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Elisha Williams Jr is not to be confused with Elisha Williams,
son of Josiah Frederick Williams. This Elisha Williams was a brother of Josiah and lived for many years in Rutherford
County TN, farming and raising his family. He also is not to be confused with his son, Elisha Williams III who died
relatively young and is buried in the Old City Cemetery in Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, TN.
Born: 21 September 1783 in NC
Died: 15 March 1865 in Rutherford County TN
Buried: Old City Cemetery, Murfreesboro, TN
Married: First, to Mary "Polly" Philips on 31 May 1814 in Davidson County
born 09 Aug
1790, died 15 Apr 1828
After she died,
to Sarah Hay Ridley on 10 November 1831
Sarah Hay had been married to Samuel Jones Ridley until he died in
1827.
born about 1788 ,
died 1 September 1857
buried Old City
Cemetery, Murfreesboro, TN
Elisha Williams and Mary "Polly" Philips produced the following children
from their marriage.
Married Maj. John Whitsitt Childress,
born 1807, died 1884
Children of Sarah and John Childress
Mary Childress - Married Col. James M. Avent
James
K. Polk Childress - Married James Monroe Avent
Elisha Childress
John W. Childress Jr. - Married Mary Lyon
Bettie Childress - Married John C. Brown
Joseph - Married Mollie Keeble
Joseph John P. WILLIAMS, born 10 Dec 1817, died 31 May
1852
Buried: Old City Cemetery, Murfreesbory, TN
Susannah WILLIAMS, born Bet. 1818 - 1821, died
Unknown
Elisha WILLIAMS III, born 20 Oct. 1822, died
31 Oct 1848
Buried: Old City Cemetery, Murfreesbory, TN
Graduated from the University of Nashville in 1844.
married Susan E. Sumner 28 May 1851
estate administrater James Exum Sumner, Sr.
Buried: Old City Cemetery, Murfreesbory, TN
Elisha Willliams Jr arrived in Nashville TN late in 1805 with his family,
consisting of his father Elisha Williams, his mother Sarah Josey, his brother William Williams who had graduated from
Harvard Law School, and his brother Josiah Frederick who had completed two years at the University of North Carolina.
Josiah is my direct ancestor. A daughter, Elizabeth "Betsy" Norfleet Hunter Williams, remained in North Carolina with
her husband, Joseph John Williams Jr. They lived on a plantation in Warren County NC. Elisha and his family came to Nashville
from a farm they owned six miles east of Louisburg, Franklin County NC at the urging of Elisha's good friend Joseph Philips
who purchase 640 acres 6 miles north of Nashville on Dickerson Pike when he arrived in 1792. He had come from the Swift
Creek area north west of Tarboro NC where he had a large farming operation.
Elisha Sr was in poor health (he would die in 1911) and wished to provide for his
three sons. He split the 640 acres on Gallatin Pike about 4 miles north of Nashville between Josiah and William. Some
time between 1805 and 1814 Elisha Williams Jr moved one county over to Rutherford County TN where I have been told his
father purchased land for him.
Elisha Jr married Mary "Polly" Philips on 30 May 1814 in Davidson County TN. Her father
lived and died in Davidson County, and the license was issued in Davidson County.
Sarah Josey Ray
WILLIAMS , Elisha and Polly's daughter, has a web page on this site with a copy of the Rutherford County Historical Society Vol # 9
describing the relationships between the Philips' family and her husband's family. That document profiles Polly's brother,
Judge Joseph Philips, and his second marriage to Dorothy Drake who is the widow of Joseph John Sumner. Joseph John Sumner
is a son of my relative Joseph Philips' sister, Martha Philips. He drowned in a storm in Louisiana at a young age and
was later buried in the family cemetery, Sylvan Hall, on Joseph Philips' farm on Dickerson Pike in Davidson County.
