Williams Family Reunion Website Williams History Part 4

JAMES(2) WILLIAMS

(13 May 1763 ñ 2 May 1851)

James(2) Williams filed a Revolutionary pension application on 7 June 1832, stating that he was born in Sullivan County, Virginia (sic) in 1763, where he was living when he entered service in 1778. (This is probably in error, as his brother, was born a year later in South Carolina.) His pension of $80. Per month was granted, effective August 23, 1833. He married Kesiah Wilson on 15 July 1783 in Sullivan Co, TN. To that union eleven children were born.

Sam Wilson said that his grandfather resided in "eastern Tennessee until the year 1793. In that year, being attracted by reports of the Illinois country, he pulled up and set his face to the northward, crossed the Ohio river, and located at Kaskaskia, probably the first settlement of whites in the southern part of Illinois." And because of the diseases in that area "at the end of the year recrossed the Ohio river and retraced his steps until he struck the mountain region, locating where the town of Burkesville, Cumberland County, KY now stands." The 1799 tax rolls of Cumberland County list him with 3 horses and cows. During the war of 1812 he served, at the age of 50, under Shelby in Canada.

James(2) and Kesiah had 11 children. They were Susannah (1784), Samuel Wilson (1785), James(3) (1786), Highly(1) (1787), Rebecca(1) (1788), John Wilson (1790), Francis Barnett (1792), Phillip (1797), Hardin(2) (1798), and twins, Jane and Kesiah (1801). Francis Barnett Williams was the GGG grandfather of Gracie Loretta Williams who married Sgt. Alvin York of WW I fame.

James(2) remained a farmer throughout his life. His wife, Kesiah, died in 1834 and in 1836 he moved to Hempstead County, Arkansas, where two of his 11 children (John Wilson Williams and Kesiah Perdue) were then residing. His pension was transferred from Cumberland County, Ky. to Hempstead County, Arkansas on 4 September 1837. James(2) Williams died there 2 May 1851 and is buried in the old cemetery at Washington, AR.

Special thanks to Lynda Rangeley of Corpus Christi, TX and Bonnie Parker of Augusta, GA for sharing their family research and helping prepare this paper.

©Copyright Charles E. Workman, Jr., 2001.

Permission to use portions of this paper may be granted providing proper credit is given. Contact the author at ceworkman@ktis.net

Below are links to the Williams Family History submitted by Chuck Workman. Part one is the Introduction; part two focuses on James (1); part three on Phillip; part 4 on James(2); and part five on Hardin. Also there are links to the Verbiage of the 3rd Declaration of Hardin Williams dated 20 Jan 1835 and to an 1825 Marion County, TN deed connected with Hardin Williams.

If you have additional links or information for this site, please email the webmaster of this site. The site will be updated with information as soon as possible. Thank you!

This site last updated May 2, 2002

Site and graphic design by