William Williams (1711 - 1785)

Born 14 May 1711 in Weston, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Husband of Miriam (Tyler) Williams — married 27 Sep 1733 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts

Husband of Sarah (Wells) Williams — married 11 Aug 1752 (to 24 Feb 1764) in Deerfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay

Husband of Hannah (Dickinson) Williams — married 30 Jan 1765 in Deerfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 5 Apr 1785 at age 73 in Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Christopher Childs [send private message] and John Brown [send private message]

Biography

William Williams was born on 14 May 1711 in Weston, Massachusetts Bay, a son of Rev. William Williams and his first wife, Hannah Stoddard:

WILLIAMS... William, s. William and Hannah, May 14, 1711. ^[1][2]

He was baptized on 20 May 1711 in Weston:

WILLIAMS... William, s. William and Hannah, May 14, 1711, bp. May 20, 1711. CRW ^[2]

William married three times; his spouses are now known to have been:

Miriam Tyler, whom he wed at Boston on 27 Sept. 1733^[3];

Sarah Wells, whom he wed at Deerfield on 11 Aug. 1752^[4];

[See "Corrected Marriage" below for discussion of a previously-shown, incorrect second marriage to the widow Sarah (Brown) Stone, at Sudbury in 1750, who married a different William Williams.]

Hannah Dickinson, whom he wed at Deerfield in 1765.^[5]

A 2011 article in the Berkshire Eagle, a Pittsfield newspaper (see Sources) -- primarily memorializing his third wife -- added this about her husband:

"He graduated from Harvard in 1729. He joined the military and served until 1748, resigned and settled in Deerfield as a shop keeper. In 1753 he moved to Pittsfield, again joined the military and rose to the rank of colonel." A biographical sketch appearing on his Find A Grave page (see Sources), citing the Pittsfield Cemetery and Crematory, notes that he "was one of the first settlers of Pontoosuc Plantation, and for many years its most highly educated person". That account adds that he had a role in the second part of the French and Indian War, building a fort -- Fort Anson -- on Pittsfield's Onota Lake, and later commanding a regiment which, in 1758, "took part in the attack on Fort Ticonderoga."

His other roles and credits include serving "in all town capacities from hog reever to selectman", and treasurer; laying out the town's original roads; influencing, via his relationship with with Governor Bernard, the naming of Pittsfield -- at its incorporation in 1761 -- after English statesman William Pitt; serving as judge of the court of common pleas and of probate, and as Pittsfield's representative at the general court; and also standing as the town's representative at the framing of the Massachusetts state constitution.

A sidelight of some historical interest is that the Colonel's son William Pepperill Williams, with his wife and children, joined the Hancock Shaker Community.

Colonel William Williams died at Pittsfield on the 2nd of August, 1785, and is buried in the Pittsfield Cemetery.

Disputed DOB

William's estimated year of birth, at the time of his death, was 1710. This may perhaps have fueled a debate about exactly when and where he was born: the 2011 article in the Berkshire Eagle memorializing his third wife (born Hannah Dickinson; see Sources), states -- apparently inaccurately as to date, in either case -- that "Williams was born in 1713 in Weston or Deerfield (depending upon the researcher)." An unsourced DOB of 18 April 1710 is shown on his Find A Grave memorial page and was entered in the data field of the merged, duplicate profile Williams-100065; but after an extensive online search, no primary or reputable secondary source has been found to date (Nov. 2021) for that claim. The claim of a 1713 birth appears to date from an 1855 issue of the NEHGR containing a piece on "Descendants of Gov. Bradstreet"; the claim is not sourced, and it is accompanied by the further claim that he died in "June, 1788, aged 75", also unsourced and unsupported by other texts located to date (Nov. 2021). It identifies his father as Rev. William Williams "of Weston", but does not name his mother.^[6]

This profile accepts the Weston birth and baptism of May, 1711, and the identification of parents Rev. William Williams and his first wife, Hannah Stoddard, as the best-supported and most legitimate reports.

Corrected Marriage

This profile previously showed William's second marriage, in 1750 at Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay, as a union with a bride named Sarah Brown. The indicated marriage does not appear in the published Sudbury town records. A nephew, a Major Stoddard, is quoted as naming his uncle's second spouse as Sarah Wells; that union, in 1752, is confirmed by the published records at Deerfield. An existing profile for Sarah Wells has been linked to this one.

