Williams Family History

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Captain Isaac Williams and His Grandchildren Pioneers of Lawrence County, Indiana By Ben & Alice Dixon

PART II

CAPTAIN ISAAC

-The Fami1y

-French Broad Country

-White River Country

-Memorial to Congress

-Kern Cousins

-Fighting Quaker

-The Creek War

-Old Journal

-Official Records

1127. CAPTAIN ISAAC WILLIAMS JR

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He was the son of Isaac Williams, Sr. and Rachel Pike.

He was born in Surry Co., NC., March 17, 1779; and died Feb. 13, 1856, in Lawrence Co. , Indiana.

He married, 1st, Amelia, daughter of Garrett Gibson, May 1, 1801. She was born in Surry county June 6, 1786, and died July 2, 1841, in Lawrence county. Tradition says the wedding took place at Asheville NC. As Amelia was not yet fifteen, it appears that this may have been a runaway marriage, without church sanction. At any rate, Isaac was disowned immediately thereafter. Both Isaac and Amelia are buried at Old Union in Lawrence county.

Married, 2nd, April 14, 1844, Lucy Dye. She was born July 4, 1801; and died in Lawrence co., Aug. 24, 1844 burial, Ferguson cemetery.

Married, 3rd, May 31, 1846, Rebecca D. Dibelin: born Dec. 23, 1797; died March 23, 1857; interment at Old Union.

***

ISSUE: 1st mar. to AMELIA GIBSON

Bible Record

1. Laban, born 2-22-1802 10-25-1815 d. Jefferson co., Tenn.

2.+Garratt Gibson 6- 6-1804 11- 5-1887 m. Lucy Kern 3-19-1829

3.+Richard 10-16-1806 8-10-1880 m. Abigail Kern 1l-12-29

4.+Prier (Pryor) 1-22-1810 9- 1-1846 m. Anna Kern 7-7-1831

5.+Louisa M. 6-15-1808 11- -1833 m. Sam'l Rubottom 1833

6.+Mahala 4- 2-1812 5-30-1853 m. Eli Kern 2-2-1832

7. Andrew Jackson 6- 5-1814 12-23-1875 m. Buried at Old Union

8.+James Dixon 3- 3-1816 4-28-1856 m. Cytha Cox

9. Abel 11-28-1817 10-21-1839 b&d Lawrence co., Ind.

10.+Ahinoam 11-16-1819 11-15-1820 do

1l.+Elkanah 12-19-1822 10- 5-1888 b. Indiana; d. Fenna.

m. 1st Sarah S. Farmer 12-23-1847;

2nd, Sarah B. McGrew

12.+Bartimus 2-11-1825 6- 1-1882

m. 1st Rebecca D. Armstrong 10-8-1850, who died without issue

2nd Emily Angeline Hammeraley, who d. 8-26-1872, with issue

3rd Rachel L. McDonald 6-17-1875, with issue

13. Cornelia, b. 6-17-1828 d. 6- 1-1882 m. James Boyd, no issue

(+) Indicates a subsequent record for this family.

The first eight children were born in East Tennessee: Laban in Jefferson county, the others in Sevier. Andrew Jackson was born during the War of 1812, and bore the General's name. Laban, first born, died soon after the end of the war. Isaac and Amelia took seven siblings to Indiana in 1817. Five more were born in Hoosierland.

Isaac was disowned shortly after his marriage to 14-year-old Amelia -- whether for marrying out of unity, we know not. He did not seek reinstatement or condemn his conduct for attending musters. His children grew up outside of the Quaker fold, but very much under the influence of the Quaker community. They never abandoned the staunch principles of forthright honesty and honorable citizenship instilled in them by their Quaker tradition and background.

Eight of Captain Isaac's boys and girls left descendants. These are the Grand Children -- and the Grandchildren -- of this family history.

FRENCH BROAD COUNTRY

The ruggedly beautiful French Broad River tumbles down the Blue Ridges from Asheville, North Carolina to Knoxville, Tennessee, making boundaries, beautiful scenery, and forested farms as it rolls along toward the Tennessee. In the Williams family archives there is an old picture of one of these farms. It was made more than fourscore years ago by Dr. Elkanah Williams of Cincinnati who, with "Aunt Sally", his charming wife, went to Tennessee to find the old Williams homestead.

