Sarah "Sally" Williams (aka Watson) was born about 1775 in North Carolina [citation needed] to James Williams[1].
She married Reuben Biggs in 1795. [2]
There were two death dates following the merge of Watson-23025 and Williams-43671. Neither are sourced. They are:
1 Sep 1809 and after 1820.
Location: Johnston, North Carolina, United States
Notes from James Biggs:
James Williams of Beaufort Co NC left a will dated 4 Nov 1792, naming wife Elizabeth, son Thomas Williams, and daughters Nancy Jolley and Sarah Williams. Witnesses were Nathaniel Daniel, Thomas Williams and Jordan Shepherd. Executor named was wife Elizabeth, but it was requested that after his final expenses were paid that both his real and personal estate would remain in the possession of wife Elizabeth and father for the maintenance of the family until the youngest child arrived at legal age. It is implied in the 1792 will that Sarah Williams was born out of wedlock, due to the verbiage “It is my will and desire that my Daughter Sarah Williams be considered as a Legatee equally with the rest of my Children who were born in Wedlock & that she draw an equal share of my Estate. . . “.
Reuben Biggs and wife “Salley” are mentioned in the 1796 will of her grandfather, Thomas Williams of Beaufort Co., NC. “I give to my Grandson James Williams . . . upon his letting of Reuben Biggs have so much of the plantation to tend as he shall need, and paying legacies as one half of said legacies mentioned to the other grandchildren hereafter named, and in case said James Williams dies without lawful heirs of his body, I desire all I have given him be equally divided between Salley Biggs, Luke Williams, Cansady Williams, Bertimeus Williams, Lenice Williams, Elisabeth Williams, to him and his heirs forever. Salley and Reuben Biggs were willed one half of three hundred acres of land, being the land and plantation where Thomas Williams lived and executors were James Williams, Reuben Biggs and Kedar Biggs. Note: James Williams is named a grandson, Reuben Biggs the spouse of his granddaughter “Salley” and Kedar Biggs is father of Reuben and also a Revolutionary War patriot.
The "History of Tennessee and Tennesseans” by Hale & Merritt, Chicago, 1913, erred in stating that “Watson” was the maiden name of Reuben's wife "who was the mother of all his children". The idea that Sally's maiden name was Watson may have come from the faulty recollection of the family member who provided the information for the "Tennesseans" book cited, or from confusion on the part of the writer of the article. The informant was likely Sally's grandson Dr. Zach Biggs (1833-1925), a son of Luke Biggs. Zach's biography appears in the book along with information on Luke and Reuben. In a questionnaire he filled out regarding his Civil War service, Zach stated that his mother was Marina Bennett, that Marina's father was Bryant Bennett and that Bryant's wife's maiden name was Watson. This statement shows Zach's maternal grandmother (Mrs. Bryant Bennett) was a Watson - not Sally (Mrs. Reuben Biggs), who was his paternal grandmother.
The Hale & Merritt A History of Tennessee and Tennesseans is the source of the genealogical error found in the vast majority of the online trees related to the wife of Reuben Biggs. Based on Williams family wills and correctly attributing the Watson surname to informant Zach Biggs’ maternal grandmother, it is reasonably conclusive that Sally's maiden name was Williams and not Watson.
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Sally is 26 degrees from Herbert Adair, 24 degrees from Richard Adams, 19 degrees from Mel Blanc, 27 degrees from Dick Bruna, 17 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 35 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 17 degrees from Sam Edwards, 13 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 20 degrees from Marty Krofft, 16 degrees from Junius Matthews, 18 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 20 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
edited by Chuck Biggs Jr
Same birth date, Same birth location Same husband
I created Sally Watson (Watson-18225) and did not realize that Watson was not her maiden name. It appears that her name was Sally (Watson) Williams according to the existing profile Williams-43671. Merging will preserve the link to her son Zachariah Biggs, my great great grandfather.