Research has confirmed the actual identity of, and marriage record, for "Sarah Brown": she is Sarah (Brown) [Stone] Williams, widow of Rev. James Stone of Holliston; her second marriage was to Rev. William Williams of Weston, rather than to Col. William Williams... who was indeed born at Weston, but removed to Deerfield and Pittsfield.

Sources

1. ↑ Vital Records of Weston, MA until 1850 Birth Record
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Vital Records of Weston, MA until 1850 Baptismal Record
3. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-VZP3 : 29 November 2018), William Williams and Miriam Tyler, 1733; citing Marriage, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007011047. Alt. record (NEHGS; image of printed record): "William Williams & Miriam Tyler Int. reads [Wm.] Married By The Rev. Benjamin Colman D. D. on Sept. 27, 1733" -- Vol. 1, p. 189; Boston, MA: Marriages, 1700-1809. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006), Originally published as: Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston, Containing the Boston Marriages from 1700 to 1751 (Vol. 28), Boston, Municipal Printing office, 1898. Records Relating to the Early History of Boston, Containing Boston Marriages from 1752 to 1809 (vol. 30), Boston, Municipal Printing Office, 1903; https://www.americanancestors.org/DB174/i/7456/189/248386693 (by subscription)
4. ↑ "Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, 1921-1924", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHT2-25P : 28 July 2021), Sarah Wells in entry for William Williams, 1752.
5. ↑ "Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, 1921-1924", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHT2-Q47 : 28 July 2021), Hannah Dickinson in entry for William Williams, 1765.
6. ↑ NEHGR Vol. 9 (April, 1855), p. 114; Vital Records from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Compiled from articles originally published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register.); https://www.americanancestors.org/DB522/i/21073/115/1427078715 (by subscription)

• Birth record (14 May 1711): "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZDW-84T : 5 January 2021), William Williams, 1711. [Also see details of family tree at https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/L667-PKH.]

• Baptism (20 May 1711): "May 20th. 1711. William Son to William & Hannah Williams, or first born, b : May 14. circ. h: 6 : a. m." -- Weston VRs, Vol. 1, p. 390; Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016); https://www.americanancestors.org/DB190/i/14082/390/256329552 (by subscription)

• Marriage record (to Hannah Dickinson, 30 January 1765 at Deerfield MA): "Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, 1921-1924", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHT2-Q4W : 28 July 2021), William Williams, 1765. [Cited in details of family tree at: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/L667-PKH.] Alt. record (NEHGS; requires subscription): "Hannah and Col. William Williams, Jan. 30, 1765.*" -- Deerfield VRs, Vol. 1, p. 180; Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016); https://www.americanancestors.org/DB190/i/7692/180/142275844

• Death ca. 1785: Mentioned in a retrospective obituary piece in the Berkshire Eagle, dated 27 Jul 2011, for Hannah (Dickinson) Williams, who died on 21 May 1821: "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKWV-VWYF : accessed 10 November 2021), Colonel William Williams in entry for Madame Hannah Dickenson Williams, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States, 27 Jul 2011; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Berkshire Eagle, The, born-digital text. (Full article accessible on genealogybank.com by subscription, at [1]

• Death 5 April 1785 at Pittsfield: "Massachusetts Town Deaths Index, ca. 1640-1961", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHLS-598 : 23 October 2020), Col. William Williams, 1785.

• Birth [note: unsourced and evidently inaccurate 1710 DOB], family members, death, and burial (with image of gravestone; inscription is not legible in photo): Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/207417507/william-williams : accessed 9 November 2021), memorial page for COL William Williams (18 Apr 1710–2 Aug 1785), Find A Grave: Memorial #207417507, citing Pittsfield Cemetery, Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Baby Stegosaurus (contributor 49885654) .

See also (note that online family trees are regarded as unreliable unless accurately citing primary, or highly-reputable secondary, sources):

• Source: S6 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.; Repository: #R2 Repository: R2

Acknowledgements

• Williams-25050 was created by John Brown through the import of brown family tree_2014-07-20_01.ged on Jul 20, 2014.

• The merged, duplicate profile Williams-100065 was created 16 June 2021 by Christina Jobe