Person:John Williams (79)

  • HJohn Williams1618 - 1712
  • WMary Burley1621 - 1665
m. 29 Jun 1644
  1. John Williams1646 - 1665
  2. Nathaniel Williams1647 - 1711
  3. Rebecca Williams1649 - 1715
  4. Hanna Williams1651 - 1729
  5. Elizabeth Williams1652/53 - 1652/53
  6. Mary Williams1652/53 - 1711
  7. Abiel Williams1655 -
  8. Abigail Williams1658 - 1690
m. 10 Jun 1686
Facts and Events
Name[1] John Williams
Gender Male
Birth[2] 1618 St. Giles Without Cripplegate, London City, Middlesex, England
Christening? 24 May 1618 St. Giles Without Cripplegate, London City, Middlesex, England
Emigration? Bef 1644 Ship "Rose"
Marriage 29 Jun 1644 Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesto Mary Burley
Marriage 10 Jun 1686 Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, United Statesto Hester Kelsey
Death[3] 1712 Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, United StatesHis will was processed in 1712.

Origins

There is conflicting information about the parentage of John Williams; one source says he was son of Arthur Williams and Catherine; another claims he was the son of Robert Williams and Elizabeth Stratton.

One says he was baptized 24 May 1618 in London, without source.

Most of what I can find about him seems to be extracted from LDS files, unsourced.

Supposedly emigrated on the ship "Rose" before 1644.

Life in New England

Public records of the colony of Connecticut, pp. 308-209:

A session of the general court in Hartford, 11th day of March 1657/58:
... The listed person for Troopers presented to and allowe by this Court, under the command of Major John Mason, are as follows:...
In Windsor, .... John Williams

From: History of Ancient Windsor, p. 168:

"John (Williams), 1644, bo't 14 acres, next W. Pal. S. side ext. W. to top of hill: ho. opp. Backer Row road."

From: Westfield and its historic influences: 1669-1919: p. 91:

[Capt. John Gunn, son of Thomas Gunn] was born in Windsor, July 8, 1647. He married in Westfield, January 22, 1678, Mary Williams, daughter of John and Mary Buckley Williams who also came from Windsor.

"[George] McCracken: ... John Williams … married at Windsor, 29 June 1644, Mary Burlly. Mary (Burlly) Williams died 18 April 1681, having been married, as the record says, 37 years and sometime later this John Williams married again, this time to that Ester or Hester [Kelsey], who had married, first, James Eggleston (Bigod), and second as 4th wife, James Enno or Eno aforesaid. John Williams died in 1712 aged 96 and Esther/Hester died in 1720." (From Decendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor, p. 11)

John William's Will

Text of John William's will, and resulting Court action:

Vol. VIII, Page 137: Williams, John, Windsor. Invt. £222-08-02. Taken 14 May, 1712, by Benajah Holcomb, Thomas Griswold and Nathaniel Horsford. Will dated 10 February, 1707-8.

I, John Williams of Windsor, being aged, do make this my last will and testament: I give to Esther Williams, my dearly beloved wife, the use and improvement of that lot which I lately bought of Jacob Gibbs, Jr., being in quantity about 4 acres, bounded north on the lands of me, sd. John Williams, east on the highway, south on the land of Samuel Beamon, Nathll. Horsford and Samuel Dibble, and west on the land of John Phelps, Sen., During her widowhood, that is, so long as she shall remain my widow, and also 20s a year in country pay. I give to my 4 daughters, vist., Rebecca Warriner, Anna Bancroft, Mary Gunn and Abiall Phelps, to each of them a cow. It. I give to my grandson Edward Griswold and to my granddaughter Abigail Barnard 20s to each of them. It. I give to my grandson John Williams my dwelling house and barn, together with all and singular my lands, messuages and tenements which to me appertain or in any wise belong, within the Township of Windsor, by him freely to be possessed and enjoyed when he shall attain to the age of 21 years. Item. I give to the reast of my son Nathaniel William's children all my household goods, to be equally divided among them. Lastly, I give to my son Nathaniel Williams, whom I likewise constitute, make and ordain my sole executor, the use, benefit and improvement of all that I have given to my grandson John Williams, always reserving what I have given to my wife during her widowhood, until he shall attain to the full age of 21 years. I give to my sd. Son Nathaniel Williams all the residue of my estate undisposed.
Witnesses: Nathaniel Gillett, Sen., John X Williams, LS, Timothy Horsford, Matthew Allyn

