Familypedia
in: United States militia in the American Revolution, History of South Carolina, Militia units of South Carolina,
and 2 more

Colonel Williams Memorial Petition

Sign in to edit
Jameswilliams1

Grave of Col. J Williams outside the Cherokee County Administration Building is a landmark on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.

Colonel Williams Memorial Petition (dated 03-Sept-1779) was a special effort during American Revolutionary War by the officers and soldiers of the Little River District Militia Regiment of South Carolina who had served under his command. In 1775 and 1776, James Henderson Williams (1740-1780) was a member of the state's Provisional Assembly. He was a founder and first commanding officer for this militia unit that saw a lot of action.

During the War of Independence, he held a colonel's rank in the South Carolina militia. He was killed at the decisive Battle of Kings Mountain being a rare Patriot casualty in what was otherwise a decisive American victory. After his death, his home was burned by Loyalists forces as part of the Hayes Station Massacre.

Background[]

Manuscript, 3 September 1779, petition of the officers and men of James Williams' Little River Regiment, is a significant find that fills a gap in South Carolina political history. The first elections held under the South Carolina Constitution of 1778 caused a political upset in the middle election district between Broad and Saluda rivers called the "Little River District." The voting population included many Crown sympathizers who were unhappy that the colonies had declared independence, and when they gathered at Hammond's Old Store, the district polling place southwest of present-day Clinton, they sent some new faces to Charleston.

James Williams was one of the most reknown Patriots of the Laurens area and this listing of signers of the petition of the area gives us a good source of patriots also associated with him. Col. James Williams and Capt. Josiah Greer were also military leaders of many of these same individuals during the 1778 American invasion of British East Florida per the source of Doctor George Ross' medical reimbursement papers quoted in this database under Rebecca Montgomery's notes.

This petition pre-dates the Battle of Kings Mountain (7 Oct 1780), as Col. James Williams was killed at that time. [NB: a second version of the petition was located in the South Carolina Library in 1999 and the gaps in the Duke University petition were filled in as indicated by brackets.]

Petition Document[]

The signatures account for only one or two companies, and they do not include Williams himself or any of his staff officers. It can reasonably be assumed that the petition originally existed in several copies, with different signatures attached to the various copies. The text discloses that even in his military role, Williams was getting some political heat from his district's Tory constituency. The document reads as follows: To his Excellency John Rutledge, Esqr., Governor & Commander in chief in & over the State of So. Carolina; the Honourable the Senate & House of Representatives in General Assembly.

Whereas we (the zealous Friends to our Country, & to all who love & distinguish themselves in her Cause) do understand & are exceeding sorry to hear, that there are false & evilly designing Accusations either lying or about to be shortly laid against James Williams, present Colonel in & over Little River Regiment, of which we are a Part; representing him as distressing & very injurious to the Regiment, & designed (as we believe) by the private Enimies of our Country, to deprive us of so worthy a Friend to his Country in general, & good Officer to us in particular; & thereby do a very singular Piece of Service to the common Enimies of America: We do briefly & anxiously remonstrate thus; that we do experimentally know Colo. James Williams to have been a zealous Patriot from the Commencement of the american Contest with Britain; & to have always stood foremost in every Occasion when called upon to the Defence of his Country. We do further declare, that we have never known said Colo. Jas. Williams to distress any Individual in the Regiment, who voluntarily & judiciously, when legally called upon & commanded to the Field, have turned out in the Defence of their native Rights & Priviledges together with that of their Country; & we do avow it from our Knowledge, that whensoever Colo. Jas. Williams either directly or indirectly, executed any distressing Things, it was upon the stubborn & refractory, whose Practises & Obstinacy declare them innimical to their Country; & that this he did, as being the last promising Effort to reduce them to the dutiful Obedience of loyal & fellow Citizens. Without delaying you; We your humble Petitioners do earnestly beg, that you will hear this our faithful Remonstrance, & proceed with our respected Colo. Jas. Williams, & all such unjust & disaffected Clamours as may come before you against him, as your superior Judgements may direct; only beging leave to conclude with this one Remark, that doubtless you know, that such Clamours are frequently the necessary Effect of

Disaffection to the Country."

Signatures[]

[Signed:] Robt. McCrery Lt. Colo.; George Davis, Capt.; Matthew McCrar[e]y, Lt.; George Young; Matthew Cunningham; Andrew McCrary; James Greer; [James Dillard]; [John Owens]; [Samuel Ewing]; [William Davis]; [Absolom Filby]; [John McCrary Sener]; [John McCrary Juner]; [Robert Long]; [Matthew McCrary]; [William Bean]; [John Williams J.P {note J.P. is crossed out}]; [Wm. Arthur Capt.]; Josiah Greer; Joseph Ramage; John Robinson; John Bourland; John Greer Juner; Isaac Adair; Jms. Adair; [Thos McCrery J.P.]; [James Ones]; [Andrew Ones]; [John Watson]; [Hughes Manford (?)]; [David Watson]; [Isaac Greer]; [James Ralley]; [John Ramage]; [John Glenn]; [John Jones (M L. (?)]; Henry Atwood; James Adair, Sr.; Joseph Adair Jr.; Joseph Adair; Benjamin Adair; Joseph Adair Sr.; James Adair Jr., son of James; [William Adair]; [John Finney]; [John Adair]; [John Adair Sener]; [James Craige]; [William Craig]; [James Howerton]; [Phillip Whitten]; [John Gray]; [John Greer]; [James Montgomery]; Thomas Ewing; William Blake; James Gamble; [Edward Stapleton]; [John Gamble]; [William Huddleston]; [James Huddleston]; [Alexander Adair]; [Benjamin Willson]; [Benja. Goodman]; [Daniel Williams]

