William Williams (abt. 1556 - bef. 1618)

Born about 1556 in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, England [uncertain]

Husband of Jane (Sheppard) Williams — married 15 Nov 1585 in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, England

Husband of Jane (Woodward) Williams — married 14 Dec 1603 in Cam, Gloucestershire, England

Descendants

Died before 29 Sep 1618 before about age 62 in Synwell, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, England

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Biography

Parentage

William Williams of Wotton-under-Edge was the son of John Williams of Wotton-under-Edge and Theobalde (Unknown) Williams. His parentage is established by a bequest to "William Willyams my Sonne" in his father's will.^[1]

Date of Birth

William's date of birth is uncertain. Based on the fact that, in 1608, he was listed in the "Men and Armour of Gloucestershire" as being between 50 and 60 years old, he was probably born in 1548-1558.^[1] Based on the fact that he married his first wife in November 1585, he was probably born in the later part of that range, say in 1555-8. The TAG article estimates that he was born about 1555,^[1] which is reasonable, but perhaps on the early edge of the probable range.

Place of Birth

Gov. Joseph Hartwell Williams' lineage of the Williams family, published in NEHGR in 1897^[2] and relied upon by several secondary sources (including Cutter's "New England Families"^[3] and Frost's "Ancestors of Amyntas Shaw"^[4]), described William and his father as "of Huntingdon, near Wotton-under-Edge." No reliable source has been found for any Huntingdon that is near Wotton-under-Edge. The town of Huntingdon and the district of Huntingdonshire are more than 150 miles away. There is, however, a hamlet called Huntingford, which is part of the parish of Wotton-under-Edge, and less than 4 miles west of the hamlet of Synwell. Although no reliable evidence has been found that establishes that William was born in Huntingford, the proximity makes it plausible.

First Marriage and Children

William married, first, Jane Shepard, in Wotten-under-Edge on November 15, 1585.^[5][1][6] They were married on the same date that William's brother John got married.^[5]

William and Jane had the following children:

1. (possibly) Matthew, b. perhaps sometime in 1586-90 (based on the fact that in the "Men and Armour of Gloucestershire 1608" he was listed as about 20 years old (which, since the only options were about 20, about 40 and about 60, means he was probably 16-30 years old)),^[7][1] had issue in 1610 and 1612,^[6] d. perhaps before September 1618 (based on not being mentioned in Williams will). The proposition that Matthew was William's son is based on the fact that (1) Matthew was the only other Williams from Wotton-under-Edge who was include in "Men and Armour of Gloucestershire 1608," (2) both were listed as living in the Synwell portion of Wotton-under-Edge, and (3) their age difference as listed in "Men and Armour of Gloucestershire 1608" is appropriate for them being father and son.^[7][1] The primary argument against Matthew being William's son is that neither he nor any of his children are mentioned in William's will.
2. Ann/Anna, bpt. December 9, 1599 at St. Mary the Virgin, Wotten-under-Edge,^[8][6][9] m. January 26, 1623/4 John Hale/Hall in North Nibley, Gloucestershire^[10][9]

William's first wife, Jane (Shepard) Williams, died before 1603.^[1]

Second Marriage and Children

William married, second, Jane Woodward, in Cam, Gloucestershire on December 14, 1603.^{[11][12][1][13]}

William and Jane had the following children:

1. Samuel, b. probably 1604 or 1605,^[14] m. 1st July 29, 1630 Mary Holden at Wotten-under-Edge,^[15][9] m. 2d October 24, 1637 widow Alice Knight at Eastington, Gloucestershire^[16][17] d. 1668 or 1669^[17][18]
2. Elizabeth, b. probably 1604 or 1605,^[14] probably never married and emigrated to New England (based on reference in sister Jane's 1650 will to "my brother Richard Williams and my sister Elizabeth Williams that are in New England")^[17]
3. Richard, bpt. January 18, 1606/7 at St. Mary the Virgin, Wotten-under-Edge, m. February 11, 1633 Francis Deighton in Great Witcombe, Gloucestershire, d. about August 1693 Taunton, Province of Massachusetts Bay. (See discussion and sources in Richard's profile.)
4. Jane, bpt. March 19, 1608/9 at St. Mary the Virgin, Wotten-under-Edge,^[19][17] never married,^[17][20] d. 1655 in Whetenhurst, Gloucestershire^[17][20]

William's second wife, Jane (Woodward) Williams, was buried on February 2, 1614/5.^[21][2]

Wife Susanna?

The 1894 "Gloucester Notes" which discussed a number of records that had been discovered with respect to Richard Williams' family, mentioned that there is a record of a Susanna Williams who was buried January 11, 1610/1^[22] and speculated that she may have been William's wife.^[18] No further evidence supporting the proposition that William married a woman named Susanna has been found.

Sons Roger, John or William?

Some family trees show that William also had sons named Roger (b. 1610 or 1614), John (b. April 26, 1612) and William (b.1623).^[23] No children by those names, however, are mentioned in William's will (which lists his children) or the wills of his children Samuel and Jane (which refer to their siblings),^[20][18] and no reliable evidence supporting the existence of any children by those names has been found. No record of a Roger Williams or William Williams born in Wotton-under-Edge in the relevant time frame has been found. Moveover, William's suggested date of birth (1623) is 5 years after this profile's William's death. While there is a record of the baptism of a John Williams in Wotton-under-Edge on April 26, 1612, the record states that he was a bastard Williams and seems to suggest that the mother (but not the father) was a Williams.^[24][6]

Public Life

An entry in the "Men and Armour of Gloucestershire 1608" (which is a listing of men who might be eligible for military service) for William Williams of Sinwell in Wotton-under-Edge parish describes him as "A60. tallest stature," which meant that he was probably between 50 and 60 (the only choices were A20 (about 20), A40 (about 40) and A60 (about 60)) and of a stature suitable for being a pikeman.^[7][1]

The entry in the "Men and Armour of Gloucestershire 1608" described William as a "fuller."^[7][1] However, in his will, he described himself as a yeoman.^[9]

Will; Burial

William made his will on September 26, 1618. In his will,Will of William Williams of Wotton under Edge, Gloucestershire 1618 he described himself as "of Synwell in the parish of Wootton under Edge County Gloucester Yeoman," made bequests to sons Samuel and Richard and daughters Anne, Elizabeth and Jane, and appointed Richard Tindall of North Nibley as executor and William Marken and Robert Tratman as overseers.^[25][9][18] Willliam was buried at Wotton-under-Edge on September 29, 1618.^[26][1] His will was proved on January 14, 1618.^[9][18]

^{[25] [16] [15] [10] [21] [26] [24] [22] [5] [11] [19] [8] [4] [3] [2] [13] [12] [23] [20] [18] [7] [14] [6] [17] [9] [1]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11} The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT, Vol 9 (1932), p 142: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} "Richard Williams of Taunton and his Connection with the Cromwell Family," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 51 (1897)," p 212
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} William Richard Cutter, "New England Families: Genealogical and Memorial, Vol IV," 1915, p 2102
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Josephine C. Frost, "Ancestors of Amyntas Shaw and His Wife Lucy Tufts Williams," 1920, p 17
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Ancestry.com. Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1813 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4} The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT, Vol 9 (1932), p 139: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .)
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4} "Men & Armour for Gloucestershire in 1608" (online searchable database of the information produced by a military survey of the county of Gloucesteshire conducted by John Smyth the Steward of the Berkeley Estate in that year)
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1813
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6} The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT, Vol 9 (1932), p 143: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .)
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: GDR/V1/168
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: P69 IN 1/1
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} W.P.W. Phillimore, "Gloucestershire Parish Registers. Marriages. Vol VII," 1902, p 110
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Douglas Richardson, "Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, Volume II," 2013, p 412
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1 14.2} The dates of birth of Samuel and Elizabeth are based on the fact that (1) they were listed before Richard (bpt. Jan. 1607) and Jane (bpt. Mar. 1609), respectively, in William's will and therefore probably older and (2) their parents were married in December 1603. There is no evidence that establishes whether Samuel or Elizabeth was born first. It is possible that one of them was a child from William's first marriage and thus born sometime before 1603.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: P379 IN 1/1
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: P127 IN 1/1
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6} The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT, Vol 9 (1932), p 143: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .)
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5} W.P.W. Phillimore, "Gloucestershire Notes and Queries, Volume V, 1891-1893," 1894, p 94
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1813
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3} W.P.W. Phillimore, "Gloucestershire Notes and Queries, Volume V, 1891-1893," 1894, p 93
21. ↑ ^{21.0 21.1} Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: P379 IN 1/1
22. ↑ ^{22.0 22.1} Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: P379 IN 1/1
23. ↑ ^{23.0 23.1} "William Williams," geni.com
24. ↑ ^{24.0 24.1} Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: P379 IN 1/1
25. ↑ ^{25.0 25.1} Gloucestershire Probate Records. Diocese of Gloucestershire, Finding Reference GDR, Wills and Inventories. Gloucestershire Archives, Gloucester, UK. Will # 251. Reference Code 219352.
26. ↑ ^{26.0 26.1} Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: P379 IN 1/1