With Valentine’s Day “Love” almost upon us, I decided to share the very short story of Polly Love Williams, daughter of Samuel Williams of Cumberland County, Virginia.

I worked on unraveling the many branches of the Williams family of Cumberland County for about twenty years. Polly Williams Love is one of the elusive buds on the tree that has never blossomed.

Samuel Williams, born 18 September 1744 in Virginia married (1) Susannah Ligon and (2) Mary Wright, before 13 September 1794.

His children are all named in his will and extensive information has been found on all of them except for Polly. If Polly is the younger female in Samuel’s household in 1820, then she apparently married Mr. Love after 1820, but before her father wrote his will on 2 July 1821.

Samuel Williams was head of a household in 1820 that consisted of himself, an adult female, likely second wife Mary Wright, and a female aged 10-16. There is no indication of how old the adult female is, other than 45+. There is also no way to determine if this girl is Polly and is a child of Samuel by his second wife or if the girl is a child of Mary Wright by her first husband, born about the time the husband likely died. If this is not Polly, then Polly was probably born around either 1769 or 1779, as that is where gaps are in between the other children.

If that didn’t complicate things enough already, without knowing her age, there is no way to even guess if Mr. Love was a first or later husband.

Children of Samuel and Susannah Ligon Williams:

1. Anderson, born c1767; died after 1860, possibly in Botetourt County, VA; married Mildred Shepard, 18 December 1786, Cumberland County, VA.
ii. William Ligon, born 6 June 1771; died 13 Oct 1848, Coles County, IL, when his will was probated; married (1) Mary Gannaway, before 1 December 1794, Cumberland County, VA. (2) Catherine Keller, 4 October 1830, Coles Co., IL. He originally migrated to Hardin County, Kentucky.
iii. John, born c1773, VA; died by Oct 1853, when his will was probated in Roane County, TN; married Mary Lee, before 1 Dec 1794, Cumberland County, VA.
iv. Charles, born c1775, VA; died between Aug 1825 and Jan 1826, Morgan County, TN; married (1) Unknown (2) Elizabeth Cobb. She was possibly a Goddard by birth.
v. Reuben, born c1777, VA; died after July 1828, probably Roane County, TN; married Elizabeth Butler, 25 June 1801, Campbell Co., VA.
vi. Samuel, born 19 Mar 1781, VA; died 29 Nov 1849, Bedford County, VA; married Betsey Wingo, Dec 1803, Amelia County, VA.
vii. Benjamin, born c1785, died before 22 Mar 1855, Anderson County, TN; married (1) Cizire (?Keziah) Williams, 4 June 1815, Roane County, TN (2) Nancy McCormack, 23 June 1851, Roane County, TN.
viii. Robert, born 15 Aug 1786, VA; died 18 July 1865, Roane County, TN; married Sarah A. Manley.
ix. Joseph, born 14 May 1789; died 29 May 1862, probably Howard County, MO; married (1) Susan Woodson, 10 June 1815, Cumberland County, VA.
x. Polly

Have you noticed that almost nothing in this post is about Polly? Yep, that is because I don’t know anything about her. She married Mr. Love before her father wrote his will on 2 July 1821; the will was probated in Cumberland County, Virginia in October 1823. She might have been born about 1769, 1799 or between 1794 and 1810.

Did she stay in Virginia after she married, like brother Samuel, or did she migrate to Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois or Missouri like her other siblings or somewhere else? Who knows?

If you have a Love family with roots that extend back to Cumberland County, Virginia or Caswell County, North Carolina (where the Williams were known to have ties) and the wife is Mary or Polly who might be the daughter of Samuel Williams, I would LOVE (pun intended) to hear from you.