Williams, John, approximately 1730-1795

John Williams (1731-1799), of Williamsboro, Granville (now Vance) County, North Carolina, was a planter, lawyer, and judge. He married Agnes Bullock Keeling (d. 1803), widow, 12 November 1759. Their daughter Agnes married Robert Burton. Along with his cousin Richard Henderson, Williams organized the Louisa (later the Transylvania) Company in 1774 in order to develop and sell land between the Cumberland and Kentucky rivers. Williams and Henderson had engaged Daniel Boone to explore the region in 1769. Williams was the resident agent of the company in Boonesboro, Kentucky, from December 1775 until April 1776. He became one of the first Superior Court judges of North Carolina under the Constitution of 1776, a position he held for twenty years. He was elected delegate to the Continental Congress in 1778 and was a signer of the Articles of Confederation. Williams was one of the original trustees of the University of North Carolina.

From the guide to the John Williams ledger, 1770-1803, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)

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