The Williams Family
Anacoco, Louisiana
Joey (60) - Father
Tryon Williams (31) Oldest Son
Jordan Williams (26) Tryon’s Wife
Charlie Williams (11 months) Austin and Jordan’s baby
Austin Williams (29) – Brother
Jakey (29) - Neighbor/Family Friend
Uncle Bud (74) – Family friend and property help
Mark (58) – Family Friend
Meet the Williams family, a rugged, outdoors-oriented clan hailing from a small parish in northern Louisiana. At the center of it all is great-grandfather Charlie (83), the grand living patriarch of the family. One of fourteen siblings, Charlie helped establish the Williams name as a cornerstone of the Anacoco community, where dozens of cousins and relatives remain deeply connected. In this small town, you can’t go far without meeting someone who either knows the Williams family or is related to them.
For generations, the family has lived close to the land, hunting, fishing, foraging, and embracing a self-sufficient way of life. Their three-generation construction business began many years ago when Charlie traded two farm tractors for a B61 Mack truck. His first job involved clearing debris from a collapsed burner at a plywood plan, a humble start that eventually grew into a thriving operation now owned and run by his son Joey (60), alongside his sons, Charlie’s grand-sons, Austin and Tryon.
Self-sufficiency has always been at the core of the Williams family identity. In 2010, Joey purchased several hundred acres in their small parish of Anacoco, Louisiana. Today, Joey and his sons are transforming the raw land into a fully functioning off-grid homestead and multi-generational family compound.
Tryon lives on the land full-time with his wife Jordan and young child, Charlie, while Austin resides just down the road on the same property. Joey lives nearby on several acres of his own. Their neighbor and close family friend, Jakey, borders the Williams property and is a constant presence in their daily lives.
Over the past several years, the family has turned an old timber tract into a thriving multi-family homestead capable of supporting hundreds of cattle, multiple ponds, and a private lake. Most mornings begin before sunrise and rarely end before dark. Tryon splits his time between managing the family’s aggregate and trucking company and working the land, a pace that leaves little margin for error when livestock, equipment, and family all depend on one another.
The Williams believe deeply in self-reliance. Their electricity comes from solar power. Much of their food comes directly from the surrounding land, deer, bass, rabbits, garden produce, and foraged ingredients from the wilderness around them. To navigate their vast acreage, they’ve even taken to the air, piloting their own plane and helicopter. Whether hunting, working cattle, flying over the property, or turning a late night into full-blown karaoke at Jake’s, these moments help balance a life that demands everything from them, day after day.
Like any close-knit family, love and conflict go hand in hand. Austin and Tryon work together both on the land and in the family business, and tensions often rise over decision-making, leadership, and competing visions for the future. Adding another layer is Joey himself, a strong patriarch whose sons are beginning to challenge long-held ways of doing things. They don’t always see eye to eye on land management, livestock strategy, or business direction, but beneath the disagreements is deep loyalty. They reconnect over shared meals, long workdays, hunting trips, and time spent building something that will outlast them all.
The year ahead promises to test every part of their operation. Plans include breaking ground on a 7,000-square-foot fully off-grid lodge, managing more than 200 head of cattle to sustain the operation, butchering and stocking freezers for winter, raising quail as a new food source, and traveling to Colorado to bring back elk meat. The Williams family are stepping into a bigger, more demanding version of the life they’ve always known, relying on grit, humor, and a deep appetite for both hard work and hard play.
POTENTIAL STORYLINES
Tryon and Austin begin stepping into leadership roles as Joey gradually loosens his grip on the land he built.
The push toward fully off-grid living puts new systems, and family patience, to the test.
Construction begins on a massive off-grid lodge, where every decision carries high stakes.
Managing 200+ head of cattle becomes a financial and logistical pressure cooker, especially as predators threaten livestock.
Austin, a charismatic bachelor, navigates dating life while his family pushes him toward settling down.
Tryon and Jordan balance new parenthood with the demands of living off-grid and working alongside family.