sometime between 1860 and 1866 probably Laurens County, Georgia
Buried:
unknown
74Randall Williams was born in Georgia1-5 sometime in the 1790's.1-4
Problem:Unresolved Who were 74Randall's parents?
74Randall's parents are sometimes said to be Solomon Williams and Rebecca Rutherford of Laurens County, Georgia, but I have found no evidence to support this claim. I only found evidence of Solomon's relationship to his son John B. Williams and his son-in-law William Brantley. In Allen Thomas' Laurens County, Georgia, Legal Records, Superior Court, 1833-1857 (W. H. Wolfe Associates, 1993) on page 726 we read:
[A deed of trust book consisting of 243 pages that includes 162 documents recorded from 1828 to 1851, pages 140-141, dated 7 December 1839: Solomon] Williams, of Laurens County, made his deed of gift to his son-in-law William Brantly of Laurens County. For love and affection, the gift was 1/2 of the tract of land whereon Williams lived. The land was on the north side of the Oconee River on the DublinRoad and he Darien Road or River Road. The Darien Road is the boundary between land of Jeremiah Brantly and Solomon Williams and the whole tract is 250 acres and was part of 840 acres originally granted to Benjamin Harrison. The part given Brantly was 125 acres. Document was witnessed by Henry Cooper, George McDaniel, and Justice of Peace Hardy Smith.
[Same book as above, pages 141-142, same date: Solomon] Williams, of Laurens County, made his deed of gift to his son John B. Williams of Laurens County. For love and affection, the gift was 1/2 of the tract of land whereon Williams lived. The land was on the north side of the Oconee River on the DublinRoad and he Darien Road or River Road. The Darien Road is the boundary between land of Jeremiah Brantly and Solomon Williams and the whole tract is 250 acres and was part of 840 acres originally granted to Benjamin Harrison. The part given Williams was 125 acres. Document was witnessed by Henry Cooper, George McDaniel, and Justice of Peace Hardy Smith.
By the early 1820's 74Randall had married his first wife 153Ann ___, whose maiden name may have been Capps, as explained below.
Problem:Unresolved Who was 74Randall's first wife?
When enumerated for the 1830 census, 74Randall was living with a woman in her 20's (i.e., his wife) and four children all under age 10.1 Therefore, he probably had married circa 1820. His wife was named 153Annie,6 but what about her maiden name?
153Ann may have been a daughter of Jessee Capps, as suggested by a Houston County deed dated 25 August 1838 that loosely insinuates that 153Ann is his (i.e., Jessee's) daughter and that she's the wife of 74Randall Williams. Selected parts of the deed are copied and transcribed below.7
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
On 27 February 1830, 74Randall purchased 500 acres in Emanuel County, Georgia on the east side of the Little Ohoopee River. He bought the land from Thomas Williams,8 who's listed immediately after 74Randall in the 1830 census and is of similar age,1 so they may have been brothers, but further evidence is lacking.
1830: 74Randall buys 500 acres in Emanuel County. Full page.8
The 18301 and 18402 censuses show the growth of 74Randall's 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 1841.9
74Randall's and 75Penelope Jenkins' marriage record. Full page.9
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.10,11)
In October 1857 74Randall testified as a witness in the trial of Murdock Gillis for kidnapping; Gillis' offense is described as follows: "Presentment stated that Gillis did, on August 16, 1857, forcibly and with arms enter and take hostage of Lurania Sills and her infant child named King, Charlott Sills, Georgiann Sills, and John Sills, all free persons of color and all in the care of their guardian Edward T. Sheftall. Said Gillis did remove the persons away from Laurens to Montgomery County, without authority to do so."12
The 1860 census is the last record I have found that names 74Randall. I didn't 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)
74Randall must have died by 1866, when his wife was listed as the head of household in a Laurens County tax record.13
I don't know where he's buried. He's not in Laurens County, Georgia Cemeteries volumes I or II (2nd printing) by June Selph Adams, Vernon Alligood, and Scott B. Thompson, Sr.
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.
6: Tombstone of Joseph P. Williams, Walker family cemetery, Johnson County, Georgia at coordinates N32.713048 W82.810960. You can see photos and a transcription of the tombstone here.
10: 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.
11: 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.
13: Laurens County, Georgia. Tax digest book for 1866, section for Smith's militia district 52, entry for Penelope Williams. Ancestry.com ("Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892" / Laurens / 1866 / images 111 and 112 of 146), accessed 18 May 2024.
