John Williams (1731-1799), of Williamsboro, Granville (now Vance) County, N.C., was a planter, lawyer, and judge. He married Agnes Bullock Keeling (d. 1803), a widow, on 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 1760. Williams was the resident agent of the company in Boonesboro, Ky., 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 20 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. The collection is a ledger, 258 pages, of John Williams, restored and bound in red leather in about 1930. Entries cover the period from 1770 to 1803 and include accounts, court attendances and fees, and Williams's salary as a delegate to the Continental Congress (page 144). Also included are records of the settlement of the estate of Williams's cousin and partner, Richard Henderson. There appear to be no entries for the period when Williams was in Boonesboro as agent for the Transylvania Company.
