INFORMATION TAKEN FROM OLD NORTHWEST TEXAS, HISTORICAL, STATISTICAL, BIOGRAPHICAL, NAVARRO COUNTY TEXAS, 1846-1860 COMPILED BY NANCY SAMUELS AND BARBARA KNOX, PUBLISHED BY THE FORT WORTH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

"Arrived in Navarro, Republic of Texas from Missouri by around 1845. He was born around 1788 in North Carolina; Nancy was born 1794-1797 in North Carolina. They married in North Carolina or Tennessee prior to 1821; lived in Tennessee in the 1820s; moved to Missouri around 1830-1833 (perhaps Pike County). May have come to Texas with, or soon after, sons Loddrick L. and Frederick W. Williams, who arrived as Peters Colonists by July 1, 1845. Thomas and Nancy were among the very earliest settlers in the Spring Hill area of Navarro County; he patented his 640 acres 3rd Cl Mercer Colony survey, NW of present Dawson, near the Hill County line, on December 31, 1852.

Walter Smith South, Methodist minister, mentioned in his diary (November 4, 1860) that he had gone to church at Battle Creek and 'with Brother Perley George went to see old Father Williams to dinner...and saw Brother Phillip George just from Bethany, Young County.' These Williamses were, for the most part, Methodist..

Known and probable* children of Thomas and Nancy Williams (there may have been older children who did not come to Texas, or are unknown):

1. Frederick W. Williams

2. Thomas M. Williams

3. Loddrick L. Williams

4. Nancy E. Williams

5. James V. Williams

6. Ann V. Williams

7. Carroll M. Williams"

Refs: NCTxRls; S&B; South Diary, op. cit., Barksdale's 1845 Peters Colony Roster; "Cattle Industry of Texas and Adjacent Territories, op. cit. (1895), 433-34, 648-50; NCMgs; censuses: 1860 Young County, 1860 and 1870 Hill County; Young County survey map; Young County CCM Bk 1, 4-6, 46-48, 62; Young County DBk 1, 257-258, 855-856; Seymour Connor, op. cit., 431; J. Evertts Haley "Charles Goodnight Cowman and Plainsman" (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1949), 143-144.

FROM THE RESEARCH DONE BY RICHARD D. WILLIAMS

Thomas Williams was born in Pasquotank County, North Carolina and died at Battle Creek, Navarro County, Texas. In researching my branch of the Williams family, I have been extremely fortunate in that some helpful ancestor had a very nice and very informative obituary written at the death of Thomas Williams in 1861. I have also been fortunate that the Methodist newspaper that printed the obituary was preserved and microfilmed and even indexed in recent years. Such a break is important especially when researching a name as common as Williams.

Based on the obituary of Thomas Williams, another obituary of a son, James Van Buren Williams, and land deeds and marriages, it appears that Thomas Williams was born on June 9, 1787 in Pasquotank Co, NC, but the family migrated from Pasquotank County to Tennessee by 1810 or perhaps earlier. Thomas Williams' obit says he moved from North Carolina to Tennessee "when young", but it doesn't elaborate further as to when the family moved or if other family members moved.

Thomas Williams fought in the War of 1812 under General Andrew Jackson his obit said.

In 1815, he married Nancy Dill in Davidson County, Tennessee according to the obit. and Davidson County marriage records. Based on the time frame described in the obituary, it appears Thomas and Nancy Williams remained in Tennessee until about 1830, when they moved to Missouri. In the obit. of their son, James Van Buren Williams, who died less than a year before Thomas, James was born in Pike County. About 1840, the family moved from Pike to Newton County, Missouri. Newton is located in the far southwestern corner of Missouri. The family remained in the Newton County area about six years before moving to Texas in 1846. Another son, Fredrick Washington Williams, married Mahala Hammer(s) in Jasper County, Mo which borders on Newton County.

It appears Thomas Williams and his entire family moved from Missouri to Texas in 1846. They settled on land in Navarro County, where Thomas remained until his death in 1861. His wife, Nancy, was still alive in 1880, residing with one of her daughters. No death information has been found for Nancy, and no burial sites are known for either Thomas or Nancy, but it is likely that he is buried either on their farm land near Spring Hill, Navarro County, or in the Spring Hill Cemetery.

I have been unable to determine precisely who Thomas Williams or Nancy Dill's parents were despite much research in Pasquotank Co, NC records. There were quite a number of Williams families in Pasquotank County in the 1780s, and it is likely they were interrelated. There also were Dill families around the Davidson County, Tenn area in 1815, but I have not been able to detect which Dill family Nancy came from.  It is also believed that there are four early children of Thomas and Nancy who are as yet unidentified.

Nancy is listed on the 1880 census of Hill County, Texas, as living in the household of her granddaughter, Nancy Evaline Williams Reed (wife of Francis Marion Reed). At that time, she was 88 and listed her birthplace as North Carolina while she says her parents were born/from Texas. I have reviewed this copy of microfilm, each time with the same conclusion that she said her parents were from Texas.

Some sources give a Nancy Dill as being a part of the William Dill and son Job Dill family of Delaware who emigrated to North/South Carolina and later Tennessee. This is probably the most likely heritage of Nancy Dill based on the obituary of Thomas Williams from the Texas Christian Advocate.

FROM OLD NORTHWEST TEXAS, HISTORICAL-STATISTICAL-BIOGRAPHICAL, NAVARRO COUNTY, TEXAS 1846-1860 BY NANCY TIMMONS SAMUELS AND BARBARA KNOX, PUBLISHED BY THE FORT WORTH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, 1980.

E. JOSHUA ONSTOTT

Joshua Onstott appears on Barksdale's 1845 Peters Colony Roster. Conner states that Onstott left the colony before receiving a land certificate. It was, of course, that he and David migrated below to the Mercer Colony area, where both obtained certificates for 640 acres. Joshua appears on NCTxRl 1846. His 640 acre survey was patented by David Onstott. In 1849, Joshua owned several surveys in the names of W. Walker, M. Brookshire, and Granville W. Rose. He patented the 320 acre 3rd class Rose survey 25 Nov 1851; it is located west of present Dawson. In 1850, he was taxed for the Walker and Rose surveys.

In Dawson Cemetery is the grave of E. Joshua Onstott, b. 26 Feb 1801; d. 18 Oct 1870. His wife, Mary M.C.D. (or McD) was b. ca 1819-1820; she may have been wife 2. Their known children:

1. John A.H., b. ca 1835 Arkansas, m. Nav. Co Texas 27 Jan 1869 Nancy L. Wright

2. Francis Marion, b. 4 Apr 1842 Mo; d. 23 Nov 1876, bur Dawson Cem; m. NavCo Tex 21 Aug 1861 Eliza J. Wilson, prob dau of Reuben Wilson.

3. Nancy J., b. 1847 Texas; m. NavCo 22 Jan 1868 John Bowman.

4. Mary L., b. ca 1855 Texas.

Refs: Barkdale's Peters Colony Roster (see App. 2); Connor, op. cit., 355; NCTxRls; S&B; Dawson Cem).