First Generation

1. RICHARD WILLIAMS^1,2 was born about 1690 in Merion Township, Philadelphia County, Pennsylania.¹ He died in Gwynedd, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.¹ He has Ancestral File Number L812-VCP.

It is said that Richard Williams arrived early in William Penn's Quaker colony.

He had a brother John:
JOHN WILLIAMS, b. Abt. 1685; m. CATHERINE MORGAN, January 13, 1706/07, Radnor MM, Chester Co., PA; b. Abt. 1690.
Probably born in Wales or perhaps in Merion twp., Philadelphia (now Montgomery) Co., PA
John named his brother Richard in his will of 1726, Gwynedd Twp, Philadelphia Co, PA. Their parents are not identified.

William Williams and Humphrey Williams proposed as parents of Richard and John, but have yet to see where these names come from. It does not appear likely that Richard and John are children of Robert Williams of Uwchlan, particularly if John marries Catherine Morgan in 1707/8. It is known that the marriage or Robert Williams to Gwen Cadwalader took place in 1691, which would scarcely give room for a son with a marriage date in 1707/8. Furthermore Robert has a son John born later, who marries Jane Jones. Richard is not a name used in any subsequent generations of the Uwchlan family and we know John is Richard's brother (John named him in his Will).

Marriage record is in Quaker Meeting papers on file at Swarthmore College.
The marriage was in the record book of the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting. Both parties were of Gwynedd in the county of Philadelphia and province of Pennsylvania. Margaret was a widow. Their intentions dated the 10th day of the 7th month in the year of our Lord 1717. Both signed with their "Mark". There were 29 witnesses.

Gwynedd, Philadelphia County, Penns. July 10, 1717
" WHERAS Richard Williams of Gwyneds in ye County "of Phila & Province of Pensilvania Bachelor and Margaret "Eaton of ye Township County & Province affors. Widow Haveing "Declared Their Intention of Marriage to Each Other before "ye Present Monthly Meeting of ye People Called Quakers held at "Gwyned According to ye Good Order Used among Them Whose Proceedings "Therein after ye Deliberate Consideration Thereof and haveing "Consent of Parties and Relations Concerned now by ye Said meeting "Left to their Liberty to Accomplish Their Said Intentions This "Tenth Day of the Seventh Month In ye Year of our Lord "One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventeen They The "Said Richd William and Margaret Eaton Appeared in "A Publick meeting of the Said People at Gwynedd Affors- "And Ye Said Rich Williams Takeing the Said Margaret "Eatton by the Hand and in A Solemn Manner Openly "Declared He Took her to be his Wife promising Through "God's Acceptance To be Unto her a Faithfull and Loveing Husband "Till Death Should Seperate Them And then and There in ye "Said Assembly the Said Margarett Eatton did Likewise Declare "She Took ye Said Richard Williams to be her husband in Like "Manner Promising to be Unto him a Faithfull and Loveing "Wife Till Death Should Seperate Them And Moreover ye "Said Richard Williams and Margarett She According to ye "Custom of Marriage Assuming ye Name of Her Husband "As a Farther Confirmation Thereof Did Then & There to "These Presents Set Their Hands and We Whose Hands are "hereunder Written Among Others Present at ye "Solemnization of ye Said Marriage & Subscription in "manner attestd As Witnesseth Thereunto have allso to These "now Set Our Hands ye Day and Year Above Written Richard (W) Williams, Margaret (M) Williams
Jno Pugh Jno Williams Robt Evan Eliz Williams Thos Evan Cath Williams Owen Evan Ellin Robert Ewd Evan Jane Nailor Jno Humphrey Mary Loyd Jno Williams Edwd Woe Jane Evan Edwd Morgan Jno Wms Gwinett Humphrey Wm Morgan Edwd Robert Jno Morgan Evan Pugh Dann Morgan Thos Foulke Morgan Morgan Thos Evan Jno Robert Hugh Jones Hugh Evan

http://www.gwyneddmeeting.org/history/williams_marriage.html
Jno Williams who signed, is likely the brother of Richard Williams. We know his brother John is of Gwynedd because he leaves a will and names Richard as brother and an overseer in 1726.

