| Notes |
- Letter from Simon Carson to his son: ..."On the maternal side, your mamma's father, E. Williams was a Marylander and was a member of the Legislature when the Bill of Rights was formed, and perhaps until his removal to Va. in the summer of 1779
Died about 7:00 a.m. -- Hale
"Elisha Williams was born in 1735 in Frederick County, Maryland (now Montgomery County). His wife, Ann was also born in Frederick County, in 1736. They were married circa 1757, as their first child was born in 1758.
"Elisha Williams was a justice and a member of the House of Delegates from Montgomery County, Maryland, in Revolutionary days.
On January 3, 1760 he received a patent for a tract of 224 acres, which he called 'Friend's Advice.' In 1772 he bought 1,258 acres, called 'The Resurvey of Friend's Advice.' Three years later, he patented a 40-acre tract that he named 'William' Choice.' Again in 1775, he received a patent for 184 acres called 'The beginning Resurveyed.'
"Elisha and his family moved to Frederick County, Virginia before the close of the Revolutionary War, probably in 1779.
"He had bought a farm of 600 acres near Stephens City, in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. The Virginia census of 1782 shows him living there, his family at the time consisting of six whites and two blacks. In 1800 he divided the farm between his son Jared and his daughter Martha, both of whom had married Carsons: Jared had married Martha Carson, and Martha Williams (our ancestor) had married Simon Carson, a brother of Martha.
"Elisha and Ann Williams then took up residence in Bath County Virginia. Elisha died on November 24, 1812.
"Elisha Williams was a delegate to the first state convention that framed, and, on November 18, 1776, adopted the first state constitution of Maryland. In 1777 he was a member of the House of Delegates from Montgomery County. While not busy at the Capital, that year, he was a judge of the first, second, and third County Courts; a year later he was again appointed judge.
"During Revolutionary times citizens holding positions of trust were required to take a 'Test Oath' or ' Oath of Fidelity and Support.' As a justice, Elisha Williams evidently aided in circulating a list and obtaining signatures of his fellow citizens. It is said the oath was 'most important in Revolutionary times and could not be lightly taken.'" -- Bond, Marian Saunders. Some Ancestors. pp. 12-13.
?? If the majority of the children were born in Bath county, why did Elisha and Ann retire there after dividing their property near Stephens City? Is that in Bath County-- or at least was it then in Bath. If not, it would seem that the children were not born in Bath County!!??
"There seems to have been a goodly number of Williamses in Maryland in early times, doubtless of several different families, some of them quite unrelated. There are records of a umber of prominent men of the name in Revolutionary times. This fact renders genealogical study of any one of these lines difficult and no conclusions can be drawn that are not well buttressed by proven facts.
"We know, however, that the Williams ancestor of one branch of the Pitman line was Elisha, that his wife was Ann Swearingen, that his son, later (1819-1825) a congressman from Virginia, was Jared, that Elisha was a justice and a member of the House of Delegates from Montgomery County, Maryland, in Revolutionary days, and that he removed from Maryland to Frederick County, Virginia, before the close of the Revolutionary War, probably in 1779.
"This Elisha Williams...lived in Sugarland Hundred, Frederick County Maryland in 1776. The record that identifies him for us easily is a census report of that year. ['Number of Souls in Sugarland Hundred. by Samuel Blackmore ; Sept 2, 1776]: Williams: Elisha, 41; Hazel, 18; John, 14; Thomas, 12; Jarred, 10; Elisha, 6; Ann, 40; Mary, 16; Martha, 3; and Ford, Jean 28" (The last name is presumably that of a servant or slave.)
"This Elisha Williams was born then in 1735; he was apparently 23 at the time of the birth of his first child. From family records we know that his wife was Ann Swearingen. There were Swearingens (they were of old Dutch descent) among the early settlers in that region....
"Elisha Williams seems to have lived in Montgomery County (Frederick prior to 1778) as early as 1760, for on January 3rd of that year he received there a patent for a tract of 224 acres that he called 'Friend's Advice.' Three years later he patented a 40 acre tract that he named 'Williams' Choice.' Again in 1775, he received a patent for 184 acres called 'The Beginning Resurveyed.'
