Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-01-24
Biographical Sketfh.
COLONEL JAMES WILLIAMS
BY REV. ROBERT LATHAM.

The ravages of time have made sad havoc
with the materials out of which to construct
biographical sketch of number of those,
who, by their blood and treasure, won for us
our liberty. A feeling of sadness fills the
mind, when we remember that many of those
heroes who suffered so much and did so many
daring deeds, that America might be the
home of the free, sleep in an unknown grave
with not even stone to mark the spot.
Worse than this, their very names; and still
worse, their brave deeds, are fast slipping
from the memories Of those who are reaping
the fruits of their generous toll Amongst US
there are few Old Mortahties to keep bright
and clean the tombstones of the patriots of
the past. No aHectionate hand decks their
graves with fresh flowers and bedews the sod
beneath which sleep their ashes, with warm
tear 1t is even to be feared that the faint
remembrance of the virtue and valor of those
noble men has become 80 feeble, as not to be
able to enkindle within the bosom of their
offspring, a spirit of emulation. The lines
which once separated Wing and Tory has
faded away. This, no doubt, is we'll; but it
is sad to think that in pardoning the bad, we
have forgotten the good.
With regard to the illustrious hero whose
name stands at the head of this sketch, we
are forced to say, however painful it may be,
that oblivion has we'll nigh dashed its waves
over his memory. He came to South Caro-
lima, it is supposed, from Granville county,
North Carolina, in 1772 or 1773. So far as
we have been able to discover, no record of his
birth has been preserved. He settled on Lit
tie river, in Laurens county, near the New
berry line. His original settlement is still
known by the local name of Mount Pleasant.
When James Williams settled in South Car
olina, he was married and had several chill.
dren but to whom be was married we have
been unable to ascertain.
By avocation he was both farmer and a
merchant He is described as having been
nearly six feet high, rather corpulent, and OF
very dark complexion. His nose was un-
commonly large, and his nostrls, when he
was excited, became very much distended
His eyes were dark and his hair as black as
raven. He was large, we'll built man,
of great muscular power and physical endu-
rance. From some sentences in some Of his
letters to his wife, we infer that he was past
middle age when the war broke out Before
the war, he was known as "old Jim Viii.
liams," and "old Williams" After the war,
or rather after the battle of Kings Mountain,
until recently he was spoken of, familarly, as
"Old Kings Mountain JIM" These epithets
we readily admit do not prove conclusively
that he was far advanced in life but the fact
that he had, at the time of his death, family
of eight children-6ve sons and three daugh.
ters-and two of his sons in the army, indi-
Gates very plainly that he was not young
man. Besides this, in letter to his oldest
son, dated June 18th, 1779, he speaks Of him.
self as an old man.
From his first settlement in South Carolina,
Colonel Williams was, in many ways. con-
nected with the public affairs of the country.
He was member of the Provincial Congress
which assembled at Charleston, on the 18th of
January. ITS. The region of country be-
tween the Broad and Saluda rivers was di.
vided into three districts, called the Lower
District" the Little River District" and the
Upper District" Colonel Williams was one
of the committee which was appointed to put
into execution the American Association in
this region of country. From the very first
appearance of difficulty with England,
Colonel Williams took firm stand on the
side of the Wings. The region of country in
which he lived was not unit on the subject
of war with England. A very considerable
number of the most influential men in the
community were disposed to stand aloof from
the troubles of the country. Some we're de!
cided Tories; but Colonel Williams, from the
beginning, was a Wing of the most marked
type. After the Declaration of Independence
had been signed, and the fact was known
throughout the cohntry, many withdrew from
the Wing party and joined those who were
advocates of Cancellation with the mother
country. The number of the conciiatory
party was greatly increased when it was
known that treaty of amity had been enter.
ed into with France Major John Caldwell,
the maternal uncle of John G. Calhoun, who
at that time held a Captains commission in
regiment of rangers, resigned aud retired
to his farm. Colonel Williams, during all
this stormy period, remained true to the
Wing party.
In the year 177S, Colonel Williams was a
candidate for the Senate, from the Little River
district. His opponent was Robert Cunning
ham, relative of the notorious "Bloody Bill" !"
Williams was defeated. The election was one
purely of party. The four members of the
House were reconciliation men. This was
not all for the Senator-Robert Cunning
ham-and two of the Representatives-Jacob
Bowman and Henry O'Neall-became, soon
after, avowed Tories. John Caldwell and
Jonathan Downs-the other two Representa-
tives-shortly after, discovering that all hopes
of reconciliation were vain, espoused the Wing
cause in earnest.
During the election campaign of 1778, par
ty feeling ran high, and many bitter things
were said. The candidates we're accustomed
to make speeches in different sections of the
district. To these meetings everybody went.
The audience was mixed multitude of men,