Willoughby Williams was an American war veteran and politician from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

.Zella Armstrong, ''Some Tennessee Heroes of the Revolution: Compiled from Pension Statements'', Genealogical Publishing Com, 2009, p. 11

/ref>William Stevens Powell (ed.), ''Dictionary of North Carolina Biography'', University of North Carolina Press, 1986, p. 30

/ref>

Early life

Williams was born in the 18th century.

Career

Williams enlisted in 1776 and fought in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

as a regimental commissionary officer. He served in the

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and British forces under Lieutenant Colo ...

of January 17, 1781. In 1790, he was elected to the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

Personal life

On January 1, 1786, Williams married Nancy Glasgow (1771-1857), daughter of

James Glasgow James Glasgow (c. 1735 – November 17, 1819) served as the first North Carolina Secretary of State, from 1777 to 1798. Biography Early life James Glasgow, the son of a Scottish minister, Reverend James Patrick Glasgow and his wife, Marth ...

(1735-1819) who served as

North Carolina Secretary of State The North Carolina Secretary of State is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of North Carolina, and is fourth in the line of succession to the office of Governor of North Carolina. The se ...

from 1777 to 1798.''Lineage Book'',

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

, 1936, p. 26

/ref> They had six children. Their son Willoughby Williams Jr. (1798-1882) went on to live in Woodlawn, a

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

-listed mansion in Nashville, with his wife m. Nancy Nichols (1808-1844). Williams lived in

Dobbs County, North Carolina Dobbs County, North Carolina was a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. History Dobbs County was formed in 1758 from Johnston County, though the legislative act that created it did not become effective until April 10, 1759. It w ...

Death

Williams died on June 6, 1802, in

Rutledge, Tennessee Rutledge is a city in and the county seat of Grainger County, Tennessee. The city is part of both the Knoxville metropolitan area and the Morristown metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 1,321. History Ru ...

, on his way to

Davidson County, Tennessee Davidson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 715,884, making it the second most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Nashville ...

. In 1806, his widow married

Joseph McMinn Joseph McMinn (June 22, 1758October 17, 1824) was an American politician who served as the fourth Governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821. A veteran of the American Revolution, he had previously served in the legislature of the Southwest Territo ...

, who served as Governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821.

References

18th-century births 1802 deaths People from Dobbs County, North Carolina Continental Army officers from North Carolina Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives {{NorthCarolina-stub