Elisha
Williams
Born about in Prince George's, Maryland
Ancestors 
Son of Thomas Williams
and Eleanor (Prather) Williams
Husband of
Ann (Swearingen) Williams
— married
1757 in Virginia
Descendants 
Father of
Hazael Williams and Mary (Williams) Stonestreet
Died about
at about age 77
in Bath, Virginia, United States
Profile last modified
| Created 9 Oct 2012
This page has been accessed 1,105 times.
The Birth Date is a rough estimate. See the text for details.
Biography
Elisha was born circa 1735. He was enumerated (age 41) with his wife, Ann (age 40), five sons (Hazel, John, Thomas, Jarred, and Elisha) and two daughters (Mary and Martha) among the "Number of Souls in Sugar Land Hundred" in the September 1776 Provincial Census Frederick County, Maryland.[1]
FATHER: Thomas Williams (1693-1749) of Prince George's County, son of Baruch Williams and wife Eleanor Hilleary.
MOTHER: Eleanor Prather (ca. 1699-after 1749), daughter of Thomas Prather and wife Martha Sprigg, stepdaughter of (first name unknown) Yoakley of Charles County.
In August 1776, the family was enumerated in the first known Maryland census as residing in Sugar Land Hundred, Frederick County, Maryland, with the following children:[2]
- Hazel Williams (1758-1826)
- Mary Williams (1760- )
- John Williams (1762- )
- Thomas Williams (1764- )
- Jarred Williams (1766- )
- Elisha Williams (1770- )
- Martha Williams (1773- )
Elisha was literate and his family was affiliated with the Anglican Church in Prince George's Parish. He was identified as a carpenter (1761), a "gentleman" by 1778, and a planter.[3]
Elisha held several public posts in early Maryland, including election to the Maryland Lower House (1777-1778) and a Justice in Montgomery County (1777-1778). During the Revolutionary War, Elisha served as a Captain, 7th Maryland Regiment, from 10 December 1776 until 28 November 1778. By November 1778, Elisha had sold nearly all of his land in Maryland (over 1,000 acres) and left the state.[3] There is no evidence that he ever held slaves in Maryland, although he did have them in Virginia.
According to his obituary, after serving two years in the Maryland legislature (1776-1778), he removed to Virginia where for twenty years he served as a magistrate in Frederick County. In 1800 he moved to Bath, where he spent the remainder of his years. On 24 Dec 1812, in the Enquirer, a notice of 'land and negroes for sale' was posted: "On Tuesday the 29th inst. at the Auction Store of the subscribers, will be sold twelve slaves, most of them young, likely, and very valuable, of the estate of Elisha Williams now deceased. Also, a tract of Wood Land, of which the said Elisha Williams died seized, containing about 120 acres, situated about eight miles above the city of Richmond, on the three chopped road, and well timbered, adjoining the lands of Capt. Robert Gamble, Mr. Augustine Davis and Mr. Gilly Franklin. . . by the request of the heirs and Administratix of said Elisha Williams."[4]
Research Notes
Year of birth is unknown. Some sources show it as 1728 and others as 1735. According to his obituary, he was in the '78th year of his age'.[5] This would place his birth year as 1734.
Need to locate source(s) for his wife's maiden name. The Legislature bio gives no maiden name for her. Most likely it is unknown and 'Swearingen' should be removed.
He passed away in 1812. His obituary states in part, "Died, at his seat in Bath County, Elisha Williams esq. in the 78th year of his age.
Possibly the son of Basil Williams, but documentation needed before linking.
Sources
- ↑ "Provincial Census of 1776: Frederick County, Sugar Land Hundred." Elisha Williams household; p 217. Brumbaugh, Gaius Marcus, M.S. M.D., Compiler. Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County, and Church from Original Sources. Volume 1 (Williams & Wilkins: Baltimore, MD; 1915) Archive.org (Full view)
- ↑ "Number of Souls in Sugar Land Hundred. By Samuel Blackmore; Sept. 2, 1776" in Brumbaugh, Gaius Marcus, M.S. M.D., Compiler. Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County, and Church from Original Sources. Volume 1 (Williams & Wilkins: Baltimore, MD; 1915) Archive.org (Full view)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Biography of Elisha Williams (1735-?)" in Papenfuse, Edward C. et. al. A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature, 1635-1789. p 891 (Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, 1979) Maryland Archives Online
- ↑ Enquirer, Volume 9, Number 70, 24 December 1812, p. 3, column 5 - https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=EN18121224.1.3&srpos=1&e=12-12-1812-31-12-1812--en-20--1--txt-txIN-elisha+williams-------
- ↑ Obituary in Virginia Enquirer, Volume 9, Number 66, 15 December 1812, p. 3 - https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=EN18121215.1.3&srpos=2&e=12-12-1812-15-12-1812--en-20--1--txt-txIN-elisha-------
See also:
- Richmond, VA newspaper obituaries, 1804-1838: Elisha Wiliams, Bath Inquirer, 15 Dec 1812
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Elisha by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Elisha:
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Elisha by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Elisha:
-
~0.39%
Barry Williams
:
23andMe
-
~0.39%
Floyd Friend :
MyHeritage DNA
Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
Featured National Park champion connections: Elisha is 11 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 18 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 15 degrees from George Catlin, 13 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 20 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 14 degrees from George Grinnell, 25 degrees from Anton Kröller, 16 degrees from Stephen Mather, 19 degrees from Kara McKean, 15 degrees from John Muir, 15 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 21 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
W > Williams > Elisha Williams
Categories: Estimated Birth Date
The above-referenced bio doesn't give his wife a surname, and I think Swearingen should be deleted unless there's a primary source for it. Perhaps the Thomas, son of Basil, married a Swearingen and thus the confusion?
Either way, these two profiles are obvious duplicates and need to be merged.
edited by Darlene (Athey) Athey-Hill
His obituary also states that he was in the Legislature and that he was in his 78th year, which puts his year of birth circa 1734. So there's no doubt that this is the correct man.
edited by Darlene (Athey) Athey-Hill
See "Biography of Elisha Williams", p 891, in Papenfuse, Edward C. et. al. A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature, 1635-1789. (Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, 1979) Maryland Archives Online for further familial information. It does not, however, have a date of death.