Search for Joseph L. McWilliams:

1850 Campbell County, Georgia, 10th Dist., 15, Oct 1850, pg. 444 (image 90):
584/584 Robt. McWilliams, 22, m, Far(mer), $350, Ireland
Polly M., 22, f, SC
JOSEPH L. 5/12, m, GA
Note: Polly M. is probably Mary in 1860--either the information giver or the innumerator didn't do too good with their ages!

1860 Campbell County, Georgia, Campbellton PO, 5 June 1860, pg. 7&8/193 & 194 (image 7-8):
48/48 Robert McWilliams, 30, m, $1600/$500, Ireland
Mary, 30, f, (the innumerator left all the places of birth off for rest of family!)
JOSEPH, 10, m,
Tatonia, 4, f,
Margaret, 2, F,
Jane Foster, 11, f
Note: On the same page there is also a John McWilliams, 42, Ireland with wife Nancy 38
Children:Andrew, Nancy, Peter, William, Marion, James

1880 District 731, Cambell Co, Georgia, pg 513C:
MCWILLIAMS, Robert Self <1828> 52, M W IREL GA
Polly M., McWilliams, wife, f, m, w, 52, SC
Wm. M. McWilliams, son, m, s, w, 19, GA
Margaret S., McWilliams, dau., f, s, w, 20 GA

A search of Campbell Co, Georgia GenWeb marriage records gave me this possibility:
Mary M. Foster to Robert McWilliams, 4 Jan 1848 Campbell Co
(Polly was often a nickname for Mary!)

If anyone has further information on this family I would appreciate your comments. I have been unable to locate Robert or Joseph in the 1870 census.

Hello Patty I don't have any info on Robert but I do have info on John McWilliams and his wife Nancy from the 1860 Cencus. John is our GG Grandfather. I have info on the family if there is a link. I do not know the names of John's brothers and it could be that Robert is somehow related. Let me know if there is a link.

Regards
Lesley Morgan

We had just said we wondered if John was a brother of Robert! Today we located the following marriages in Campbell County, GA:
Robert McWilliams & Mary M. Foster 1/4/1848
Ephram Foster & Margaret McWilliams 7/9/1848
John McWilliams & Nancy Campbell 1/2/1842

Here are all the McWilliams families I found listed in census records in Campbell Co. GA in 1880:
1880 District 731, Cambell Co, Georgia, pg 513C:
MCWILLIAMS, Robert Self <1828> 52, M W IREL
Polly M., McWilliams, wife, f, m, w, 52, SC
Wm. M. McWilliams, son, m, s, w, 19, GA
Margaret S., McWilliams, dau., f, s, w, 20 GA
Note: I have deteremined this is the family I'm seeking!

District 731, Campbell Co, GA, pg 512A:
MCWILLIAMS, Robert Self <1819> 52, M W IREL Wife Lucinda, 39, born GA.
Kids, James, Emiline, Robert, Emmett, Ada,Ella all born in GA

Dist 731, Campbell Co., GA, pg. 517D:
MCWILLIAMS, Elizabeth Self <1811> F W IREL
MCWILLIAMS, Eliza J. Dau <1831> F W IREL McWilliams, Mary E., gDau, f, s, w, 14, GA

District 731, Campbell Co., GA, pg. 513D:
MCWILLIAMS, Jno. Self <1818> M W IREL
Nancy McWilliams Wife F M W 57 GA, Ireland,GA
Wm. MCWILLIAMS Son M S W 22 GA, Ireland, GA
James McWilliams Son M S W 21 GA, Ireland,GA
Joseph McWilliams Son M S W 17 GA, Ireland,GA
Wiley DANIEL Other M S B 20 GA,GA,GA

District 731, Campbell Co, GA, pg. 512B
MCWILLIAMS, David Self <1830> M W IREL
Permilia A. McWilliams, wife, f, m, w, 52, GA
Wm. M. McWilliams, son, m, s, w, 20, GA

Did a little more research in the 1850 census on these McWilliams familes trying to see if they truely are related:
1850 Campbell County, Georgia, 10th Dist., 15 Oct 1850, pg 444B & 445A (image 92):
584/584 Robert McWilliams, 22, m, Farmer, $350, Ireland
Polly M., 22, f, SC
Joseph L, 5/12, m, GA
585/585 Moses Foster, 52, m, Farmer, $800, SC
Margaret, 46, f, SC
Jane, 18, f, SC
John O., 15, m, SC
Abner J., 13, m, SC
Eleanor, 11, f, GA
pg. 445A
Coanner M., 9, f, GA
Moses R., 7, m, GA
Pullonia O., 5, f, GA
Amanda A., 2, f, GA
Martha N., 7/12, f, GA
Abraham Brown, 25, m, Farmer, GA
Page 445A:
592/592 Wm McWilliams, 56, m, Farmer, $3000, Ireland
Nancy, 51, f, Ireland
David, 20, m, Farmer, Ireland
Pg445B Andrew, 17, m, Farmer, GA
Elizabeth, 14, f, GA
593/593 Ephraim W. Foster, 20, m, Farmer, GA
Margaret, 24, f, Ireland
Wm M, 8/12, m, GA
594/594 John McWilliams, 30, m, Farmer, Ireland
Nancy, 26, f, GA
John, 7, m, GA
Andrew, 5, m, GA
Nancy J., 4, f, GA
Peter, 2/12(?), m, GA

I think there is a good “chance” that John(30), Margaret(24), & Robert(22) are sons of
William(56) –Wm. Would have been 26 when John was born so it’s definitely a possibility.

A question remains about the “other” Robert McWilliams
Pg 451B
677/677, Robert McWilliams, 31, m, Farmer, Ireland
Eliza, 33, f, Ireland
Mary, 7, f, Ireland,
John, 4, m, GA
Elizabeth, 3, f, GA
Margarett, 70, f, Ireland
It’s doubtful he is of the same family—why would they have 2 sons named Robert?

