Born and raised in Newton, Iowa, her father Lewis Mays served in the Civil War in the 1st Colored Regiment of Iowa/US 60th Colored Troops. Her sister Lettie Mays Mash also was active in the Des Moines church community.

Mays married James Williams sometime around 1915. She is listed as Vera Williams as a vocalist in a duet with her sister Lettie in the program for the installation of Rev. A. Ross Brent at Maple Street Baptist Church on April 27, 1928. She assisted with women’s and church activities at Bethel AME Church in the years following World War II. Her funeral services were held at Bethel AME and she was buried in Glendale Cemetery.