Frederick's Funeral Home was founded in Opelika, Alabama by James T. Frederick in 1900. In the early years Mr. Frederick operated both the funeral home and a furniture store as a joint business venture under the same roof. Mr. Frederick died in 1917 and the business passed to his son-in-law, Robert Williams, who operated the establishment for the next forty years. The funeral home operated under several names—Frederick-Williams Burial Association, Frederick-Williams and McGinty, Frederick's Funeral Home, Inc.—but remained a family operation for nearly a century. Robert William's daughter, Ellen Ball, inherited her father's share upon his death in 1957. In 1987 she became directly involved in the day-to-day operations and continued to run the business until it was finally sold in 1991. (See the "Heritage of Lee County, Alabama." By the Lee County Heritage Book Committee. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2000. ISBN: 1-891647-55-5.)