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Russ: I don't see where you give Wm E.'s death date although you do indicate that it was after the 1930 census. These ideas may be long shots or you may have already tried them but, if not:
1) Have you tried to obtain Wm.'s obit? Since you have an exact date of death, the Ouachita Parish Public Library will search for it and, if found, send you a copy. You never know what clues an obit will furnish.
2) IF Wm. died after 1935, there is a chance he enrolled in Social Security. My grandfather was two years older and he was issued a card in Jan. 1937. He drew benefits from the time of his retirement (1941) until his death in 1943. His SS5 lists his parents' full names and his place of birth (city and county). To enroll, he obtained a delayed certificate of birth which also has his parents' names and their birthplaces.
3) Have you tried ALL census records, not just population schedules? There is a state census for Alabama for 1866 although it is not indexed. There are also mortality schedules 1850-1880. Lastly, did you use Soundex, when available? I'm thinking mainly 1880 popultion schedules for John/Ms. Painter.
4) Since Wm. was born 1874, the possibility exists that his father John might have served in the War Between the States. I checked the CWS&S database and found a John DORRIS and a John S. DORRIS having served in the Confederate Army from Alabama. There is also a "J. E. DORRIS". No Alabama Union soldiers with that surname are listed. I know it is a long shot but there is always the possibility that a pension file exists, either for the soldier or his widow. I believe that lists of pensioners for just about every Southern state are readily available. Personally, I would at least take a look and see if any DORRIS' can be found and not restrict my search to just Alabama. These files usually contain a lot of good info.
5) Have you checked with Ouachita Parish to see if there is an estate file (will or administration) for Wm.? While it not likely that parents' would be mentioned, sometimes siblings are mentioned. I've often had to use collateral lines to research when the direct ancestor proves really difficult to track.
There are plenty of other sources, many not online but only available in good genealogical libraries (estates, deeds, newspaper abstracts, etc.). I don't know if any of this will help, but I'm sure you want to exhaust all avenues. Rick
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