a global giant in the cosmetic field. The little eye beautifier that started off with a $500 loan from Noel to his brother Tom Lyle is now a multi- billion dollar corporation owned and operated by L'Oreal of France.
Just a few of the Noel James Williams branch of the family with my sister and I, from the Willliam Preston Williams branch. left to right,
Patrick Williams Huber,
Julee Williams Huber,
James Williams Huber,
Christine Williams-Goodie,
James Noel Williams,
my sister Donna Williams,
Nancy Williams Fesler,
Antonio Williams-Corbet Carneros,
John Williams Huber,
Mike Williams,
Kathy Williams Huber,
Charles Allen Williams,
Ann Williams Corbett .