Suggested Identification of the petitioners:

  1. Robt. McCrery Lt. Colo.;
  2. George Davis, Capt.; - Died 1781- 1783. First husband to Elizabeth Adair, daughter of Joseph Adair, Jr. and Elizabeth ___.
  3. Matthew McCrar[e]y, Lt.;
  4. George Young;
  5. Matthew Cunningham;
  6. Andrew McCrary;
  7. James Greer;
  8. James Dillard (1755-1836) - Adair In-law.
  9. John Owens (1755-1806) - Husband of Mary Long. Mary was the sister of Robert Long and a daughter of Susannah Murdough from her first marriage before Joseph Adair (1711-1788).
  10. [Samuel Ewing];
  11. [William Davis];
  12. [Absolom Filby];
  13. John McCreary (1739-1789) (John McCrary Sener) -
  14. John McCreary (1761-1803) (John McCrary Juner) -
  15. Robert Long (1760-1840) - adopted son of Joseph Adair (1711-1788)
  16. [Matthew McCrary];
  17. [William Bean];
  18. [John Williams
  19. J.P {note J.P. is crossed out}];
  20. [Wm. Arthur Capt.];
  21. Josiah Greer;
  22. Joseph Ramage (c1755-1825) - Adair in-law
  23. John Robinson;
  24. John Bourland;
  25. John Greer Juner;
  26. Isaac Adair; - Killed in Apr. 1781, left widow, Ruth.
  27. James Adair (1747-1831) (Jms. Adair); - son of Joseph Adair (1711-1788), Sr.; mar. Rebecca Montgomery (1750-1835).
  28. Thomas McCrary (1737-1793) (Thomas McCrary, Sr.) [Thos McCrery J.P.] -
  29. [James Ones];
  30. [Andrew Ones];
  31. [John Watson];
  32. [Hughes Manford (?)];
  33. [David Watson];
  34. [Isaac Greer];
  35. [James Ralley];
  36. John Ramage (1720-1799) - Husband to Jean or Jane Adair, the daughter of Joseph Adair the cooper and his first wife Sarah Laferty.
  37. [John Glenn];
  38. [John Jones (M L. (?)]; - There were two John Jones in the area at the time. One was the husband of Hannah Adair, {possible} daughter of James and Eleanor Adair. Unsure which John Jones this may be. Our John Jones died before Sep 1788."
  39. Henry Atwood;
  40. James Adair (1714-1796), Sr. (Indian Historian) - died before 1796; wife, Eleanor Adair (1726-1803).
  41. Joseph Adair (1745-1820) Joseph Adair Jr.; (#1) - Son of above James & Eleanor; wife Sarah.
  42. Joseph Adair (1735-1812) (#2) - Son of Joseph, Sr. (below)
  43. [Benjamin Adair] - a) Benjamin Adair (1752-1823) son of Joseph Adair, Sr.; wife Nancy, or b) Benjamin Adair, killed in battle 10 March 1781.
  44. Joseph Adair (1711-1788) Sr. (#3) - bother of the Indian Historian
  45. James Adair (1748-1818) Jr., son of James, Indian Historian
  46. [William Adair]; - died 1780-84. Estate administered 1784, Abbe. Wills, p. 10.
  47. [John Finney];
  48. John Adair (1754-1815) - died 1813 in Ga., wife Jane Kilgore; son of James Adair (Historian)?
  49. [John Adair Sener]; -- Killed in 1782, wife Sarah. Abbe. Wills, p. 10. Probable son of Joseph Adair, Sr., but there is no John Adair listed on the family memorial stone. {Kerry's note: or maybe James Adair, Sr.}
  50. [James Craige];
  51. [William Craig];
  52. [James Howerton];
  53. [Phillip Whitten];
  54. [John Gray];
  55. [John Greer];
  56. James Montgomery (1730-1809) - Father to Rebecca Montgomery (1750-1835) who married James Adair, the saddler and son of Joseph Adair the cooper. James' other daughter Isabella married Dr. George Ross who was a physician with many of the above in their East Florida expedition in the early days of the Rev. War. 1785 Laurens District Commissioner.
  57. Thomas Ewing;
  58. William Blake;
  59. James Gamble; - - father of William Gamble who marries Martha Adair, daughter of James Adair who was son of James Adair, Sr., the original settler and cooper.
  60. [Edward Stapleton];
  61. [John Gamble];
  62. [William Huddleston];
  63. [James Huddleston];
  64. [Alexander Adair]; - Scotch-Irish immigrant in 1767? See Protestant Immigrants to SC - Janie Revill, p. 74.
  65. [Benjamin Willson];
  66. [Benja. Goodman];
  67. Daniel Williams (1763-1781)- Son of Col Williams and a Militia Captain - killed at Hayes Station Battle Memorial.

Research Notes[]

Adair Family[]

There are certainly a lot of Adairs and Adair in-laws (including the McCreary Family) listed on this document:

James Williams Petition listing the Adair family Patriots. Note that Thomas Adair's parents are the ones listed as number 4 (Joseph and Sarah) and his grandparents are number 3 (James and Eleanor). Most of the other Adairs were brothers or cousins.

The petition has come to me from Mildred Brownlee's manuscript "Early Adairs of Laurens County, South Carolina" and also from the "South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research," vol. 15, p. 32.

{Any notes or comments added by me are in these brackets.}

References[]

  • The source of this petition is Item #5767, Manuscript Dept., Wm. M. Perkins Library at Duke University, Durham NC, submitted by Mrs. Mary Ann McCrary and published with permission of the Manuscript Dept.


See Also[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.