My 3rd great grandfather, James J Williams (1835-aft 1880), had a very common name. So common that there were at least two other “James J Williams” and even more “James Williams” in the same area of Georgia! For that reason, I was never entirely sure about his parentage, though I did have a feeling about one guy in particular. I recently adopted one of my favorite research techniques to resolve the question for good.
Property records are my primary source of information for not-wealthy, illiterate, 19th century southern farmers. It would be great if these guys would leave a will here and there, naming all their children, but in general, they didn’t bother. I think it was because most of them would have given what little property they had to their kids by the time they were elderly in exchange for support. I mean, you can’t keep up with the labor of running a small farm forever.
Many trees have my James J Williams mixed up with a James Jackson Williams who was killed in the Civil War (nope, mine lived until after 1880). Others have him as the son of a David Williams for reasons that are unclear to me, or a William W Williams, who actually did have a son named James J Williams (born too late). All of these men were in the Bulloch/Emanuel County area at the time, but I was able to eliminate them in favor of an older James J Williams.
The first clue was that James Junior named a daughter Matilda, and James Senior’s wife was named Matilda. That’s a great hint right there, but not proof.
Here’s what sealed the deal. A series of deeds, some of which I already had on hand, others dug up recently on Family Search. I examined these deeds and compared both the land descriptions and the neighbors with censuses to establish connections. Note that James Senior lived in Emanuel County, but right on the border with Bulloch County. Once I figured that out, these deeds made a lot more sense. Geography matters!
1850 census: James J Williams in Emanuel County with wife Matilda and sons James J and John in the household. Neighbors include Laniers and a Nathaniel Cowart. (Note that he held one male slave, I haven’t found any other records of that person apart from a corresponding entry on the slave schedule for that year.) He appears to have been a livestock farmer based on his property tax record from that year.
8 Nov 1854, Bulloch County: James J Williams of Emanuel County buys 297 acres of land from Madison Lanier of Bulloch. Neighbors are Henry and Griffin Parrish, witnesses are Wiley and John Gay.
10 October 1857, Bulloch County: James J Williams “Senior” of Emanuel County sells 148.5 acres to James Williams of Bulloch. Witnesses Allen Proctor and N E (Nathaniel) Cowart. Note that this is exactly half of the 1854 purchase. It was proven and recorded in 1864, likely just after James Senior’s death.
James Senior sells the other half of the 1854 purchase to John Williams the same day. This is James Junior’s older brother as found on the 1850 census. However, that deed while proven in 1864, was not recorded until 1886, probably right after James Senior’s wife, Matilda, died. It is signed by all James Senior’s living heirs, including “James J Williams.” Yet another element of proof. (One of the signers, William Deal, is probably the husband of one of James Senior’s unnamed daughters who married and left the Williams household before the 1850 census.)
1860 census: the younger James J Williams is found living very near John Gay, Henry Gay, and Madison Lanier on a small farm worth $150. He also appears to be a livestock farmer. This is clearly the land that his father purchased from Madison Lanier in 1854. And on this census, my great-great grandmother Matilda Williams Bembry, born 1859, is listed, closing the loop. Bingo, my 4th great grandfather was James J Williams Senior and my 3rd great grandfather was James J Williams Junior.
By noting James Senior’s closest neighbors on earlier censuses and deeds, I was able to distinguish him from the other James Williams and trace him back to 1830. The trail dead ends there for the moment. He is not even living near any other Williams that might provide a clue. I have run a few full-text searches on Family Search, but no mention of him in earlier deeds or wills comes up. This may be partly because Emanuel County was very unlucky with courthouse fires, and does not have complete records.
James Senior did state on the 1850 census that he was born in Georgia about 1808. At that time, both Bulloch and Emanuel counties were part of Montgomery County. I may be able to push the line back farther using those records, but for now, I am just happy to have resolved this little problem that had been sitting there in my tree for years.
A Long Way to Tennessee 