This brother John may be the one who married Catherine Morgan in 1707 as found in the Radnor MM records. He is not the John, widower who marries Catherine Edwards (nee Griffith), widow, 1714 in the Gwynedd records (Catherine survives into the 1740s and leaves a will). But John and Richard may be the sons of Robert Williams of Uwchlan (as some think) as this Robert appears to have a son John - that John may have married (1) Jane Jones and (2) Rebecca Eley. I even found one database that has solved the problem by having Robert the father of two families with a John in each one of them. Interestingly there is a Richard in each family as well.
http://rea-williams.com/getperson.php?personID=I12523&tree=tree1

No members of the Eaton family signed this marriage document. The Eatons are generally from Oxford township, but a branch of the family settled in Montgomery and Joseph Eaton became an early minister at Montgomery Baptist Church. It is assumed that Margaret's first husband was an Eaton. Oxford township, Philadelphia county, was a center of the Keith Schism in the 1690s which resulted in the conversion of many Quakers to Baptists. It is likely that Margaret Williams is the one who in the 1750s removes from Gwynedd MM to Montgomery Baptist Meeting.

The prominent position of the Morgan family on this document makes one wonder if Margaret is not a member of this family. However Edward and Elizabeth Morgan's daughter Margaret is thought to be the one who married Samuel Thomas 1713 at Gwynedd and later removes with him to Richland. The list of names appears to be Edward Morgan the patriarch of this family and his sons William, John, Daniel and Morgan. Son Edward Jr. may have died by this time and son Joseph (b. 1702) may have been too young to sign. Alternatively the Morgan family could be relatives of Richards or they could just be friends and neighbors. In that case, could Margaret really have been an Evans?

Almost everyone above is either from the north of Wales or a descendant. They come from the mountainous region today marked by a 35 mile stretch of the highways A494 and A5 from Dolgellau to Llangollen and centered on Bala in Merionethshire. Much of this is the valley of the River Dee (Afon Dyfrdwy) and the western portion adjoins Snowdonia National Park.

There may have been a son named Richard:
Is the Richard Williams who marries Margaret (perhaps Jones) and leaves a Will in Loudoun Co., VA in 1797 also a child of Richard's? His son Enos (b. 1759) is buried at Fairfax MM. Other children migrate to Smyth Co., VA. This Richard was said to be of Bucks Co., PA when he bought land in Virginia.
Will (Loudoun Co., VA) names wife Margaret and children: Jinkin, Joseph, James, Mary Shrieves, Enos and a grandson William George. The will states explicitly that Margaret is the mother of Enos. Enos inherited all his father's land.
1762 - A deed records that Richard Williams, farmer from Bucks Co., PA bought 100 A on Kittocton (now Catoctin) Creek and 400 A on Kittocton Mountain for 220 pounds Pennsylvania money from Edward Norton.
This Richard is not the Richard who married Margaret Eaton in 1717. Note the birth date of son Enos in 1759 is too late for this Margaret who was already a widow in 1717.

Note from FamilySearch.org regarding Richard Williams research:
It looks like you and I have the same goal of keeping this family straight. Thank you for helping delete relationships that are either incorrect or haven't been confirmed through documentation. I have added many notes and also documents to explain that there were two different Richard Williams of different generations, who coincidentally were both married to Margaret(s). The older Richard married a widow named Margaret Eaton in 1717. They were Quakers and they were married in Pennsylvania. They were not the couple who left a will in Loudoun County, Virginia in 1795 which was probated in 1797. The couple who the will pertains to were married probably 25 years or more AFTER the older couple were married. The Loudoun couple also were married in Pennsylvania before moving to Virginia. They were the parents of several children who were named in Richard's will. Among them was my ancestor Jenkin. I had the blessing of living in Virginia for more than ten years. I went to court houses in several counties more than once to research the family. I went to Loudoun County and also Wythe County and other surrounding counties. At one point in my tree I also had attached the older couple to my ancestor. It was through painstaking research that I discovered the information was incorrect. I have worked very hard ever since to try to clear up the misinformation and keep it from being perpetuated. So again, thank you for your help. I have Richard in my watch list as well as other Williams, but I don't get to follow up every single week, so it is nice to know someone else is also watching for incorrect changes. Feel free to write me at: [email protected]