The
book "Early Settlers of Alabama was written by James Edmonds Saunders who died in 1896 and was acquainted with many
of the Philips family that married the Elisha Williams who lived in Murfreesboro. The below exerpt from that book gives
us insight into the relationships between the families and the origin of this Philips family. Clearly this is a seperate
Philips family from the Joseph Philips family that lived on Dickerson Pike six miles north of Nashville beginning in 1791.
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EARLY SETTLERS OF ALABAMA.
COL.
JAMES EDMONDS
SAUNDERS,
Born
in Virginia
1806, Died 1896.
LAWRENCE
COUNTY, ALA.
WITH
NOTES
AND GENEALOGIES
BY HIS GRANDDAUGHTER ELIZABETH SAUNDERS BLAIR STUBBS, NEW ORLEANS, LA.
Pages
228, 229 and 230 - Early Settlers of Alabama
The Philips Family was descended
from Philip Philips, who was born in Wales. He settled first in
Pennsylvania, then Kentucky, and thence to Davidson county, Tenn., near
Nashville, about 1795.
I have information
of four (sic) of his children —
1.Nancy, the wife of Daniel Gilchrist.
2. Her brother Judge Joseph Philips and his wife, I knew well
in Nashville sixty years ago, when I was a raw young student of law. I boarded
opposite their dwelling, and well remember the kindness shown me by this
family. The judge was a man of varied experience and extensive learning for
that day, and of pleasing manners. I returned to Alabama, and a term of
thirty-six years passed away, during which, Judge Philips had departed this
life; but his wife survived him. Their daughter
had married Major John W. Childress, of Murfreesboro. I was prostrate, in
1863, at that place, from a wound supposed to be mortal, when Mrs. Philips paid
me a visit of sympathy. She brought her
whole family several times afterward, consisting
of her daughter, Mrs. Childress, Major Childress (who was a brother of Mrs.
President Polk), and their lovely daughter, Miss Bettie, who afterward
married John C. Brown, a major general of distinction during the civil war, and
afterward, Governor of Tennessee. I understand they have several living
children — all daughters. My readers
will pardon me for extending the notice of this branch of the Gilchrist family
so far, for their kindness to me in the condition, prisoner in the midst of a
hostile camp, has made a deep impression on my memory, and on my heart.
My friend, Dr. James Wendel, of
Murfreesboro, informs me that " Major John W. Childress first
married the daughter of Elisha Williams, whose wife was a Philips, sister to
Judge Joseph Philips. She died leaving six children,
four sons and two daughters. The elder one married J. M. Avent, a lawyer of
Murfreesboro. The other (as you state) married Gen. John C. Brown; both are
living. Three of the sons are dead. His second wife is a daughter of Judge
Philips; of course, cousin to the first.
Major Childress died in October,
1884, leaving six children by the second wife ; three sons and three daughters.
Judge Philips died in 1856 or 1857. His widow at the advanced age of ninety, or
more, died in November, 1881. Gen. Robert Purdy and wife I knew in my boyhood
days. They died in this place, she some years before him.
The sisters of Mrs. Daniel Gilchrist were Eleanor, Elizabeth
and Mary.
3. Eleanor married Major
James Neely, and Rev. Philip Philips Neely, D. D., a Methodist minister of
celebrity, was their son. In the latest history of Alabama, by Brewer, a sketch
of his life is given. The author after mentioning a number of representative
men who have lived in Mobile, and of the learned professions, such as John A.
Campbell, of the Bar; Josiah C. Nott, of Medicine; John Forsyth, of the Press;
Jones M. Withers, of the Army; and Raphael Semme, of the Navy, selects Dr. P.
P. Neely as the representative man of the pulpit, in a city always noted for
the ability of its ministers. In concluding his sketch he introduced the
following estimate of him as an orator, furnished at the request of the author,
by Bishop Payne: "As a preacher Dr. Neely had few equals. He was keenly
alive to the beautiful and sublime, and his rare powers of description enabled
him to portray his vivid conceptions with thrilling effect."