"All our attempts to identify the parents of Elisha Williams have proven futile. The matter is greatly complicated by the fact that three and possibly four men bearing this identical name were residing in Prince George's, Frederick and Montgomery counties in Revolutionary days.
[There follows a lengthy discussion of the division of Prince George's Co. into Frederick County in 1748 and that into Montgomery County in 1778. and speculation as to whether Elisha could have been the son of a Thomas Williams whose will, probated in Prince George's Co. in 1749, names a son, Elisha who was 'away at sea.' This Thomas Williams had children named Thomas, Elisha, Mary, and, Martha. Our Elisha Williams had children named Thomas, Elisha, Mary, and Martha. Thus it is attempting to assign our Elisha to Thomas. But there are complications to this that would almost rule that Thomas's Elisha was a different one. There was another Elisha Williams in Prince George's Co. in 1778, but he died in 1780 a bachelor whose family names were quite different from our Elisha. In Montgomery Co., there was our Justice Elisha as well as another Elisha who was a captain in the Revolutionary Army, but whose military records give no date of birth or any family information, but which shows that he was in other parts of the country between 1775 and 1777 and thus is separate from Justice Elisha who was active in Montgomery Co. in those years.]
[Two pre-Revolutionary patriotic meetings in Montgomery County record an "Eli Williams" but no conclusion can be made about which of the two men was involved!]
"In 1776, however, we find records that obviously refer to the civilian Elisha Williams.... These records show that Elisha Williams was a delegate to the first state convention that framed and , on Nov. 18th 1776, adopted the first state constitution for the State of Maryland.
"'That for the Lower District of Frederick County, Thomas Sprigg Wooten, Jonathan Wilson, Sm. Bayley, Jr., and Elisha Williams, Esquires, are returned by judges appointed by the Com. of that District, duly elected by a majority of the voters resident of that District who had armed in defense of the country.' Those elections were held on August 1st, 1776....
In the following year, also, we find the civilian Elisha Williams among the 'Members of the House of Delegates from Montgomery County, 1777, Edward Burgess, Elisha Williams, Wm. Bayley, Jr, Richard Crabb.'
While a member of the state legislative body, as shown by the foregoing references, he was also occupying a judicial bench at home when not at the capitol. Montgomery records chronicle: 'The first County Court met at Leonard Davis', may 20, 1777, and was held by the following worshipful justices: Charles Jones, Elisha Williams....
"A year later, he was again appointed to the office. 'Saturday, 7 Mach 1778. Present as on yesterday. Commission issued to Charles Jones, ... Elisha Williams.... Appointed Justices of the Peace for Montgomery County."
['Oaths of Fidelity" were required to be taken by all citizens for voting and business privileges. The oath was most important in the Revolution and was not to be taken lightly. Elisha Williams returned a list of 110 names as signers in 1778]
[As a justice, Elisha was active in the recording of deeds] "Two other deeds, one recorded on November 23rd, 1778, and the other on January 16th, 1779, show Justice Elisha Williams disposing of his Montgomery property. In both cases, Ann released dower rights and Elisha acknowledged.
"Shortly after this time, probably in 1779, Elisha Williams removed with his family from Montgomery County, Maryland to Frederick County, Virginia. He had bought a farm of 600 acres near Stevens City and the Virginia census of 1782 shows him living there, his family at the time consisting of six whites and two blacks. He resided there until the year 1800 when he divided the farm between his son Jared and his daughter Martha, both of whom had married Carsons; Jared had married Martha Carson and Martha Williams had married Simon Carson, a brother of Martha.
"Elisha then took up residence in Bath County, Virginia, where he lived for the remainder of his days. He is said to have continued legal work and to have acted as magistrate in Bath County until his death on November 24th 1812." -- Goodnight, Scott and Gertrude H. "The Ancestry of the Nicholas Pitman Family of Virginia." "The Williams Line" Tyler's Quarterly Magazine, n.v., n.d. pp. 313-320.
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Taylor Family Genealogy
1735 - 1812 (77 years)
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