William Williams

William Williams was born on April 23, 1731, in Lebanon, Connecticut, to Pastor Solomon and Mary (Porter) Williams. He was one of 8 children. His father was the Pastor of the Congregationalist Church in Lebanon and had attended Harvard. He would serve in this position for 50 years. His paternal ancestry can be traced to his Great-Great Grandfather Robert Williams, who was born in Great Yarmouth, England. He came to America in 1637 and eventually settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Williams’s maternal grandfather, Samuel Porter, was born in England but died in America in 1689. The family descended from John de Forde of Abbey Field, who passed away in 1315.

Like many of the Signers, not much is known about his early life. We do know that he had a common school education and that in 1747 he entered Harvard. He was a legacy enrollment, as his grandfather and father had attended Harvard. He would graduate in 1751 with honorable distinction and studied theology with the intention of being a minister. He abandons this pursuit as a result of the French and Indian War.

Williams enlisted in the army in 1755 and served under his cousin, Colonel Ephraim Williams. His regiment went to Lake George, in northeast New York, under British Major William Johnson and observed the movements of the French and Indian armies. While engaged in battle with the French, his cousin was killed by a shot through the head. At the end of the battle, the British had won and captured the French Commander Baron Dieskau. He returns from the war with a contempt for the British generals and their attitude towards the colonists. He would settle permanently in Lebanon upon his return.

After returning from the war, Williams enters a new profession, that of a merchant, as well as being engaged in political office. He was selected as a Town Clerk in 1756 and would serve in this capacity until 1796. In addition to being the Town Clerk, he was elected to the Connecticut Legislature in 1757 under the royal government and would also serve under the state government. He served as Speaker of the Lower House for many years and as clerk of the House as well. He served on numerous committees during this time period, including the Stamp Act, Connecticut claims to Susquehanna lands, the Mohegan Indians case, and the Massachusetts & Connecticut boundary dispute settlement committee. He would serve until 1803. In addition to his service in the legislature, he was a selectman for Lebanon from 1760 to 1785.

On February 14, 1771, he married Mary Trumbull, daughter of Royal Governor Jonathon Trumbull and Faith (Robison) Trumbull. She was 25 years old, and he was 41 at the time of their marriage. Governor Trumbull was an ardent supporter of the patriots’ efforts. He held his office from 1769 through 1784 and, like his son-in-law, had originally planned to study for the ministry. Williams and Mary would have three children. Solomon was born in 1772 and passed before Williams in 1810. Williams would never get over his death. Their daughter, Faith, was born in 1774, and their youngest son, William, was born in 1777. An article from 1835 indicated that both Faith and Williams were still alive, and that Williams’s wife, Mary, was as well. Mary’s brother was the famous painter John Trumbull, who painted the four large paintings that hang in the U.S. Capitol rotunda.[1]

Like others, he became heavily involved in the cause against Great Britain when the Stamp Act was enacted. But like Samuel Adams, he started earlier than most because of his experience with the British military during the French and Indian War. In addition, he was a prolific writer for independence between 1771 and 1775. He also served as a Colonel in the Connecticut militia from 1773 to 1775. While he was still in the militia, he issued a promissory note to help cover the cost of sending Connecticut troops to Fort Ticonderoga.[2] In addition, he was remarkably successful in procuring supplies for Connecticut troops from the locals. In 1775, Williams resigned from this position, despite much criticism, when he was elected to the Continental Congress.

He was appointed to Congress in June 1776 to take Oliver Wolcott’s place when the latter had become ill. He arrives in July of 1776 and doesn’t take part in the debates or voting of the Declaration, but does sign it on August 2 with the other delegates. He would serve until 1778 and then again from 1783 to 1784. While a member of Congress, during his first years of service, he was on the Board of Safety and the Committee that framed the Articles of Confederation. However, at the end of the year, he returns to Connecticut to take care of some business.

Upon his return to Connecticut, he attends a Committee of Safety meeting that was anything but joyful. The mood was sullen among the members, and a disagreement had emerged among Williams, Benjamin Huntington, and William Hillhouse over the war, its progress, and whether it would be successful. Williams stated, “Well if they succeed, it is pretty evident what will be my fate. I have done much to prosecute the contest and one thing I have done which the British will never pardon – I have signed the Declaration of Independence. I shall be hung.”  Huntington replied that he would escape that fate because he had not written or signed anything against the British Government. Williams then replied, “Then you, sir, deserved to be hanged for not doing your duty.”[3]  The importance of this exchange shows not only the differences of opinion regarding the war for independence, but also the level of commitment of the signers. Williams was well aware and seemed to have no issue with his fate should the war not end favorably for the colonists.

He returns to Congress and continues his duties there, as well as in Connecticut when needed. By 1779, he accepted worthless Continental paper money in exchange for $2000 in coin to obtain military supplies, but was not worried about being refunded. He continues his support for the military, and in 1781, even though he had been criticized for resigning his commission in 1775 to attend the Continental Congress. Those criticisms were put to rest when he found out General Benedict Arthur was conducting a raid on New London. He rode 23 miles in 3 hours to volunteer, but when he got there, the town was in flames, and the British had gone. In addition, he turned over his home to the French officers stationed in Lebanon at the time.

After he left Congress for the last time in 1784, he returned to Lebanon, where he resumed his local duties and spent the remainder of his life in Connecticut. He was voted as a delegate to the Hartford Ratifying Convention in 1788 and voted for the Constitution, even though he objected to the clause forbidding a religious test. He was also a Windham County judge from 1776 to 1805. In his resignation letter, he wrote “but my hearing by one of my ears is much injured, occasioned by riding in extremity of cold without any covering but a hat some years since, and is gradually increasing, so that it becomes more difficult for me to distinguish sounds at a distance; and therefore, sometimes impracticable to hear low spoken witnesses, and many such are called upon in the courts; … discriminate the justice of a cause without properly understanding it, I do not therefore ask your honors to reappoint me to an office… The same inconvenience does not attend me in my probate office.”[4] He would serve from 1775 to 1809 as Judge of Probate Court for Windham District.

Williams passed away on August 2, 1811, at age 81, in Lebanon, Connecticut. The death of his son, Solomon, in 1810, had hastened his decline. It is said that on his deathbed, he called for his deceased son to attend to him and shortly after passed. He is buried in the Trumbull Cemetery located near Lebanon.

Tidbits

He was noted for being punctual, “never late or absent in more than 90 legislative sessions. The only exception was if he was serving in the Continental or Confederation Congresses.

Composed many of Governor Trumbull’s papers. Governor Trumbull was the only royal governor to support the Revolutionary efforts.

He was a Christian who made a profession early in life. He was a member of the Congregationalist church and was elected to the office of Deacon at a young age.

[1] http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers‑by‑state/

[2] Barthelmas, Della Gray. The Signers of The Declaration of Independence: A Biographical and Genealogical Reference (Jefferson, NC, London: McFarland, 2003) 280

[3] Kiernan, Denise, and Joseph D’Agnese. Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of The Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence (Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2009) 60-62

[4] ... “Boyd’s Contributions.” The American Pioneer (1842‑1843) 2, no. 6 (Jun 01, 1843): 274