Peter Williams Jr (abt. 1786 - 1840)

Born about 1786 in New Brunswick, Middlesex, New Jersey

Died 17 Oct 1840 at about age 54 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

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Biography

Peter Williams Jr is Notable.

Peter Williams was the second Black Episcopal priest ordained in the USA and the first to serve in New York City.^[1]

Peter Williams was born about 1786. At the time of his birth, his father, Peter Williams Sr was enslaved by James Aymar, a tobacconist in New York and his mother Mary or Molly (Durham) Williams was an indentured servant from St Kitts. Due to Aymar's Loyalist sympathies the family was moved to New Jersey for a period of time. When Aymar relocated to England, he sold the family to John Street Methodist Church. Peter Sr would purchase the freedom of his wife and son in 1785 although he did not receive his freedom papers until October 20, 1796.^[2]

Peter attended the New York African Free School and also received tutelage from Rev Thomas Lyell of the John Street Methodist Church. Lyell's return to his Episcopalian roots may have precipitated Peter leaving the Methodist Church.^[3]

On January 1, 1808, he was chosen to give the oration in New York City on the first anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.

Peter would join the Trinity Episcopal Church, becoming a lay reader at the church. In 1818 Peter would lead the formation of St Phillip's African Church. After its recognition by the Episcopal Church, Peter would study theology and in 1826 was ordained.

In 1827 he was a co-founder of Freedom's Journal, the first Black-owned and operated newspaper in the USA. During the 1829 race riot in Cincinnati, Williams began to publicly support emigration to Canada and helped raise money for the resettlement of African Americans in Wilberforce, Ontario. In 1830 he helped to organize the first African American convention in Philadelphia. In 1833, he was also a founder of the Phoenix Society, which provided assistance for impoverished black New Yorkers.

In 1834, during a race riot in New York, St Phillips was targeted due to false rumors that Williams had performed a mixed-race marriage. Due to pressure from church leaders, Williams would subsequently resign from the American Anti-slavery Society. Rev Peter Williams died at the age of about 54 in October 1840. He was the rector at St Phillips Church.^[4]

Research Notes

His biographies cite he was survived by a wife and daughter - His daughter, (Matilda Amy Williams) was married to Joseph Cassey of Philadelphia.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Peter Williams Jr.
2. ↑ "Williams, Peter, Sr. ." Notable Black American Men, Book II. . Encyclopedia.com. 14 Feb. 2023 accessed on www.encyclopedia.com 02-14-2023 Peter Williams Sr
3. ↑ "Williams, Peter, Jr. ." Notable Black American Men, Book II. . Retrieved February 14, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: Peter Williams Jr
4. ↑ Obituary: "U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930"
   Newspapers and Periodicals. American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 50015 #360626 (accessed 14 February 2023)
   Name: Rev Peter Williams; Birth Year: abt 1786; Event: Death; Death Date: 18 Oct 1840; Age at Death: 54; Newspaper: New York Evening Post; Publication Date: 19 Oct 1840; Publication Place: New York, USA; Call Number: 83432.
5. ↑ Marriage: "Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013"
   Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 2451 #2021825677 (accessed 14 February 2023)
   Joseph Cassey marriage to Matilda Williams on 27 Sep 1826 in Whitemarsh, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA.

• Logan, R W; Dictionary of American Negro biography; 1982, New York; accessed on archive.org 02-14-2023 Peter Williams Jr
• Forbes, G W; Biographical sketch of Peter Williams; 1900, From the George Washington Forbes Papers (Boston Public Library) accessed on archive. org Peter Williams
• Larsen, J. (2008, June 29). Peter Williams Jr. (1780-1840). accessed 02-14-2023 on BlackPast.org. Peter Williams Jr

See also:

• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #101016393 (accessed 14 February 2023)
  Memorial page for Rev Peter Williams Jr. (1780-17 Oct 1840), citing Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York, USA (plot: Sec. 11); Maintained by Big Ern (contributor 46620889).