He was always attractive and
instructive, and sometimes was almost overwhelming. His pleasing and impressive
person, his tall
and erect form, his easy and graceful manners, and his clear and musical voice,
like a fine toned instrument in the hands of a skillful musician, gave him
great advantages. The writer's acquaintance with him commenced in his youth,
and he is familiar with the incidents of his life. On one occasion, when Mr.
Neely was young, Bishop Bascom made his home at the house of the writer while
presiding over a Conference at Mobile. One night, when Mr. Neely was to preach,
the bishop went in late and took a back seat, but in time to hear his whole
sermon. On our return home the bishop was asked what he thought of the
preacher. He answered, emphatically:
" That man has eloquence enough, as a popular speaker in a disturbed
country, to produce a revolution." One volume of his sermons was published
in his life time, and another, for the benefit of his widow, since his death,
and they are worthy a place in any collection. Another sister of Mrs. Daniel
Gilchrist, was
4. Elizabeth,
who married
Gen. Robert Purdy, and still another,
5. Mary, who married
Mr. Elisha
Williams.
Daniel Gilchrist
and Nancy Philips reared a family of four
children, and reared them well, and they, in their turn, have reared children,
and although the connection is so large, I know of no failure among them. The
old gentleman died 24th July, 1850, and the old lady in May, 1863. I will
notice their children in regular order.
1. Malcolm
Joseph Gilchrist (Malcolm the Third) was born 5th
February, 1821. , He has always been a cotton planter, cultivating plantations
both in this valley and the Mississippi" bottom. In November, 1847, he
married Prances Poster, daughter of James H. Poster, and his wife, Narcissa
(who was the daughter of the Rev. Turner Saunders, and sister of the writer,
and who was born in 1825 and died in 1856). Their children were
(1) James
Harvey, who was born in
1850, and married Nannie Bankhead in 1874. They have only one child, who
married (in 1896) Lawson Sykes, grandson of Mr. Oakley Bynum, Sr., of Courtland,
Ala. (The father of Mr. Bynum, Drew S. Bynum, came from North Carolina) .
(2) Malcolm
(the Fourth), who was
born in 1853, and married Mary F. Burkhead, who soon died, leaving one child.
(3) Philip, who was born in 1854, and died, unmarried, in Mississippi.
2. Philip Philips
Gilchrist was born 20th November, 1825. He
too has always been a cotton planter, but sometimes in public life, and has
represented this county in the House of Representatives. He was married three
times.
First to Sarah
E. Moore in 1847, who died in 1849. Had one child, Daniel.
Secondly, married
to Ellen Philips in December, 1851. They
had one child, Joseph P., now a young man.
Thirdly married
Alice Garth, of Virginia, in 1860. By this
marriage there were the following children:
Philip
P., who married Mattie
Carter-, Ellen A., who married D. L. Martin; George G., Malcolm P., Alice Armine,
William G., and Daniel.
3. John A.
Gilchrist, the third child of Daniel Gilchrist
and his wife, Nancy Philips, married first Texanna Jones. The only child by
this marriage is William, who married Agnes Darrell. They have one little
daughter. The second marriage of John A. was with Addie Michie, of
Charlottesville, Va. Their children are James B., Annie K,, and Agnes E. John
A. has always been a cotton planter.
4. The fourth
child of Daniel Gilchrist and his wife was
Katherine Gilchrist, who was born 4th of
June, 1830. She married (first) George W. Garth, in 1851. Of his military services,
we spoke in former pages. By this marriage the only living children are; Kate,
who married Rev. Robert Means DuBose, who was descended from a South Carolina
family, and George W., who married Kate W. Burt. They have several children.
Her second
marriage was to Capt. Wm. S. Bankhead, a
Virginian. He was a lineal descendant of President Thomas Jefferson, and in
this way:
Thos.
Man Randolph, of one of the
most distinguished and wealthy families of Virginia, married Martha Jefferson, eldest
daughter of the President. Anne Gary
Randolph was a daughter of this marriage and married Charles L. Bankhead, and
our worthy neighbor, Capt. W. S. Bankhead was a son of this marriage.