Here is Robert Williams - his unlikely father:
Robert William, of Merion, Pennsylvania, a widower, was married at the home of Hugh Roberts on 4-19-1691 to Gwen Cadwallader about 1700 they settled in Goshen, Pennsylvania probably on land then owned by Griffith Owen, at or near the present Goshen Friends Meeting House. He was sometimes called "The King of Goshen", and it is claimed that he was the first settler of the township. Transition says that their first residence was a cave, and that on occasion when their hearth fire went out he had to go 7 miles to get it renewed. Goshen meeting was held first, it is believed, at his house, though some records say at the house of Griffith Owen, but the latter doubtless lived in Philadelphia. In 1701,. Robert is shown as owning 76 1/4 acres in Goshen. He had a deed on 1-21-1703, from William Edward, for 75 acrees of land in Goshen, and in 1707 he purchased 300 acres in the same township from Edward Jones, surgeon. In 1715 they lived in Uwchlan township, and in that year conveyed the Goshen homestead to their son Ellis. Though he had considerable land in Goshen, he appears to have been in Staitened circumstances since in 1702, Friends of haverford contributed 19 pounds, 9 pence, 8 shillings to him to build a new house. He having received Friends "kindly and openhearted". and keeping the meeting in his house. In 1710 Edward Roberts complained about a debt of him and the meeting advised him to sell some of his land to pay it, and even appointed a committee to assist them in doing so. Robert died in 1734 at the age of 87 years.

RICHARD WILLIAMS and MARGARET EATON were married on 10 July 1717 in Gwynedd, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.¹ MARGARET EATON died in prob Gwynedd, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

Gwynedd, Philadelphia County, Penns. July 10, 1717
" WHERAS Richard Williams of Gwyneds in ye County "of Phila & Province of Pensilvania Bachelor and Margaret "Eaton of ye Township County & Province affors. Widow Haveing "Declared Their Intention of Marriage to Each Other before "ye Present Monthly Meeting of ye People Called Quakers held at "Gwyned According to ye Good Order Used among Them Whose Proceedings "Therein after ye Deliberate Consideration Thereof and haveing "Consent of Parties and Relations Concerned now by ye Said meeting "Left to their Liberty to Accomplish Their Said Intentions This "Tenth Day of the Seventh Month In ye Year of our Lord "One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventeen They The "Said Richd William and Margaret Eaton Appeared in "A Publick meeting of the Said People at Gwynedd Affors- "And Ye Said Rich Williams Takeing the Said Margaret "Eatton by the Hand and in A Solemn Manner Openly "Declared He Took her to be his Wife promising Through "God's Acceptance To be Unto her a Faithfull and Loveing Husband "Till Death Should Seperate Them And then and There in ye "Said Assembly the Said Margarett Eatton did Likewise Declare "She Took ye Said Richard Williams to be her husband in Like "Manner Promising to be Unto him a Faithfull and Loveing "Wife Till Death Should Seperate Them And Moreover ye "Said Richard Williams and Margarett She According to ye "Custom of Marriage Assuming ye Name of Her Husband "As a Farther Confirmation Thereof Did Then & There to "These Presents Set Their Hands and We Whose Hands are "hereunder Written Among Others Present at ye "Solemnization of ye Said Marriage & Subscription in "manner attestd As Witnesseth Thereunto have allso to These "now Set Our Hands ye Day and Year Above Written Richard (W) Williams, Margaret (M) Williams
Jno Pugh Jno Williams Robt Evan Eliz Williams Thos Evan Cath Williams Owen Evan Ellin Robert Ewd Evan Jane Nailor Jno Humphrey Mary Loyd Jno Williams Edwd Woe Jane Evan Edwd Morgan Jno Wms Gwinett Humphrey Wm Morgan Edwd Robert Jno Morgan Evan Pugh Dann Morgan Thos Foulke Morgan Morgan Thos Evan Jno Robert Hugh Jones Hugh Evan

http://www.gwyneddmeeting.org/history/williams_marriage.html
Jno Williams who signed, is likely the brother of Richard Williams. We know his brother John is of Gwynedd because he leaves a will and names Richard as brother and an overseer in 1726.

RICHARD WILLIAMS and MARGARET EATON had the following children: