John WILLIAMS ¹

  General Notes:

John Williams published a book of hymns in 1820, which included memorial hymns to two deceased children and to Charles Hamilton, his father-in-law. The preface reads as follows:

"It is now more than two years since some of the following Hymns and Songs were composed, without any fixed resolution whether I would publish them or not; it being rather to follow my private inclination for composition, than any thing else. But the manuscript being preserved, I finally determined to go on with the work, till it would constitute a small volume, and accordingly offer it to the public. I can say of a truth I have received much spiritual comfort thereby in my private meditations; and if they afford any satisfaction to the faithful in this wilderness of sorrow and doubt, the unworthy author will rejoice to sit at their feet and give God all the glory.

Those persons to whom I have take the liberty to shew specimens of my composition, have expressed an entire approbation of the work. That there are imperfections in the work there is no doubt; but I have endeavored to make them as few as possible. Apology to an enlightened public would be unnecessary; therefore I commend my labors to the Lord, who has called me to serve his church, humbly hoping that he will own and bless it, without which no human effort can succeed.

Amen.

John Williams" ⁵

  Research Notes:

My level of confidence that the records contained herein track the John Williams who married Nancy Hamilton is not high. There is evidence of perhaps as many as five John Williams: John Williams who married Sally Hunter about 15 Nov 1808; John Williams who married Nancy Hamilton 24 Oct 1815; John Williams who married Lavina Buttram 20 Mar 1817; John Sherrod Williams who married Elizabeth Jane Stone or Powers 22 Feb 1827; and John H. Williams of deed records whose wife was named Martha. Surprisingly, though, there are not that many records for John Williams and what records there are, excluding those for John H. Williams, are suggestive of only one John Williams. An added wrinkle is that in one record John Williams is identified as Jr., which raises the possibility of a John Sr. in the vicinity.

But this list can be whittled down. The records involving John H. Williams are easily identified. His year of birth from the 1840 census for Wayne County is 1800-1810, which rules him out as the John Williams of the earlier records. John Sherrod Williams appears in the records simply as Sherrod and so he is easily identified (he was a sheriff). No record appears for an older John Williams, so we can probably discount the existence of a John Sr. That leaves us with three and if we postulate that the John Williams who married Nancy Hamilton may have been previously married, we are down to two. Since we know our John Williams lived in Wayne County until he and Nancy moved to Indiana, it is not unreasonable to presume that the records that exist apply to him. But, it is also not a sure bet.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Census: 1810, Wayne County, Kentucky. ²

John Williams: 00100-20100

[The year of birth for this John Williams calculates to 1784-1794, about right for the John Williams who marries Nancy Hamilton and too young to have been the father of said John Williams. But, it appears this John is already married, which means if this is our John he had a prior marriage. Note that a John Williams did marry Sally Hunter, bond dated 15 Nov 1808. Might she be the presumed spouse in this census?]

2. Tax List: 1813, Wayne County, Kentucky. ⁶

Capt. Cooper's Company: Williams, John; 300 acres, Indian Cr.; 1 white male 21+; 1 white male 16-21; 2 blacks 16+; 3 horses/mares.

[If this is the year John Williams turned age 21, that would make his year of birth about 1792, which would be consistent with the age of the John Williams of the 1810 census. Contrariwise, the extent of land ownership and slave ownership may suggest an older John Williams. Query why there are no other tax list entries until 1823. Might I have missed them?]

3. Bill of Sale: 1815, Wayne County, Kentucky. ⁷

Dated 12 Oct 1815, Recorded 4 May 1816, Bk B:40
William Hunter to John Williams, one Negro girl slave named Tamar about 10 yrs of age for $370.

4. Deed: 1816, Wayne County, Kentucky. ⁸

Dated 16 Jul 1816, Recorded 16 Jun 1817. Bk B:417
John Williams Jr. was a witness to a deed from James Beasley of Garrard Co., KY to Elijah Beazley and Robert Terrill of Garrard of land on Beaver Creek.

[While a Jr. suggests the possibilty of a Sr. in the vicinity, it is difficult to identify an older John Williams in the records.]

5. Census: 1820, Wayne County, Kentucky. ^{3 9 10}

John Williams, Esq.: 300010-21010

[The John Williams of the 1820 census appears to have been a Justice of the Peace per records found in Bork. An example of an official action from 1820, which includes a facsimile of his signature, is cited. Also cited is Bork's note that John Williams performed two marriages in 1825.]

6. Deed: 1821, Wayne County, Kentucky. ¹¹

Dated 20 Apr 1821, Recorded 23 Apr 1821, Bk C:235
Nathan Dabney to John Williams, 155 acres on S. side of Cumberland River at the mouth of Indian Creek for $650.

7. Tax List: 1823-1825, Wayne County, Kentucky. ⁶

1823, District 1 (Lower): 300 acres and 50 acres, I Creek; 1 white male 21+; 4 horses/mares; total value, $1700.

1824, District 2 (Lower): 300 acres and 50 acres, I Creek(?); 1 white male 21+; 3 horses/mares; total value, $2050.

1825, District 1 (Lower): 300 acres and 500 (50?) acres, I Creek(?); 1 white male 21+; 3 horses/mares; total value, $1700.

[The lack of further tax list entries (assuming again I found all the entries), together with the sale of land in 1825 and the omission from the 1830 census, suggests John and family moved from Wayne County about this time. But, to where? They do not appear in Indiana until the 1840 census. Moreover, the 1850 census shows children being born in KY as late as 1838.]

8. Deed: 1825, Wayne County, Kentucky. ¹²

Dated 28 Feb 1825, Recorded 28 Feb 1825, Bk D:138
John Williams to Wiley Piercy, 145 acres on S. side of Cumberland River at the mouth of Indian Creek for $700.

9. Deed: 1836, Wayne County, Kentucky. ¹³

Dated 13 Apr 1836, Recorded 20 May 1836, Bk G:62
William Mounce and Polly his wife to John Williams, $170 for two tracts: (1) 160 acres on Kennedy's Creek and (2) 50 acres on Little South Fork of Cumberland River.

[But see 1848 deed which establishes this is not the John Williams who married Nancy Hamilton.]

10. Census: 1840, Wayne County, Kentucky. ¹⁴

John Williams: 122111-30101

[This is clearly not the John Williams who married Nancy Hamilton. They appear in the 1840 census for Morgan Co., IN. This information is included for informational purposes only.]

11. Census: 1840, Morgan County, Indiana. ¹⁵

John Williams: 1101101-1120101

[Following family was James H. Hamilton.]

12. Deed: 1848, Wayne County, Kentucky. ¹⁶

Dated 6 Sep 1848, Recorded 6 Dec 1848, Bk K:239
John H. Williams and Martha his wife to Jacob Caylor, $400 for three tracts on Cannady's Creek, including two tracts that were deeded from William Mounce and wife on 13 Apr 1836.

[Included to show that the John Williams of the 1836 deed was not the John Williams who married Nancy Hamilton.]

John married Nancy HAMILTON, daughter of Charles HAMILTON and Hannah HENRY, on 24 Oct 1815 in Wayne County, Kentucky.¹ (Nancy HAMILTON was born about 1796 in Madison County, Kentucky ¹⁷.)

  Marriage Notes:

"Williams, John and Nancy Hamilton. Surety, Charles Hambleton. Bond dated 16 October, married 24 October 1815 by James Lair."

[The records of Edna Stockton show Nancy's name as Nancy Davis Hamilton. The records of Allene Schnaiter, perhaps reasoning from Edna Stockton's records, show she was married to a Davis prior to her marriage to John Williams. Bork shows a marriage of John Davis and Nancy Hambleton-Hamilton on 4 Oct 1820. But, since this postdates the marriage of John Williams and Nancy Hamilton, it seems clear it is a different Nancy Hamilton who married John Davis. Perhaps Edna was not indicating an earlier marriage -- perhaps she had information that Nancy's middle name was indeed Davis.] ^{1 18 19 20}