Lesley,
Do you have the names of all the children of your James McWilliams and (Hester) Elizabeth Fowler? I have her with her parents in 1880 and James with his parents in 1880. I believe they were married in 1881 in Douglas County. I have nothing after that. Do you know if they were in Campbell or Douglas in 1900?

Thanks for any help.
Judy

Judy--
I'm afraid you may have posted your response to the wrong message. We were referring to John McWilliams and his wife Nancy Campbell and you are asking about James and Hester Elizabeth. You might want to re-post your response--sorry but I haven't found a James and Hester in this line yet! Good luck!

Patty,
I was responding to Lesley's post about John McWilliams and Nancy Campbell. I believe James McWilliams was their son. He shows with them in the 1880 census, age 21. James married Hester Elizabeth Fowler, (daughter of Zephaniah Fowler and Lucy Ann Norris) in 1881 in Douglas County. This part of Douglas was probably Campbell County prior to 1870. Lesley had answered that she didn't know if her John was related to your Robert. Perhaps I should have changed the subject topic (which I just did). Some of these McWilliams and Campbells are mentioned in the necrology of Owl Rock Methodist Church cemetery which is online. I would be willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that all these McWilliams families in Campbell County early on are connected somehow.
Judy

Judy,
Well, I'm sorry, but I'm the first to admit that I'm very "uninformed" about the McWilliams families in Campbell Co., GA because I have found no connection to "my McWilliams" so far! I just couldn't find James mentioned in any of our conversations! Ha! I just got started on this census search to help Marsha McWilliams who e-mailed me hoping I was connected! She had seen messages I had posted on other boards!

I'm with you in betting these McWilliams families in Campbell Co., GA are all related!

Lesley, maybe you need to post some information about the John McWilliams family (names of children, etc.)

I firmly believe that working together this can be pieced together!

Patty,
Don't know if this will help or not, but in the book "Campbell County, Georgia, Wills," abstracted and compiled by Nancy Jones Cornell, p. 13, there is the will abstract of a William McWilliams, signed 15 Oct 1867, probated 25 Oct 1874 (Will Book B, p. 74.), which gives the following information:
Sons: John McWilliams, Robert McWilliams, David McWilliams
Daughters: Nancy Waites, Betsey Blalock, Peggy (Margaret) Foster, wife of Ephraim Foster of LaFayette County, Arkansas
Granddaughters: Nancy Tabitha Turner, Sarah Jane Turner (Lawson Turner, Guardian)
Executors: sons, Robert and David McWilliams
(note: original will lost; land division sworn to by Robert McWilliams, Lawson Turner, David McWilliams, R.A. Waites, J.B. Blalock)


Also, will of Robert McWilliams on p. 27, signed 12 Dec 1899 (Will book B, p. 358), no probate date:
Wife: Polly M. McWilliam (no "s")
Sons: William M. McWilliams, Joseph L. McWilliam
Daughters: Margaret S. McWilliams and her heirs, James W. McWilliam and Johnnie McWilliam, Perlony C. McWilliam
Witnesses: P.L. Kiser, T.J. Luck, Jas. W. Cook

I am guessing that the first will may be Lesley's family since the Waites family also married into my Fowlers. The second may be your Robert. A Robert McWilliams also was witness to several wills. He may have been a court official.

Hope this helps,
Judy

The book can be ordered from Nancy Cornell who is president of the Campbell County Historical Society.

I think you just answered A LOT of our questions. This morning I sent a "theory" on the parents of John, Robert, & Margaret McWilliams and the Fosters as follows (based on census):

In 1840 Campbell Co., GA census data these 2 families appear (I've added "possibilities" in parentheses):

1840 Campbell Co., GA, 757th Dist. pg. 30
Moses Foster
Males:
1 under 5 (Abner)
1 5-10 (John O.)
1 10-15 (Ephram)
1 15-20 (?)
1 40-50 (Moses)

Females:
1 under 5 (Eleanor)
1 5-10 (Jane)
1 10-15 (Mary 'Polly')
1 30-40 (wife Margaret)

Note: Hypothesis--taking children from 1850 census; including children married to the McWilliams family. As you can see I am missing one son!

1840 Campbell Co., GA, 784th Dist., pg. 14:
William McWilliams
Males:
1 5-10 (Andrew)
2 10-15(David & Robert)
1 20-30 (John)
1 40-50 (Wm)
Females:
1 under 5 (Elizabeth)
1 10-15 (Margaret)
1 10-20 (?)
1 20-30 (?)
1 40-50 (wife Nancy)
Note: This is a LOT of supposition (like John and Margaret and Robert are sons of William!!!!) Also found a marriage for Nancy McWilliams to Ausborn Waites 10/25/1849. I looked for them nearby in the census records in 1850 and could not find them but Nancy is a POSSIBILITY for one of the "missing" 1840 daughter! Still missing one daughter though.

Other marriages that possibly relate to these families:
David McWilliams & Adaline Kiser 1/16/1853 (maybe the David listed with William McW in 1850?)
Elizabeth N. McWilliams & Joseph B. Blalock 1/8/1861 (maybe the Eliz with Wm. McW in 1850?)

Foster Marriages listed that look like they belong to Moses:
3 Dec 1863 John W. Smith & Choanah M. Foster
18 Dec 1842 Thomas J. Foster and Nancy Aderholt (this might be the missing son from the 1840 census!?!?!?)

This is A LOT of speculation. The will for William McWilliams does help with this theory a lot! THANKS! Would be great to have a will for Moses Foster in Georgia. Maybe that would name all his children!
PattyMac