Williams family.

Jonathan Williams was born in Boston in 1750. As a young man he spent several years in Paris with his great-uncle, Benjamin Franklin. Influenced by Franklin, who served as his mentor and advisor, Williams became an ardent patriot and served as an agent of the Continental Congress in Nantes, France. With contacts provided by Franklin, Williams established himself in trade between America and Britain. He married Scotswoman Mariamne Alexander (1761-1816) in 1779 and moved to Philadelphia. Unable to collect from his creditors in the period following the American Revolution, he was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1788. Williams recovered his losses quickly, however, and was appointed the first superintendent of West Point by Thomas Jefferson in 1801. Jonathan and Mariamne's son, Henry Jonathan Williams (1791-1879), was a lawyer involved in real estate and various business ventures in Philadelphia. In 1820, he married Julia Rush (1792-1860), the youngest daughter of Benjamin and Julia Stockton Rush.