Thomas Jefferson
Randolph was a brother of Capt. Bankhead's
mother, and to this grandson Mr. Jefferson in his will bequeathed all his manuscript
papers, which were published in four volumes under the title of "Writings
of Thomas Jefferson." These volumes are the repository not only of his
State papers, but of hundreds of his letters. Good judges have pronounced these
letters to be written in the finest epistolary style of any extant in America
or Europe.
Capt. Wm. S.
Bankhead married
(first) Martha
J. Watkins, daughter of Paul J. Watkins.
There was no issue of this marriage.
(Secondly),
Lizzie Garth. Nannie Bankhead, wife of James Harvey
Gilchrist above mentioned; and Lizzie Bankhead, wife of Hotchkiss, are
daughters of this marriage-
And his third
marriage was with Mrs. Kate Garth, as we have
said above. One son, John Stuart Bankhead, was born of this marriage, but he is
not now living. Capt. Bankhead's military services, during the late war, have
been spoken of.
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Elisha Williams Jr land ownership
I have not been able to locate a deed showing that either Elisha Williams Jr or Sr
purchased land in Rutherford County between 1805 and 1814 when Elisha Jr married. Certainly by then he had moved there
and begun farming. His father died in 1811 and it is likely that before then he had purchased land for Elisha Jr in
Rutherford County.
According to Gwen Boyd of Murfreesboro, Elisha Williams purchased a tract of land that was part of or the whole parcel
that was originally Military Warrant 3155, located 19 Feb 1788 and granted 23 Feb 1793 as recorded in the Davidson County
Grant Book 76, page 337, File # 1691. This grant was assigned by Etheridge Newton to Phillip Phillips & Michael
Campbell, land speculators.
The land was sold to John Williams and then to Elisha Williams Jr.
So far, I have been unable to substantiate that Elisha actually purchased this 1,000 acre grant.
However, it is referenced in two grants that he did purchase.
I was able to locate this grant online. Click here to view.
The map below was pieced together from maps contained in the book "Thoroughfare for
Freedom, Volume II, The Second Atlas of the Cumberland Settlements 1779-1804." These maps locate original land grants
on maps and identify them by the grantor, acreage, and grant number.
The 1,000 acre grant that Elisha Williams purchased is identified as being owned by Phillip Phillips
& Michael Campbell with the identifying number of D1691. It is located in the middle of the map, which is a modern
topographical map. Click on the map to view a larger version to read the details on the map.
The grant location is shown below on a 1878 Map of Rutherford County TN on file at the Library of Congress and available online
by clicking here.
1836 Elisha Wiliams ownership of 885 total acres in Rutherford County
The 1836 Rutherford County Tax roles on line at Middle Tennessee State Library contain
the following page showing that Elisha Williams owned 885 acres in that year, although the location of the land is not revealed.
6 August 1838 Elisha Wiliams ownership of 39.5 and 80 acres in Rutherford County
On 6 Aug 1838 Elisha Williams Jr received two land grants, one for 39 1/2 acres and
the other for 80 acres as shown below.
Recorded 6th August 1838
page 205
The State of Tennessee - No. 15137
To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting:
Know ye that in consideration of the sum of twelve and One half Cents per acre paid unto the office of the County
Taxes of Rutherford County, persuent to an act of the general assembly of the State passed the 22nd day of November 1823 and
entered on the 5th day of July 1824 by N. 287.
There
is granted by the said State of Tennessee, unto Elisha Williams
a certain Tract or Parcel of Land containing Thirty Nine and a half Acres by survey, bearing
date the 31st day of January 1838, lying in said county, On the waters of Stones River, Beginning at
a stake - pin oak and cedar pointers 356 2/10 poles West from the North East Corner of a Six Hundres and forty Acre
Survey - granted to Elijah Robertson by Grant No. 1669. - Running thence West thirty two poles to a black Oak on
the North bank of Stones River - in John Overton's East boundry line two hundred and Eighty Seven poles to a Walnut Stump
- Ash and Hackberry pointers; thence East twelve poles to a Stake - pin Oak & two Ironwoods pointers; thence
South two hundred and Eight Seven poles to the Beginning.
