Genealogists searching for his antecedents seem to agree that he was born in Hanover County, Virginia in the early 1740s, but disagree as to his parents, especially since many families moved from Hanover County south to the developing and newly surveyed frontier along the Dan River between the Virginia Colony and the North Carolina colony.

The Williams family would remain politically active in North Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi as the 19th century began, but vanished from Pittsylvania county.

[3] Joseph Williams died in 1774 while his only child, daughter Mary was under age, so this uncle became her guardian, which guardianship ended on June 15, 1789, because she married future Virginia congressman Matthew Clay.

[10] During the conflict, Williams continued to serve as commonwealth attorney (prosecutor) for Pittsylvania County, as well as officer in the local militia.

Williams served in that position for about a year, as well as provided more supplies for that militia and Continental troops than anyone else in the county.

[14] According to a lawsuit filed by his former ward Mary and her husband Matthew Clay before November 1793 against this man's widow Sarah, this Robert Williams died intestate (without a will), but with several children under the legal age of 21 years who are named as Elizabeth, Nathaniel, Sarah, Patsey and Francis).

[15] Partly because of his common name, and unindexed handwritten records, genealogists disagree as to the date and location of this Williams' death.