Young Isaac was thirteen years old when his family moved from North Carolina into Jefferson county, Tennessee. It was 1792, the year the county was formed from Hawkins and Greene. Its territory included that of Sevier, taken off in 1794, and Cocke, 1797. The numerous Quaker families in this area requested a Meeting of their own. The Lost Creek Meeting near present New Market was set up in 1797.

Isaac must have thrilled with the beauties of the river and the ruggedness of the mountains as he came down through the passes to the wonderful farming country east of Knoxville. Here he grew to young manhood. When he was 21, he decided to take a wife and get a farm of his own. The wife was the pretty neighborhood chatterbox, Amelia Gibson, daughter of Garrett Gibson, a member of the Lost Creek Meeting.

Two years later he bought the farm, in two tracts. One was for 173 acres, and it cost him $380 cash on the barrel head. The other was for 100 acres, for which he paid $220. In all, $600 for 273 acre “on the waters of French Broad River, Beginning at a post oak Corner" etc., as the old deed reads. The farm was purchased from John Glass of Knox county, August 11, 1803. Laban, oldest child, was already a year and a half old.

***

But Garrett, the next, was born on the Williams homestead, on the sixth day of June, 1804. Richard, Pryor, Louisa, Mahala followed in orderly succession. Then came Andrew Jackson, the War Baby, in 1814. James Dixon, last of the "Tennessee Hillbillies" had just turned a year and a half when the wheels of the covered wagon started rolling toward the Ohio from the French Broad.

Uncle Garrett used to have a prized pocket piece. It was a coin minted in 1804, the year he was born on the old farm. He had a happy memory, too. When the wagons reached the top of the hill overlooking the old home and the bubbling spring the two families-- Adamson and Williams-- stopped for a last look at the home they were leaving forever. Garrett ran back down the hill for a last drink of water from the spring-- a memory he treasured throughout his life.

***

Memories of Cocke county are more confused. Did Adamson or William live, farm, own land or worship there at some time or other? Did the French Broad "Meeting for Worship” extend over into Cocke from Sevier? Rachel Adamson's descendants had lost the memory of even her husband's name until the marriage record was discovered in Jefferson county. Now the deed to Adamson land has turned up--in Jefferson county. And finally Captain Isaac's journal tells us that one of his last duties in Tennessee was the administration of "Old Tom" Adamson's estate. And when that family task was complete(date not established) the way was clear for the wagons to start rolling for Indiana.

WHITE RIVER COUNTRY

Captain Isaac had received such glowing reports about Indiana from his Uncle William, the roving Quaker Preacher, that he decided to go and look the country over himself. He was there in the winter of 1815-1816, probably in the late fall, soon after crop work was finished. Arriving before the land sales opened up, he was able to file on choice White River agricultural land.

On this expedition he made arrangements with a builder named Crook, already on the land, to erect a cabin for him, so that his family on arrival the following year would find shelter waiting. It is likely, too, that he made his first acquaintance with the Dunkard Elder, Abram Kern, at this time. For Abram also, with his family on a snow-bound sled, came early in 1816. Before the land was ever opened for sale, Capt. Isaac joined with the first settlers in a Memorial to Congress, requesting preferential treatment in the land sales.

The families of Capt. Isaac and his sister Rachel Adamson made the trek from the French Broad to the White River in the spring of 1817, arriving in time to get in a short crop to tide them through the winter. Their wagons ferried the Ohio at New Albany. Isaac claimed later that his actual cash outlay for this move was $65. With the arsenal of squirrel and shot guns Capt. Isaac brought along, the family had no worries about meat. For wild game was abundant, and the boys were crack shots.

The Williams’s were good farmers. They became large land owners along White River and in a few years were leading the township in agricultural pursuits. In 1884 the Editor of Goodspeed's History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington Counties wrote: "No one has taken more active interest in the development of the resources of both county and township than the Williams family. There is in the southwest part of Indian Creek township along the river what is known as the Williams settlement, and it includes some of the finest farms and most enterprising farmers in the county. It extends along both sides of White River and embraces a considerable portion of Spice valley township..."