With
the hereditaments and appurtenances. To have and to hold the said Tract or Parcel of Land with its appurtenances, to
the said Elisha Williams and his heirs forever.
In Witness
Whereof, Newton Cannon, Governor of the State of Tennessee, hath hereunto set his hand, and caused the Great Seal of the State
to be affixed, at Nashville, on the 4th day of August in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and thirty eight
and of the Independence of the United States, the sixty-third.
By the Governor
N. Cannon
Luke Lea Secretary
Recorded 6th August 1838
page 206
The State of Tennessee - No. 15138
To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting:
Know ye that in consideration of the sum of twelve and One half Cents per acre paid unto the office of the County
Taxes of Rutherford County, persuent to an act of the general assembly of the State passed the 22nd day of November 1823 and
entered on the 5th day of July 1824 by N. 287.
There
is granted by the said State of Tennessee, unto Elisha Williams
a certain Tract or Parcel of Land containing Eighty Acres by survey, bearing
date the 31st day of January 1838, lying in said county,
On
the waters of Stones River, Beginning at a stake - Oak and Cedar pointers, 356 7/10 poles West from the North East Corner
of a Six hundred and forty Acre tract granted to Elijah Robertson by grant N. 1669, Running thence West thirty two poles to
a black Oak on the North bank of Stones River - in John Overton's East boundry line; thence South with Said Overton's
line four hundred poles to a stake - Ash, hickory and Grouwood pointers; thence East thirty two poles to a state - two Cedars
pointers; thence North four hundred poles to the Beginning. With the hereditaments
and appurtenances. To have and to hold the said Tract or Parcel of Land with its appurtenances, to the said Elisha Williams
and his heirs forever.
In Witness Whereof, Newton Cannon,
Governor of the State of Tennessee, hath hereunto set his hand, and caused the Great Seal of the State to be affixed, at Nashville,
on the 4th day of August in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and thirty eight and of the Independence of the
United States, the sixty-third.
By the Governor
N. Cannon
Luke Lea Secretary
28 July 1853 Elisha Wiliams ownership of 635 acre tract
Although this record does not indicate the location of Elisha's land, proof of
this ownership is revealed in the Rutherford County Register's office web site containing the following notice:
Register's Notebook 1853-1862 This notebook was found in the Register's office and is dated February 1,1853 - November 20, 1862. This discovery
afforded the opportunity to create an index to missing deed books which were lost during the civil war. The index was completed
on May 9, 2013 and is available for viewing in the Register's office. It soon will be uploaded to the online records of the
Rutherford County Register's office. We are very excited about this addition to our records for Rutherford County. Please
click the image to the right to view the notebook in PDF form.
Page 6 of this deed book contains two transfers of properties involving Elisha Williams on 18 July 1853.
The first is a transfer of 635 acres
for $1 an acre from Elisha Williams to H. J. Williams. Henry J. Williams, Elisha's son, had died on 18 Apr 1853.
Why would
Elisha Williams transfer land from himself to his dead son's estate?
The second is a transfer of 635 acres for $1 an acre from H. J. Williams to Ewing & Williams.
Judge Edwin Hickman Ewing , who became a Tennessee Supreme Court Justice, lived in Murfreesboro before and after the Civil
war. Judge Ewing and his two brothers, Andrew and Orville, married three sisters, daughters of Josiah
Williams, Elisha Williams brother.
The Ewing family was very close to Elisha Williams family and that could
explain the name Ewing & Williams in this deed. But it doesn't explain why the land passed through Elisha's
dead son's estate.
At this point in time, Elisha's only heirs were his grandchildren by his daughter
Sara.
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