Jackson-Butts County GaArchives Biographies.....Williamson Jr.(and Sr.), John March 26 1780 - October 25 1849 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Larry Knowles knonga@bellsouth.net August 25, 2004, 1:37 am Author: Larry C. Knowles "WILLIAMSON KIN" Page 1) John Williamson Sr. died October 9 1831 in Butts Co. Georgia. His will named son, John Williamson(of Jackson Co.)and grandson, Nathan C. Williamson(recently moved to Butts Co.)as coexecutors. To six children; Sally Moon, Polly McClusky, William Williamson, Ginny Doss, Adam Williamson, and Elizabeth Powers, John Sr. left-"one dollar each as their entire portion of my estate". To Nathan, he left three landlots, and three slaves; boys, Jack and Ben-and perhaps their mother, Rachel-"and her increase". To John Jr. he left-"the residue of my property, both real and personal". Just over a year later, in Jackson County Superior Court, William Williamson petitioned to collect a debt from his brother John, and his nephew Nathan C. Williamson, as coexecutors of his father's estate:-"The petition of William Williamson showeth that(they)...on the first day of January in the year eighteen hundred and thirty three, were indebted to your petitioner the sum on two(originally one, later amended to four)thousand dollars: For meat, drink, lodging, washing, cloathing, attending to, and other necessarys before that time furnished by your petitioner to and for Margaret Williamson, the wife of said John Williamson Senior, in the lifetime of the said John, according to the annexed bill of particulars"..William H. Underwood(plaintiff's attorney). The (unamended)Bill of Particulars simply said: "To boarding and cloathing Margaret Williamson from the year eighteen hundred till her death in the year 1828-at $1000-for the whole time". On February 6 1833, Deputy Sheriff G.F. Adams-"served John Williamson-by leaving a copy at his house. N.C. Williamson not found". At the February Term of Superior Court(4th Monday)-John Williamson, by his attorney, noted that codefendant Nathan had not been served, and was granted a continuance. On July 11 1833, Superior Court Judge-Charles Dougherty commissioned William Appleby, Zilmon L. Hood, and John Park to depose Lucinda Park, Margaret Barnett, Sarah Robinson, Margaret Anglin, Elizabeth Appleby, Dorcas Mitchell, and Eleanor King- "material witnesses in said suit agreeably to the interrogatories hereunto annexed...answers to the same...under your hand and seal, to our said Court, to be held on the fourth Monday in August next...". These interrogatories(both, direct and cross questions)-and, the responses of five of these women(along with many other family- related documents)have been found among the thousands of "loose papers", in Jackson County Court Records at the Hargrett Library-UGA Main Library, Athens GA. Sarah Robinson said that Margaret Williamson came to William's home-"sometime between eighteen hundred & ten and thirteen...said Peggy told her she left her husband in consequence of his abuse to her...(she)further stated that...(Peggy) told her that her husband sent for her once...by a small child...that she sent word back by said child that if he wished her to come back, he must come for her himself". Mrs. Robertson also said-"..she heard Mrs. Peggy Williamson say the first interruption between her and her husband...that caused their separation, began about the weaving of a piece of cloth, and from her understanding-as told by said Peggy Williamson herself, she(Peggy)was to blame. Witness(further stated)...that sd. William was a single man and that John Williamson Jr.'s family assisted in waiting upon said Peggy in her affliction"(her old age, and last illness). Additionally, she noted-"...that she once heard John Williamson Sen. say he was a fractious man". ________________________________________________________________________________ "WILLIAMSON KIN" Page 2) Elizabeth Appleby and Lucinda Park agreed that Peggy Williamson-"...was a very industrious woman, and that her labor was worth as much and more than her board- taking the whole of the time she lived with sd. William". Dorcas Mitchell stated that-"...she has heard said Peggy say that she left his(her husband's) house-on account of his treatment, but she knows nothing of her being compelled away". She further stated that-"...the said Peggy had a bed and furniture, which came from said John Sen.-and a lot of Puter(Pewter?)of some value...also a large chest and sixty yards of flax warp..