Why are you a genealogist?	jamiejoyce	Just for general curiosity, I thought I might add a more generic topic in hopes to get more visitors involved. I was told when I was 12 years old that I was a descendant of Roger Williams. How I found out was when I had to do a school project about a historical family figure that did something special. I had thought that there was no one like that in my family history until my father told me about Roger. He didn't know much and I found out that many of my immediate family members didn't either. They knew of some articles that belonged to him, but didn't know where they were (they are with a descendant now living in New York; a ring, quilt/blanket and a book). So it became my mission to find the truth and make my connection to one of our country's greatest founders. So that is my why, what is yours?
You Need Not Be a Family Member To Join!	jamiejoyce	I apologize to all those who received an email from me stating you needed to be a family member to join the site. I was in error when I stated that private information would become available if registered. That is only true if I select an option allowing everyone to see the private information, which I have not. I encourage anyone and everyone to register. Registering allows for gedcom downloads, editing of some information, adding yourself to the tree and more as we go along and build. Also, everyone is welcome to sign up for the forum, especially if they have questions in regards to the tree itself.
Forum Registration is Separate from Family Tree Database	jamiejoyce	Not everyone interested in the tree wants to register for the forum and vice versa, also, the databases do not share user tables anyways, so alas, if you want to use both, you need to register twice. I'm sorry about the inconvenience. Perhaps someday we will be able to integrate them both.
Ancestors Added (Arnold Family)	jamiejoyce	The mother of Rebecca Rhodes, wife of Daniel Williams; 2nd son of Roger, was an Arnold (an ancestor of THE Benedict Arnold). I have added the parents and grandparents of Joanna Arnold to the family tree.
Connection Help	jamiejoyce	Believe it or not it can be done. It took me years because I didn 't know the resources that were available to me online. That, and for some time there wasn 't as many resources online. Now, gosh, there is so much out there, and so many people out there that are so helpful that there is no doubt that anyone looking can find what they are looking for. Usually it is one simple missing link, and once that is found, it is all downhill from there. My 'crutch ' was Daniel B. Williams. I found him via a census, but because there was so many Daniels back in the day, it was nearly impossible to find the right one. But I found it through research and tons of great sites, most free. I also had helpful family members, some close cousins, some distant, that helped me along the way. I have a shyness issue so making calls is not my strong suit. I can type like this all day on the net, but actually speaking, I 'm a little weak. Its sad really. So I was afraid to call Grandpa, or my 3rd cousin who 's been doing it longer than anyone. That is part of the reason why I made the site. One, I like to meet family members with the same interest. Two, I 'm fascinated by my family 's history. What a great story. Three, I want to help and give a little back. The day I made my Roger Williams connection, I felt like I won the lottery. I was starting to doubt that the stories told by family members were true. But they were and I was elated. I know there are those out there pulling hairs out of their head trying to figure it out. I 'm not going to spend every waking minute trying to help ya ', but I 'm sure going to try with what resources I have. So please post with as much information you think I would need to help find your line. I 'll be glad to help.
Re: Connection Help	LeslieWilliams	Hi, I would like to know if you have a connection that includes a John Sharp Williams, in Louisiana. He was born around, 1910 I think. Thanks Leslie
Re: Connection Help	jamiejoyce	I will look into it with the material I have. I don't recall seeing anyone born in Louisiana, but there are 1000's of people to look through. Good luck in your search and I'll keep you posted.
Re: Connection Help	albienor	Hello, my grandmother Lena , born 1901, and her brothers Grant and Wade were Williams<br />from Erie Pennslyvania, their father was Alvin Williams they are listed in the <br />1910 (either Erie or Alameda) censes they spent some time in Ohio and then moved to Oakland California in Alameda county. I believe her mother was Margaret <br />She said frequently that she was related to Roger Williams and something with Orange<br />may have been a town, al norman I can't remember which censes I saw them in<br />I will reresearch this and get back to you,<br />I have been to the Oakland Morman Tempel Family history room<br />but usually get stuck prior to 1825-1850 <br />an [i]Last edited by albienor (2006-09-14 22:07:39)[/i]
Re: Connection Help	jamiejoyce	Al, The only Alvin I can find in my records was born in 1804 and was the son of Othniel Williams born March 31, 1761 died May 19 1850 and lived in Vermont. Married Dorcas Field. This could be an ancestor of yours, but the line just stops at this Alvin in my records. More records may be out there. Perhaps this could be of help.
Re: Connection Help	jamiejoyce	Leslie, My records do not appear to be recent enough to find John Sharpe Williams in Louisiana. Don't give up though. I will look in one last area... my HeritageQuest account. Perhaps there will be a tie-in there. Sorry about the delay.
Please Start New Topic For Each 'Person' Inquiry	jamiejoyce	To help simplify things (and for easy searches), please start a new topic for each new inquiry that you have. Do not add on to another member's inquiry or another name you submitted before. The best topic subject would look similar to this: Looking for James WILLIAMS b. 1845 Name capitalized, etc.
