Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-08-07
Geographical Sketth.
GEORGE w. WILLIAMS.

GEORGE w. WILLIAMS was horn near Bell
Air, in Lancaster county, South Carolina, on
the 9th day of December, 1903. Of his an.
cestors very little is known. His father, Fow,
Ter Williams was noted in his day as mag
istrate and school-master. The tradition con-
cerning him is, that he was the general advis'
er of all the inhabitants of the surrounding
country. Whoever in the community was SO
unfortunate as to become entangled in diff
Guilty involving legal questions, made it a
point to consult, as soon as convenient, Fowler
Williams. Rarely was it the case that a day
passed without his being visited and consulted
by some one in search of information. AT
Que time, says tradition, the learned magis-
trate himself became involved in lawsuit.
His opponent retained lawyer to conduct his
case for him; but Mr. Williams chose to be
his own attorney. To the great delight of the
many admirers of the magistrate, he won his
case, although opposed by a practicng lawyer.
The father of Fowler Williams emigrated
from Culpeper county, Virginia, and located
in what was at that time called the Waxhaw
settlement This region was not very accu-
rately defined. The first immigrants arrived
about the year 1745. The larger number of
them was Scotch Irish, but some were Scotch,
few were English, and some were of Welsh
origin. The Williams family came original
ly to America from Wales. The settlement
was first made on Waxhaw creek, but grad
ually extended up and down the Catawba
river. The first settlers, whatever was their
nationality, came from Pennsylvania and
Virginia. Their numbeIBwa from time to
time increased by accessions both from Penn
sylvania and Virginia, and by immigrants di-
recty from Ireland. These latter came to
Charleston, and then by land, as best they
could, they made their way to the Waxhaw
settlement. The territory was at that time
supposed to be embraced within the State Of
North Carolina. This is manifest from the
fact that the private and public documents
pertaining to the settlement designated it as
"Waxhaw, North Carolina" The land was
fertile, the inhabitants moral and energetic,
and in the course of a few years the settle
ment became one of the most important in
the upper section of South Carolina.
Those individuals who first located on
Waxhaw creek, were refugees from the cruel
ties of the Indians in Pennsylvania and Vir-
ginia. The defeat of Braddock, in 1855, in
creased their number by driving many from
their homes in these States. They came south
and located in North and South Carolina.
Some of them founded new settlements, while
others connected themselves with settlements
already begun.
In the neighborhood of the Waxhaw set
tlement dwelt the Catawbas. This was, at
that time, one of the most powerful and war
like Indian tribes in the South. Their chief
town was on the west side of Sugaw (now
called, but incorrectly, Sugar. creek. Only
few years after the whites had begun a
settlement on the Waxhaw creek, the small
pox broke out among the Indians and carried
off about three-fourths of the whole tribe.
From this severe visitation of Providence
they never recovered. Disheartened by ca
lamity which their white neighbors had inno-
Gently and undesignedly been instrumental in
introducing, they leased out their land on
Sugaw creek to the immigrants, and, having
abandoned the town Of their ancestors, es-
tablished themselves lower down on the Ca
tawba, where the remains of that once mighty
tribe now have their miserable abode.
In this Waxhaw settlement George Will
liams located himself, but at what particular
date we are unable to say. All that we GER
tainly know is, that it was prior to the Revo-
lutonary war. In this region he reared sew
eral children, but how many is not accurately
known One of his sons, Fowler, married a
Miss Hoey, and settled first near, or in Bell
Air; afterward he moved and settled, for a
short time, north of Bell-Air. Again he
moved and took up his permanent abode a
short distance south of Bell-Air Mrs. Will
liams was of Scotch Irish descent, and of a
good family. Fowler Williams and his wife
we're blessed with nine children, three sons and
six daughters. Of these, only one-Mrs. Da-
vis-is alive Two Of the sons, John H. and
James j., studied medicine and became skill.
full practitioners. George Washington, the
subject of this memoir was the oldest child.
He was born in or near Bell-Air. His early
education was received in an academy of
which his father was principal. From his
fathers school he was sent to Lincolnton, N.
c., and placed under the instruction Of the
Rev. John Muchat. How long he remained
at Lincolnton is not certainly known. From
the Rev. Muchat's school he was sent to Eb
enezer Academy, in York county, S. G. At
this time Ebenezer Academy was in charge Of
the Rev. Eliezer Harris teacher of consid-
erable reputation in his day. Among the
fellow-students of Mr.. Williams, at Ebenezer
Academy, were the Rev James Boyce, D. D.,
Andrew B. Moore, once Governor of Ala
bama, A. l. Barron, M. D., together with a
number of other individuals, who afterwards
attained considerable eminence in the various
avocations of life.
In December, 1926, he entered the junior
class of South Carolina College and gradua-
ted in 1928 The class consisted of the fol-
lowing persons, Joseph A. Black, William G..
Black, Edward B. Brown, Joseph N. Chap
man, John G. Faber, Henry Foster, John
Cough, William Hemingway, Pearsall