(and that)she has known her to card, spin, bring water, and cook, and has heard her speak of washing, as witness understood, for herself and her son William...(additionally, she noted) Peggy was at the time, and for many years after she came to live with her son William, a very stout hail woman...and really did do a great deal of labor...to the benefit of sd. William and (the)family". She further stated that-"...Peggy Williamson died May nineteenth eighteen hundred and twenty eight-that a short time before her death John Williamson Sr. gave his son William two negroes-one a likely young man-the other a woman about forty years of age-stout and healthy...that the...negroes fell into the possession of sd. William, about the time his father left Jackson County".[Dorcus Mitchell was likely Peggy’s daughter-in-law; wife of James Mitchell(a son from her first marriage)] All those deposed confirmed that William lived on land given to him by his father. Elizabeth Appleby and Lucinda Park stated-"We know that his(John Sr.'s) other sons was settled on plantations in the same manner as his son William, and equally as valuable". Dorcas Mitchell noted that-"William did hire negroes for the benefit of himself and mother, believes mostly on account of his mother, but does not know that he was compelled to hire". Evidently the case was continued yet another time; until the 1834 August Term, when a jury(perhaps) settled the matter- "We find for the plaintiff-thirty three dollars & thirty three cents, with cost of suit", W.N Lay(foreman). Court costs came to $22.371/2. William Williamson died shortly after this decision. At the family cemetery in 1838 , in a conversation with nephew John W. Moon, John Williamson Jr. noted that Williamson McClusky paid-"Durham for walling in your Uncle Willy's grave...the money he paid was a note that your Uncle Billy held upon Anderson Durham"-[John W. Moon deposition-1850, Hargrett(see Note #1)]. Since John Jr. also spoke of having similar work done; and the cemetery’s three brick "burial mounds" appear to be alike in age and construction(and are the only evidence of "walling")it seems logical that William's grave is among these! And, since Moon was there to visit his mother's grave(Sarah Moon-wife of Bolar; sister of William & John Jr.)-there is a good likelihood that the two remaining graves are those of Sarah, and family matriarch, Margaret"Peggy"(Leslie) Mitchell Williamson! Note #1: This deposition(like many others)was taken regarding the estate of John Williamson Jr. His will was set aside in Jackson Co. Superior Court-August 1853, and the decision was upheld in the Georgia Supreme Court in October 1853. The State Archives Supreme Court file has a detailed summary, and a 73-page transcript from the local trial. Hargrett records(Jackson County Court Records)- "loose papers", are filed randomly, and only by year! I have a partial inventory, and copies of many of the more interesting items. L.C.K. August 20, 2000 Notes: The original RFT format of this document has been changed to "plain text" for this venue. There have also been minor revisions and additions. I have digital transcripts of the John W. Moon deposition, and a brief summary of Dr. Crawford W. Long's deposition regarding John Jr.'s estate. Many of my copies are available at the Crawford W. Long Museum in Jefferson, Georgia[Genealogy Room- Williamson folder]. Larry C. Knowles, August 24, 2004 Additional Comments: John Williamson Jr. died on October 25, 1849. A will was presented and was quickly contested. The will was overturned in Jackson County Superior Court in August 1853. The decision was upheld in the Georgia Supreme Court-October Term, 1853. The legal fight, including a Court of Equity, continued for six or seven more years. The case pitted the widow Winney Williamson, and bachelor son, Micajah William(and young children)against the older children(Jas. B. Nabors et al). Needless to say, these legal wranglings created an enormous amount of paperwork. Many of those loose papers, especially depositions, are among the thousands of such records at the Hargrett Library-UGA. Unfortunately, these papers are filed randomly and only by year. But, they are a "goldmine" for our Williamson family! File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/jackson/bios/nbs33williams.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/gafiles/ File size: 9.3 Kb