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- From: Hancock County Tennessee and It's People 1989 "Williams and Turner". About 1842 the Moses Williams family, except Sampson and Riley, moved to the Owsley/Jackson Counties area of Kentucky, then in 1871 to Madison County, Arkansas. Sampson Williams remained at War Creek until about 1861 when he moved to the 7th District near the old post offices of Xerxes and Xenophen. He served as deputy sheriff of Hancock county for 13 years during which time he read law and was admitted to the bar in 1877. He engaged in law practice with Captain L. M. Jarvis and also with McDermott & Kyle fo Rogersville during which time he defended cases in the county, circuit, and Federal courts. He served as US Commissioner for 5 years from 1881, and was a Justice of the Peace for many years.
Sampson's first wife was Lydia Brewer (August 6, 1818-August 29, 1892), daughter of Frederick Brewer, Sr. by whom he had six children. Sampson the married Orlean Brewer, daughter of Samuel Russell and Mary (McCully) Cloud Brewer and had eight more children.
From History of Tennessee by Goodspeed Publishing: Sampson Williams, lawyer and planter, was born in Hancock County, February 8, 1825, the son of Moses and Nancy (Wilder) Williams, natives of Tennessee; the former of French lineage, born about 1802 and deceased in Madison County, AR. about 1877, and the latter born about 1800, still living in that county. Moses, her husband, was in the war of 1812, from which she now receives a pension. The parents were married in Hawkins County, and up to 1842, were farmers within eight miles of Sneedville, but then removed to Kentucky. In 1869, they went to Arkansas. The father was a Whig, and both were strict members of the Missionary Baptist Church.
Our subject, one of eleven children, grew up in the country, and has always chiefly engaged in farming. In 1861 he came to his present farm, embracing 500 acres, with other farms making his possesions 700 acres. In 1848 he became deputy sheriff, for thirteen years, during which time he read law, so as to be admitted in 1877, since which time he had been a prominent attorney in the county, circuit, and Federal courts. He has been a justice for twenty years, and for five years, from 1881, was United States commisioner. In 1884 he and his son, John, made a tour through the North and Canada. Our subject's family consists of his wife and five children. Himself and wife are members of the Missionary Baptist Church, and he is a Prohibitionist.
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