Court Record, Page 78-2 June, 1712: Nathaniel Williams of Westfield, Province of Massachusetts Bay, executor, now exhibited the will of [page 334] his late grandfather John Williams of Windsor, and moved this Court that it be proven and allowed. Mr. Richard Edwards of Harford, in behalf of sundry persons in interest, objected for the reason there was no executor appointed, and sd. John Williams, as person 96 years of age, had become childish and infirm in his intellectuals. The Court did approve and allow the will, whereupon Nathaneil Cancroft and John Gunn of Westfield appealed to the Superior Court.
Page 90-6 October, 1712: Adms., with the wil annexed, to Edward Griswold of Windsor and Nathaniel Williams of Westfield, grandchildren of the deceased.
Page 96-6 November, 1712: Notification to the claimants of estate of John Williams to appear and show cause why Esther Williams, widow, should not now have her part of sd. Estate set out to her.
Page 106-6 January, 1712-13: John Bissell, atty. For Esther Williams, moves that she the sd. Esther be put the use of 1-3 part of the estate of her late husband John Williams. This Court decree that she may be instated into 1-3 part of the housing and lands of the decd., provided she disclaims all her right to any legacy given her in the will of sd. John Williams decd. And appoint Capt. Timothy Thrall, John Palmer and Nathaniel Horsford to set out the widow's thirds. Nathaniel Williams and Jedediah Dewey of Westfield appealed and gave bond, with Williams Worthington of Hartford.
Page 122-3 March, 1712-13: Richard Edwards, atty. for Nathaniel Bancroft and Samuel Phelps of Westfield, moved this Court that Adms. on such estate of John Williams as is not devised by will might be committed to the sd. Nathaniel Bancroft and Samuel Phelps or such person as have right therein by law. Deferred.
Page 146-1st June, 1713: Capt. Timothy Thrall and John Palmer of Windsor, having set out dower to Esther Williams, widow, from the estate of her late husband John Williams, the same is now allowed.
Page 205-5 July, 1714: Richard Edwards repeats his motion requesting that Adms. might be committed to Nathaniel Bancroft and Samuel Phelps. Deferred.
Page 48 (vol. IX) 7 January, 1717-18: Whereas this Court did on 6th of October, 1712, grant letters of Adms. unto Edward Griswold, with the will annexed, and Nathaniel Williams of Westfield, grand children of the decd., and order that they should render an account of Adms. on sd. Estate to this Court on or before the 1st Monday of October, 1713; and whereas, no account has yet been rendered to this Court, and the sd. Edward Griswold being dead, and the sd. Nathaniel Williams neglecting to give to this Court an account of his Adms. on sd. Estate, this Court now grant letters on sd. Estate, with will annexed, unto Joseph Barnard of Windsor, to finish the account of Adms. and render the same to this Court on or before the 1st Tuesday of January, Anno Dom. 1718-19.
Page 214 [335] Williams, John, Sen., Hartford. Invt. £326-06-06. Taken 16 February, 1712-13, by Nathaniel Pitkin and Timothy Cowles.
Court Record, Page 113-2 March, 1712-13: Adms. granted to John Williams, son of the decd.
Page 218-4 October, 1714: John Williams, Adms., exhibits and account of his Adms. Accepted. This Court order the estate distributed as follows:

To John, eldest son: £95 13s 04d
To Jacob, Joseph, Jane and Elizabeth Williams, to each, £47 06s 08d
And appoint Joseph Olmsted, Nathaniel Pitkin and John Meekins, distributors.
Court Record, Page 23-7 March, 1737-8: Jabez Burnham of Hartford begs leave to lay before this Court, that in a former distribution of the estate of John Williams, late of Hartford deceased, there was one certain piece of his land (beginning at ye east end of John's eight acres and to run each to the end of sd. lot), which lot of land was divided into five parts: To John Williams one-fifth part, and to Jacob Williams, Joseph Williams, Jane Morton and Elizabeth Yeomans, children of the deceased, each a fifth part, and yet not subdivided to each one his particular part, and one of the heirs to sd. land (Abraham Williams, son of John Williams decd.) having a right to one-fifth of sd. land, and being in his minority so not capable of acting with the rest of the heirs in making a subdivision, edt., and your memorialist having bought the fifth part thereof of John Morton's right which his wife Jane had in sd. lands, doth move to this Court that as the case is circumstanced as above expressed, I and the rest, etc., are hindered in our improvement for want of power to divide sd. land pray that this Court would as the law directs in such case, appoint freeholders, together with the guardian of sd. minor, to divide and make severance of sd. rights to the heirs, that we may improve.
This Court doth appoint Messers. William Cowles and Caleb Pitkin, with Jacob Williams, guardian to ad. Minor Abraham Williams, and do order the rest of the surviving heirs, forthwith to make partition of sd. land according to the intent of the former distribution as above expressed. Source: Manwaring - A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records.

