JOHN WILLIAMS
John Williams was one of the earliest settlers in the Greenbrier Valley. He was born in Marthyr Tydfil, Wales abt. 1714. According to family tradition, he came to America in 1736 and settled near Warm Springs, VA. He married Mary McCoy, daughter of James and Jane McCoy. About 1758 he as a ranger who kept lookout for hostile Indians. By the early 1760's he had built a cabin and was living south of present-day Williamsburg, WV, near the resurgence of Sinking Creek.
Their children were Thomas, Richard, John (Captain Jack), Nancy and David.
At the time (July, 1763), when the Shawnee Indians attacked the Clendenin and Muddy Creek Settlements they also killed John Williams and took [his wife] Mary, Nancy (age four) and David (age two) captive to their villages on Scioto River in Ohio. Thomas, Richard and John were not at home and escaped captivity or death.
Mary and David remained together while they were with the Indians, but Nancy was separated from them. This was the time of Pontiac's Conspiracy and many of our western settlements were destroyed or were under siege. Indians held many captives, some for many years. Col. Hensy Bouquet defeated a large force of Indians at Bushy Run, east of Fort Pitt in 1763. As he led his soldiers against their villages, the Indians agreed to release their captives. In Col Bouquet's records, Mary Williams and David were returned to Fort Pitt, 5th of January 1765.
Descendants of this family have had difficulties documenting the record of Nancy's return. Some of us assume that she is Jeany Williams, age six, who is listed among "Women Deliver'd 10th May 1765 by Shawanese". She is listed as being from "GreenBryer", Virginia and as being in captivity two years. As of now, I am assuming that was John William's daughter Nancy. But I continue to search for facts. However, our Nancy did return, married Richard Jones and had descendants.
Thomas, Richard and John were in the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774. They served in Captain Robert McClennahan's Company of Greenbrier volunteers in the Botetourt County Regiment. Thomas was killed.
After Chief Cornstalk and his son were killed while they were held as hostages in Fort Randolph, Indians raided the Greenbrier settlers. This time they attacked Fort Donally near where John Williams was killed. In that fort were John, Richard and David Williams, along with other persons of that community.
Richard, John and David married local girls and raised large families. Many of their descendants are in Greenbrier Valley. Submitted by Edwin Coffman, Sr.