HeritageQuest	jamiejoyce	HeritageQuest Online is just an absolutely must have for any genealogist. The trick is, you can't get to it from here. You have to get it through your library or school/organization. If your library doesn't have home access to HeritageQuest, find out why. The site has tons and tons of publications that you can download from home. Some of the items I've downloaded, I have uploaded back here to the site. They are priceless. I wonder if Henry Chapin ever thought that some girl in Kentucky would find his book Annals of Oxford as such a gem. Likely not, but because of HQ's database, I found it and added it to our documentation. Priceless.
Thomas WILLIAMS b. 1777	sandyvanw	Hi, My 5 X great grandfather was Thomas Williams was born 15 Sep 1777 in Pittsfield, Berkshire, MA and died 9 Apr 1859 in East Canton, Bradford, PA.  He married Rebecca Luce 14 Apr 1801 in Tisbury, Dukes, MA.  I am descended from his son, Perus Williams.  Have you run across this Thomas Williams or his son Perus in your research regarding Roger Williams?  Also, if my facts don't appear to be correct, please let me know.  I've done what I can online, but have no real proof of these names and dates. Thank you for your help! Sandy VanWiggeren
Re: Thomas WILLIAMS b. 1777	jamiejoyce	I found no Perus at all. Several Thomas, but none born in 1777 married to a Luce (I've searched all last names, first names, etc.). Who is Perus' descendants? Does Thomas or Perus have a middle name? Sometimes they are recorded by their middle names instead. Or perhaps you've gone down a wrong path. I'd love to try to help you find the right one. Jamie
Roger Williams Family Association	jamiejoyce	Several folks visiting the site and the forum are close family members to me. All the documents on the site would actually help you prove your lineage to Roger Williams. If you're interested in joining the Roger Williams Family Association in Rhode Island please go to [url=http://www.rogerwilliams.org]www.rogerwilliams.org[/url]. There you will find forms to fill out and send to join.
Jeremiah WILLIAMS born in 1793	jcwilliams89	I started my family search about four years ago and was shocked to find out that I am apparently directly descended from Roger Williams. My gg-grandfather, Jeremiah Williams, was born about 1793 apparently to Jeremiah Williams and Amy Knight in CT. Jeremiah and Amy were married somewhere around Pomfret, CT about 1785. I am trying to find what happened to Jeremiah after his children were born, but it seems that he just disappeared off the map. I am hoping that some of you may have information.<br />Thanks,<br />Roger Williams
Re: Jeremiah WILLIAMS born in 1793	jamiejoyce	I'm not sure if you received my email; sorry, I wasn't aware you posted as well as emailed me, but I'll post what I replied. From email: I'm not sure if you realize this, but it is Bethiah that is the daughter of Joseph, grand-daughter of Joseph, great-granddaughter of Joseph, great great granddaughter of Roger. <br /> <br />She just fortunately marred Jeremiah Williams so didn't have to change her name. They may even perhaps be related as 2nd or 3rd cousins. This may be research I will have to dive into further.<br /> <br />Unfortunately, I don't have any descendant information for Bethiah and Jeremiah, so you have more than what I have.<br /> <br />Sorry I couldn't help more, but I thought it was interesting to see Bethiah as the descendant, not Jeremiah.
Re: Jeremiah WILLIAMS born in 1793	jcwilliams89	The Jeremiah Williams that married Bethiah Williams was the son of Jeremiah Williams and Abigail Mathewson. This Jeremiah was the g-grandson of Roger Williams. Jeremiah and Bethiah were 1st cousins.<br />Roger Williams
"J.B." (John Bryant) Williams, born in N.C., lived in Gulfport,Ms.	shelley	I am searching for ancestry of "J. B." (John Bryant Williams) 1881 N.C.-1958 Ms.<br />who was my grandfather. I was born 1949 so do not remember much about him except that he married Clara Jordan in Gulfport, Ms., but originally came from N.C. where his sisters remained until death. There are so many Williams I do not know where to begin.<br />Shelley Williams-White
Re: "J.B." (John Bryant) Williams, born in N.C., lived in Gulfport,Ms.	jamiejoyce	I guess the best place to start is with your father's birth certificate, death record or even social security record. Get the information about your grandfather (Williams) and search for him in census, birth and death records until you find his parentage and work your way back. I am always kicking myself because I don't talk to my Grandfather about our family history. I suppose I'm just shy and we've never been close, but once they are gone so are the stories. I understand how this could be hard for you since that generation is gone now. Join your local library and let them know you want to use HeritageQuest online. It is free through the library and with your card number you can access it from home. It has all the census records up to 1930 and you can search by name. I believe 1890 is omitted due to fire, but that is an exception to the rule. You can also find books that give family histories. That is how I found "The Descendants of Roger Williams" by Bertha Anthony (Williams). You just search by name there as well. Don't spend money on Ancestry.com unless you deem it absolutely necessary. There are free resources out there with the same information. Good luck! Feel free to share your findings with us.
Re: Jeremiah WILLIAMS born in 1793	jamiejoyce	I guess the worst thing for family historians is kissing cousins, yes? My first cousin married our second cousin and now has my Grandmother's maiden name. So confusing! And boy do things like that mess up the family tree software. LOL<br />Thanks for straightening that out for me.
Is Roger Williams an ancestor of "Hank" Williams or comedian Robin Williams?	shelley	I read on either a rootsweb or genforum message board that one poster claimed they found a connection from Roger to Hank and Robin Williams.<br />Has anyone else ever found this connection or is this bogus?