References
  1. Pusch, Bruce Cooley.
  2. Family Data Collection - Deaths
    2001.

    Compiled by Edmund West
    Published by The Generations, Inc.

  3. Archives.
  4.   Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor. Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor
    Page 11, 2006.

    Compiled by James Hallowell Holcombe, Jr.
    www.holcombegenealogy.com

  5.   A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records: Hartford Probate District, 1635-1700
    Vol. I, pages 137-8, 1904.

    Compiled by Charles William Manwaring and published in Hartford, CT
    This is the source of John's will.

  6.   Find A Grave.

    [1]

Founders of Windsor, CT
Windsor was the first permanent English settlement in Connecticut. Local indians granted Plymouth settlers land at the confluence of the Farmington River and the west side of the Connecticut River, and Plymouth settlers (including Jonathan Brewster, son of William) built a trading post in 1633. But the bulk of the settlement came in 1635, when 60 or more people led by Reverend Warham arrived, having trekked overland from Dorchester, Massachusetts. Most had arrived in the New World five years earlier on the ship "Mary and John" from Plymouth, England. The settlement was first called Dorchester, and was renamed Windsor in 1637.

See: Stiles History of Ancient Windsor - Thistlewaite's Dorset Pilgrims - Wikipedia entry

Loomis homestead, oldest in CT.
Settlers at Windsor by the end of 1640, per the Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor: Abbot - Alford - S. Allen - M. Allyn - Barber - Bartlett - M. (Barrett) (Huntington) Stoughton - Bascomb - Bassett - Benett - Birge - Bissell - Branker - Brewster - Buckland - Buell - Carter - Chappel - D. Clarke - J. Clarke - Cooke - Cooper - Denslow - Dewey - Dibble - Dumbleton - Drake - Dyer - Eels - Eggleston - Filley - Ford - Foulkes - Fyler - Gaylord - Francis Gibbs - William Gilbert - Jere. Gillett - Jon. Gillett - N. Gillett - Grant - Gridley - E. Griswold - M. Griswold - Gunn - Hannum - Hawkes - Hawkins - Hayden - Haynes - Hill - Hillier - Holcombe - Holmes - Holt - Hosford - Hoskins - Hoyte - Hubbard - Huit - Hulbert - Hull - Hurd - Hydes - Loomis - Ludlow - Lush - Marshfield - A. Marshall - T. Marshall - Mason - M. (Merwin) (Tinker) Collins - M. Merwin - Mills - Moore - Newberry - Newell - Oldage - Orton - Osborn - Palmer - Parsons - Parkman - Pattison - Phelps - Phelps - Phillips - Pinney - Pomeroy - Pond - Porter - Preston - Rainend - Randall - Rawlins - Reeves - J. Rockwell - W. Rockwell - B. Rossiter - St. Nicholas - Saltonstall - Samos - M. Sension (St. John) – R. Sension - Sexton - Staires - Starke - F. StilesH. Stiles - J. StilesT. Stiles - Stoughton - Stuckey - Talcott - E. Taylor - J. Taylor - Terry - Thornton - Thrall - Tilley - Tilton - Try - F. (Clark) (Dewey) (Phelps) - Vore - Warham - Weller - Whitehead - A. Williams - J. Williams - R. Williams - Wilton - Winchell - Witchfield - Wolcott - Young
Current Location: Hartford County, Connecticut   Parent Towns: Dorchester, Massachusetts   Daughter Towns: Windsor Locks; South Windsor; East Windsor; Ellington; Bloomfield