Note from Nona: I’ve known Ruby for about 10 years and her expertise at family research continues to impress me. She has recently turned her attention to discovering the identity of the wife of our ancestor Samuel WILLIAMS who turned out to be a second BRASWELL line in our family. She also identified the parents of Sampson BRASWELL.
When Ruby began the search for the identity of Samuel WILLIAMS’ wife, she noted that he seemed to be more involved with the BRASWELL family than some of his other siblings. He died intestate in DeKalb Co., Tennessee and Leroy BRASWELL and Nathan BRASWELL were among those who purchased items at the settlement. Also in May 1839 Sampson BRASWELL sold 640 acres of land in DeKalb Co., Tennessee to Samuel WILLIAMS.
On 4 Nov. 1994 Ruby wrote: “I have solved the mystery of the surname of our Sarah who married Samuel WILLIAMS! She is the daughter of Samuel BRASWELL and is a sister of Sampson. I spent many hours going over all my collected data of Nash Co., North Carolina, Smith and DeKalb Co., Tennessee, and I recently found a film here in the family history library - some loose wills of Nash Co. I found a copy of the original will of Samuel BRASWELL.
The will of Samuel in the BRASWELL book is not correct [Dr. R. B. Braswell’s book “Following the Braswells in America 1600-1983] where they suggest that Sampson and Polly (should be Sally) are grandchildren. The will plainly states his son Sampson and daughter Sally. I believe his wife [Samuel BRASWELL’s] is Sarah HUNT a second wife and is the mother of his three youngest children Quinny, Sampson and Sally. The other children are from the first wife who is unknown at this time. [Now identified as Mary WILLIAMS.]
I believe that Samuel WILLIAMS and Sarah BRASWELL were married in Nash Co., North Carolina and remained there until Sarah’s mother died circa 7 Jan. 1806 (date of inventory of her estate from Abstracts of Early Records of Nash County North Carolina 1777-1850, pg. 161, also on that page are inventory dates for Sarah, Quinny, Samuel, Micajah, and Margaret. Also in this book are guardian bonds for the orphans Sampson and Sally, children of Samuel. Quinny died by 14 May 1798, inventory date.
Samuel WILLIAMS was in Nash Co., North Carolina on 5 Dec. 1806 when he was a witness on a deed where Sampson BRASWELL bought two slaves from Benjamin WHITFIELD, deed bk 5, p. 18, other witnesses were Hardy G. And Willie WHITFIELD.
Now switching to Smith Co., Tennessee, the first mention that I can find of Samuel WILLIAMS is on 21 Dec. 1807 where John DONELSON sold land to Matthew GRIFFIN, witnesses Samuel & William WILLIAMS. So Samuel and Sarah left Nash Co., North Carolina between Dec. 1806 and went to Smith Co., Tennessee by Dec. 1807.
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