Key Facts

Snapshot:	farmer
Parents:	unknown
Born:	1790's Georgia
Last known record:	1860 census Laurens County, Georgia
Buried:	unknown

74Randall was born in Georgia1-5 sometime in the 1790's.1-4

By the early 1820's he had married his first wife, whose name was probably Ann Capps, as explained below.

Problem: Resolved Who was 74Randall's first wife? When enumerated for the 1830 census, 74Randall was living with a woman in her 20's (presumably his wife) and four children all under age 10.1 Therefore, he probably had married circa 1820. Although I have found no record that directly documents the marriage, 74Randall's wife was very likely a woman named Ann Capps, daughter of Jessee Capps, as suggested by a deed dated 25 August 1838 and filed in Houston County that suggests—but does not state explicitly—that Ann is his (Jessee's) daughter and that she's the wife of 74Randall Williams. Selected parts of the deed are copied and transcribed below.6 Georgia                 }       To all people to whom these presents shall come I Jessee Houston County }       Capps do send greeting. Know ye that I the said Jessee of the State and County abovementioned for and in consideration of the love, good will & affections which I have and do bear toward my Loving relations viz Unity Williams Joseph P. Williams Susan William Elizabeth Williams John R Williams, Nancy Ann Williams Mary Williams the heirs of Randal + Ann Williams and as many as shall be borne unto them during the time they live to gether have given and granted + by these presents do freely give + grant unto the said above mentioned heirs of the said Randall + Anna Williams their heirs and executors + administrators all and sundry one Lot of land situate lying and being in the sixth Dist of said County and state abovementioned [...] [...] the said land is now in the possession of the said Williams

The 1830 and 1840 censuses show the growth of his family. Like all other records I've found pertaining to 74Randall, the 1830 census doesn't indicate that 74Randall owned slaves despite being fairly well-off.1

1830: 74Randall's family in militia district 53 (map), Emanuel County, Georgia. Full page.1

1840: 74Randall's family in Houston County, Georgia. Full page.2

His wife Ann presumably died not longer thereafter. 74Randall next married 75Penelope Jenkins, a woman approximately 25 years his junior, in Houston County on 5 October 1841.7

74Randall's and 75Penelope Jenkins' marriage record. Full page.7

The 1850 and 1860 censuses show his family continue to grow with his new wife.3,4 You may also be interested in his farm schedule listings (1850: 1, 2. 1860. See the source citations below for clarification of some of the data.8,9)

1850: 74Randall's family in Laurens County, Georgia. Full page.3

1860: 74Randall's family still in Laurens County. Full page.4

The 1860 census is the last record I have found pertaining to 74Randall. I did not find him in the indices of these Laurens County record books:

•	wills book for the years 1840-1868
•	wills book B (1862-1867)
•	inventories & appraisements book E (1852-1872)
•	inventories & appraisements book F (1873-1908)

Sources Cited:

1: 1830 U.S. Federal Census. Militia district 53, Emanuel County, Georgia. Page 172, Randall Williams household. NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 17. Ancestry.com, accessed 29 March 2012. The same record is also available on the Internet Archive: <https://archive.org/stream/populationsc18300017unit#page/n349/mode/1up>.

2: 1840 U.S. Federal Census. Houston County, Georgia. Page 391, Randall Williams household. NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 43. Ancestry.com, accessed 28 March 2012. The same record is also available on the Internet Archive: <https://archive.org/stream/populationsc18400043unit#page/n371/mode/1up>, accessed 17 February 2015.

3: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). District 49, Laurens County, Georgia. Page 233A, dwelling 62, family 62, Randal Williams household. NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 75. FamilySearch, <https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11929-129796-12?cc=1401638>, accessed 17 February 2015.

4: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Laurens County, Georgia. Page 583, dwelling 43, family 42, Randal Williams household. NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 129. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/stream/populationschedu129unit#page/n90/mode/1up>, accessed 18 December 2014.

5: Montgomery County, Georgia death certificate 5522 for Mary Jane McLendon. FamilySearch, <https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDFJ-LML>, accessed 18 December 2014.

6: Houston County, Georgia. Deed book G (1836-1840), pages 529 and 530, land deed from Jessee Capps to "the heirs of Randal + Ann Williams," dated 25 August 1838. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4V-Y2HN?i=336&cat=207572>, accessed 23 October 2021.

7: Houston County, Georgia. Marriage book A (1833-1852), page 78, for the marriage of Randall Williams and Penelope Jenkins on 5 October 1841. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS7W-J3BS-B?i=96&cc=2748952&cat=4092336>, accessed 23 October 2021.

8: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Agriculture Schedule). Laurens County, Georgia. Pages 3 and 4, entry 17, Randal Williams farm. NARA microfilm publication T1137, roll 3. Copied 6 April 2012 from microfilm 2654, Genealogical & Historical Room, Washington Memorial Library, Macon, Georgia. The census-taker used ditto marks to abbreviate, so some clarifications are necessary:
      column 7 = 1
      column 9 = unclear; either 2 or 4
      column 10 = 20
      column 12 = illegible
      column 15 = 7
      column 19 = No number is ever stated.

9: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Agriculture Schedule). Laurens County, Georgia. Page 1, entry 37, Randal Williams farm. NARA microfilm publication T1137, roll 5. I don't have a copy of the second page.