When Lawrence county was organized in 1818, Palestine was laid out as the county seat. Captain Isaac was an original lot holder. But the area was full of swamps and mosquitoes. Malaria became such a hazard that the new Hoosiers refused to live in Palestine! In 1825 a new seat town was established at Bedford. Palestine was abandoned. Lot holders were granted lots of equal value in Bedford on payment of the registration fee. For $4.50 Capt. Isaac secured an excellent townsite. The City Library was later built on part of his town property. And today, Roxie Hatfield, a great-granddaughter whose records and pictures have helped to make this book possible,lives on part of that $4.50 purchase.

(In 2002 John Williams, a great great grandson of Uncle Richard lives on the property. He is a long term mayor of the town of Bedford.)

The village of Williams is an accidental memorial to Capt. Isaac. "In the seventies," wrote John Williams in 1940, "Green Brothers set up a sawmill. Their houses near the river were the first in town. Ben Carl came soon, built & house and put in a small store. Then another house or two and they called the town Greenville. About 1880 Lewis D. Kern put in a store where the hotel now stands and built his house on the hill. Another house or two and then they wanted a Postoffice. Couldn't call it Greenville for we had another Greenville in the state. Garrett Williams told them to call it Williams, so they had the town named and got a star route office and carried the mail from Bedford."

DEED TO A N E W L O T I N B E D F O R D

Purchases of lots in the malarial City of Palestine, Lawrence County’s first capital, were given exchange lots of equal value in the new county seat town of Bedford, on payment of the registration fee. Captain Isaac’s new lot was no. 227; registered April 11, 18278; fee, $4.50.

In 1850 Congress passed the act granting land bounty rights to soldiers of the War of 1812. An act of March 3, 1855 increased the veterans' perquisites. Caprain Isaac proved his rights under the first grant. Then, June 15th, 1855, he appeared before Justice of Peace Eliphalet Pearson to claim bounty rights under the second. His plea was honored and a certificate issued. But in the meantime old Captain Isaac was called to the Great Muster Above. Then his widow, Rebecca B Williams, returned the veteran's certificate and requested a widow's instead. Her plea likewise was granted. But when her certificate came back in due course, she too had joined the Captain in Legions Above,

Isaac Williams died Feb. 13th, 1856. His funeral was conducted at the Bedford New School Presbyterian Church at 3:00 PM the 14th. The oration was by a famous "Campbellite" preacher, Elder James M. Mathes. What a brave Valentine it was that he sent to St. Michael the Archangle and Patron of Brave Soldiers! Rebecca passed away March 23, 1857. Capt. Isaac sleeps eternally at Old Union, with his first and last loves.

***

MEMORIAL TO CONGRESS BY CITIZENS

OF THE TERRITORY

(HF: 14 Cong.: 1 sess.: DS)

Referred Jan. 16, 1816

To the Honerable, The senet & House of representatives of the U, in Congress Assembled

The Memorial of a few under signed Citizens of the Indiana Territory Humbly sheweth that we are Some of those that have servived the Wreck of ware In the New purchase of this territory -- that we have confrunted the danger of the ruthless savage with Intagerty & success Except the loss of property & friends We have allso once yea twice pationed your Honorable Body to grant us A preference to the land we are on at the publick price with out success We still have hopes that surely the Guardians of our Liberties & rights will not suffer farmes we have Made at such greate inconveniancyes & riskes to bee Exposed to publick Sail & the profits thereoff Redownd to A welthy Republick -- we therefore still requeste your Honerable Body to pass a law Giveing us A preference to our lands with liberty to enter the same before the office is opened for the Sail of the publick land or if that cannot bee grantd And our lands is taken away from us by dint of oppulance after We have been ready & willing to pay the pub-lick price For the same we hope your Honors will at least Pass a law to make such purchaser pay us the full Value of our Improvements taking special notice &t The Inconveniance in which they are made & --We subscribe our selves your fellow Citizens & Humble petitioners --

&c Deasember

Daniel Beam Jacob Flinn William Flinn Seign John Hoover

Michael Beam John Flinn Joseph Glover Peter Hoover

Nela Beam Martin Flinn William Glover Jamason Hamilto

Richard Beam Matthew Flinn Daniel Guthory Junr Marcus Knight

William Butler Robert Flinn Daniel Guthory Sgn Thomas Mathes

John Creg Thomas Flinn Hugh Guthory Roderick Rawling

Robert Daugherty William Flinn John Guthory Stephen Sparks

Aaron Flinn William Flinn Junr William Guthory Isaac Williams

--Territorial Papers: Indiana: VIII, p. 368.