Hosea Williams
Hon. Hosea Williams was one of Delaware's prominent and useful men, who through a long and honorable life contributed to the development and upbuilding of the industries and enterprises which have made the city as stable and prosperous as it is today. Judge Williams was born in Berkshire County , Massachusetts August 3, 1792, and was a son of Abraham and Anna (Chamberlain) Williams.
As the name partly indicates, the Williams family originated in Wales and family records disclose that it was founded in America by several brothers who emigrated to New England in the latter part of the 17th century. Charles Williams, the immediate ancestor of the branch of the family to which Hon. Hosea Williams belonged, died at Colchester, Connecticut, April 14, 1740, aged 94 years. He was survived by six sons, one of whom, Nathan Williams, was married September 16, 1725, to Elizabeth Lewis, also of Welsh extraction, and they reared a family of four sons and five daughters. Abraham Williams, the eldest of these sons, born July 21, 1726, married Vesta Hunt and they were the grandparents of Judge Williams.
Abraham Williams, son of Abraham and father of Judge Williams, was bom September 16, 1765, and married Anna Chamberlain. They resided in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, until after the marriage of their only child, Hosea, in 1817. The family then started for the still undeveloped region known as the Scioto Valley, Ohio, stopping at the little village of Delaware, and renting quarters there until a comfortable home could be provided on the farm of 300 acres which had been purchased and which lay two miles west of the hamlet. Abraham Williams and wife, after seeing the young couple comfortably settled, returned to Massachusetts, where they remained until 1825, when they rejoined Judge Williams and family and removal was made to Delaware, where both Abraham Williams and wife died.
Hosea Williams was 25 years of age when he came to Delaware County. His education had been that usually afforded the sons of well-to-do parents, in Berkshire County, and for a short time he had been engaged in clerking at Pittsfield. On May 29, 1817, he was married to Charlotte Elizabeth Avery, who was a half-sister of the late Governor Morgan, of New York, and was a sister of the late Judge Frederick Avery, of Delaware. The Avery and the Morgan families can trace their genealogies far back and there have been many intermarriages, the first of these in New England having been that of Deacon William Morgan, son of Glamorganshire James Morgan, to Margaret Avery, daughter of Captain James Avery, of Groton, Massachusetts. July 17, 1696. Mrs. Williams died February 23, 1839, having been the mother of five daughters and one son, the latter of whom died in infancy. The daughters were: Anna, who married Rev. John W. White; Harriet, who married Judge Thomas C. Jones; Margaret, who married Chauncy Hills; Caroline, who married Dr. John A. Little, and Charlotte. Judge Williams was married (secondly) in October, 1841, to Mrs. Clarinda D. Starling, who died in August, 1876, following the death of Judge Williams, which occurred February 12, 1876.
Upon the return of his parents from New England, in 1825, Mr. Williams moved from the farm, on which, in 1823 he had built a commodius frame residence, to Delaware, where he embarked in a general mercantile business, which he continued for many years. He was a man of character and enterprise and was an active promoter of the various agencies which go to the upbuilding of a community. When he came to Delaware there was much to be done in the way of erecting churches and schools, in building and improving the highways, in introducing various utilities to contribute to the health and comfort ol the residents of the growing town, and also in making and regulating laws for its honest government. Judge Williams was just the man to recognize all these demands and as one of the capitalists and public-spirited men, he became a leader in many of the most important movements.
While still residing on his farm, Mr. Williams had been elected county commissioner, afterward became a village official and still later judge of the Court of Common Pleas. In 1845 he was elected the first president of the Delaware County branch of the State Bank of Ohio, and until the expiration of its charter, was a member of the State Board of Control of this institution. When the Delaware bank was reorganized and became the Delaware County National Bank, Mr. Williams was elected president, a position he filled continuously until his death.
Judge Williams was chosen a member of the first Board of Directors of the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad, serving for many years as such. In association with Judge Howard, in 1838, he erected a paper mill in what is now known as the village of Stratford. Subsequently this mill was destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt and became a valued industry of this section. The death of Judge Williams marked the passing of one of the old-time men of capacity, sterling honesty and honorable ideals.
From 20th Century History of Delaware County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Edited and compiled by James R. Lytle, Delaware, Ohio, Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, 1908