John Williams (1679 - 1741)

Born 24 Jan 1679 in Llangollen, Denbighshire, Wales

Husband of Mary (Keeling) Williams — married 26 Jul 1704 in Granville, North Carolina

Descendants

Died 1741 at about age 61 in North Carolina [uncertain]

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Category:American Immigration

Biography

John Williams was a North Carolina colonist.

Note 1: This is not the John Williams recorded in Fleet's Colonial Abstract Vol. 24, p.90 who was born before 1625 and was assigned property in York Co., VA in 1645. That John Williams also had sons named John, Nathaniel, and Daniel, so they are often confused, even though they were born almost 50 years apart.
Note 2: This John Williams's date and place of death is unknown. Some of John & Mary's children removed to what would become Granville County, NC, but there are no surviving records that show John & Mary went with them. It is very doubtful that John died in Bertie County, which is 125 miles from where some of his descendants settled in Granville County.

This John Williams was born in Llangollen, Wales 24 Jan 1679, ^[1] settled in about 1690-1700 in that part of New Kent County, VA that became Hanover Co. in 1720. He married Mary ____, who is generally accepted to be the daughter of Capt. George Keeling and Ursula Fleming.^[2]

It appears that John died sometime in the 1720s, since his son is not referred to as Jr. in the 1728 patent, but did he die in York County or after the family moved up the Pamunkey branch of the York River to St Pauls [1726/Martins] Parish, Hanover County. On September 28, 1728, [son] John Williams [no Jr. or Sr.] patented 61 acres in Hanover County adjoining his own land at New Market^[3] and on June 26, 1731, received a patent to 304 acres Saxon's Swamp in Hanover adjacent land owned by Gilcrest, Daniels, Rulter, Capt Keeling, Henry Davis, Mr. Harris.^[4] New Market was in the fork of the Pamunkey (the junction of the North and South Anna rivers) on the Little River at Verdon, west of Doswell. [In 1989 the highway marker was moved 20 or so miles southeast to Studley to preserve it.]^[5] In 1726 the area in the fork was set off as St. Martins Parish [records lost].^[6] Since most of the Hanover County records are lost and those of York County exist,^[7] it is possible that John Sr. moved his family up, died there and John Jr. inherited the land. However, he is not mentioned in St. Paul’s vestry book,^[8] whereas in 1719 Mr. Geo Keeling, Wm Saxon, Samuel Saxon were listed as freeholders^[9] and in 1709 Capt Keeling was paid 50£ by the parish.^[10]

The reference to New Market may imply that John Sr. was a merchant. A John Williams headright was used: 1. in 1705 by Wm Johnson for 490a King Wm, Mattapony River.^[11] 2. in 1713 by Nat'l West along with Marmaduke Whereby, Mary Wms, etc. for 1728 acres in New Kent, St.Paul, Allens Creek,^[12] and 3. in 1722 by Richard Harris for 2570 acres in St. Peters Parish, New Kent.^[13] implying that various voyages were made.

John and Mary had eight children, four sons and four daughters: [See attached pdf bible record.]

1. John Williams, b. 26 Jul 1704, m. Mary Womack
2. Mary Williams, b. 01 Sep 1705, m. Henry Graves
3. Ann Williams, b. 10 Sep 1708, m. John Daniel
4. Daniel Williams, b. 28 Sep 1710, m. 19 Oct 1732 in Hanover County to Ursula Henderson
5. Nathaniel Williams, b. 02 Dec 1712, m. Elizabeth Washington (1st cousin of George Washington) ^[14]
6. Elizabeth Williams, b. 14 Sep 1714, m. Samuel Henderson
7. Sarah Williams, b. 15 Feb 1716
8. Joseph Williams, b. 01 Jan 1718, m. 1746 to Henrietta Jouett

Two children of this couple married Hendersons. Much family history of the Williams is linked to the Hendersons in biographical accounts.

Much of the following is taken verbatim from Scott K. Williams:

John Williams. ( John is occasionally referred to as "Jonathan" in some sources. But I will use "John", as that is the name that John Drayton Williams recorded in 1845 and I will continue with this tradition.**). John Williams was born 26 January 1679 in Llangollen, Wales. John's wife was named Mary_____, b. 26 Sept 1684. (Mary's full name is generally accepted as Mary Keeling, the d/o of Capt. George Keeling and Ursula Fleming. If so she was born in America.) John is believed to have immigrated to America in the 1690's. He appears to have first settled on Queens' Creek in York County, Virginia but they later moved to Hanover County, Virginia and built their home "Studley" sometime before 1712. ^[15]

John and Mary's daughter Elizabeth Williams, b. 14 Sept 1714, Hanover Co., Va., d. 12 May 1790 Granville Co., NC. Married Samuel Henderson, 14 Nov 1732, Hanover Co., Va. Samuel was the son of Richard Henderson and Mary Washer of Ashland, Granville Co., NC.

