It’s been five years since I last wrote about Thomas Williams, son of Roger and Cassie Ann (Blair) Williams of Bedford and Campbell Counties, Virginia.
Thomas was reportedly born 22 June 1777, probably in Cumberland County, Virginia; and died, intestate, before December 1812 in Campbell County, Virginia.
Thomas married Elizabeth Woodson, the daughter of Anderson Woodson, on 13 December 1805 also in Campbell County.
What became of Elizabeth Woodson Williams after the death of Thomas is not known.
The purpose of this post is to ask once again if there are researchers out there who might be descended from any of the children of Thomas and Elizabeth (Woodson) Williams.
Thanks to court records and the 1835 will of Roger Williams, we know that Thomas and Elizabeth were the parents of five sons, who were all living as of 1835. However, the Chancery Court records tell us that Thomas had four small children when he died and one born not long after he died.
John E. Woodson was the administrator of Thomas Williams’ estate; he identifies widow Elizabeth Williams as his sister and further states that John took in one of the children, his father Anderson Woodson took in two of them and Roger Williams took in one. Presumably, the one born after Thomas’s death remained with the Widow Williams. The four men agreed to raise the children at no cost to Thomas’s estate, as there wasn’t sufficient money to cover their costs.
Their birth order is uncertain, but may have been named in birth order in their grandfather’s will (as listed below).
Children of Thomas and Elizabeth:
- William, born c1806; died after 1835
- Thomas, born c1808; died after 1835
- John, born c1810; died after 1835
- Samuel, born c1812; died after 1835
- Woodson, born c1813; died after 1835
While it is certainly possible that one or more of these sons died before 1850, it isn’t likely that all of them did, as the eldest son wouldn’t have been more than in his early 40s.
However, by 1850, this Williams family had spread into North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas and who knows where else.
Unfortunately, all of their given names are very common, especially when paired with the Williams surname.
The best bet for research would be Woodson Williams, but I find NOTHING on any Woodson (or Wood) Williams anywhere who might possibly be Thomas’s son.
If you have a Williams ancestor born in Virginia between 1806 and 1813 who is named Thomas, Woodson, John, Samuel or William W. and have no parents for that man, I’d love to hear from you.
The odds that none of these five sons has descendants seems miniscule. I just need to find them!