Why was John wealthy? Some surmise he earned his wealth like other immigrants to Virginia often did, by growing tobacco. That is possible. He probably was a good wheeler-dealer, made money off that, possibly land as well. But most definitely, the early generations of the family were involved in the distilling of Whiskey. A trade that was likely brought over from Wales, as it seems to be a popular beverage from all the countries that border the Irish Sea. As late as 1904, the family was advertising the sale of Old Williams Whiskey, from their distillery in Williams, Surry County, North Carolina. Indeed,"The Old Williams Company" of Williams, N.C. was founded in 1768. This business was run by the descendants of John's son Nathaniel (b. 1712). It is likely a family trade handed down over the generations dating much earlier.

Research Notes

• This John Williams' date and location of death is not known. It is variously reported as 1735, ^[16] 1741, ^[17] and 1755 ^[18] in either Virginia or North Carolina.
• There is reportedly a will of a John Williams of Blissland Parish administered in New Kent Co., VA on 05 Jun 1735, but a copy of that will would be needed to determine whether it was the will of this John Williams.
• Unsourced notes in Jouett Taylor Prisley's family history and genealogy papers indicate John Williams named his estate "Llangollen" after his birth home, but Scott K. Williams cites Appleton's Cyclopedia, 1888 as saying the estate was named "Studley."
• This was not the John Williams who was:
  • receiver of 250 acres in Hampton Parish from John Bell on 01 Oct 1645
  • recorded as living on a plantation with his wife and family as early as 1685 ^[19]
  • mentioned in York Co. Court in Feb 1688 as having a suit pending against William Clopton, defendant.
  • father of sons William, Randall, or Lewis
  • married in Granville, NC - that John Williams was probably the grandson of this John Williams
  • whose will in Bertie Co NC (dated 13 Mar 1745; proved Jan 1758) mentioned sons Isaac, Arthur and Theophilus and daughters Ann Herring and Sarah Castelaw. This indicates that the Anne Williams who m. John Daniel cannot be the sister of the Sarah who m. Thomas Castello/Castelaw.

Sources

1. ↑ Recorded in 1845 by John Drayton Williams, grandson of Brig Gen. James Henderson Williams (killed at the Battle of Kings Mountain), and kept with the Williams family Bible (as copied by Barbara A. McClung in 1910)
2. ↑ Williams, Scott K. Early Descendants of John Williams, "The Wealthy Welshman" of Hanover County, Virginia, Born 1679, Wales, 2005.
3. ↑ Nugent, Nell Marion, "Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, Vol.III, p.366.
4. ↑ Nugent, Vol.III, p.398.
5. ↑ New Market http://photos.historical-markers.org/Virginia/Hanover-County/VA-ND3-Newmarket
6. ↑ The Early Parishes of Hanover. http://www.theforkchurch.org/About_Us/History/Parish_History_Notes_1/
7. ↑ Lost Records Localities: https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/rn30_lostrecords.pdf
8. ↑ The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, Virginia, 1706-1786. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015011026666&view=1up&seq=9
9. ↑ The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish, p. 256.
10. ↑ The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish, p.36.
11. ↑ Nugent, Vol.III, p.98.
12. ↑ Nugent, Vol.III, p.133.
13. ↑ Nugent, Vol.III, p.232.
14. ↑ Some have Nathaniel marrying Elizabeth Keeling, 1/2 sister to George Washington's mother
15. ↑ The Williamses and Hendersons: Descendants of John "the Wealthy Welshman" Williams. Author-Lewis Shore Brumfield. Publisher-L.S. Brumfield, 1991. 582 pages. Location- The University of Wisconsin - Madison
16. ↑ Granville Co., North Carolina: Williams, Graves and Daniel Families, By Evelyn Wallace, 24 Oct 2015
17. ↑ Some Descendants of John Williams of Hanover County, Virginia, by Kay Haden, 18 Feb 2016
18. ↑ Geni.com: Lt. Col. John Drayton Williams, by Marsha Gail Veazey, 18 Jul 2015
19. ↑ Colonial Granville County and its people: Loose leaves from The lost tribes of North Carolina, by Worth Stickley Ray, Genealogical Pub. Co., 1945

See also:

• Williams 300 Years of Leadership in America: A History of the Descendants of John Williams of Llangollen, Wales; by Lewis James Williams, III, Joseph Lanier Williams, Rebecca Turner Williams, and Lewis Lanier Williams; Panther Creek Publishing, Lewisville, NC, 1997
• Commanders at Kings Mountain, by J. D. Bailey, A Press, Inc., Greenville, SC; 1992. Article by Isabell Witherspoon Foster
• The Patriots at Kings Mountain, by Bobby Gilmer Moss, Scotia-Hibernia Press, 1990

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile Williams-12241 created through the import of Madelon's Info_2012-08-26.ged.ged on Aug 26, 2012 by Madelon David. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Madelon and others.
• Williams-22183 was created by Judy Goodman through the import of Goodman-Bilbrey-Wardlow With Allied Lines_2014-03-07.ged on Mar 7, 2014.