Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/554

520 Bear, an Indian chief who had joined Louis Kiel, and while engaged in this service he contracted a cold which resulted in his death soon afterward.

WILLIAMS, Barney (the stage name of Bernard Flaherty), actor, b. in Cork, Ireland, in 1823; d. in New York city, 25 April, 1876. He came to this country as a boy, and in 1836 was connected with the old Franklin theatre, New York. In 1845 he was the manager of the Vaux- hall garden, in the Bowery, and after his marriage in 1850 he played, with his wife, in Irish comedy. After a successful visit to San Francisco in 1854 they went abroad in 1855, but returned to the United States in 1859, and filled a long engagement at Niblo's garden. In 1867 Williams became manager of Wallack's old Broadway theatre, and subsequently he played with success in this country, Great Britain, and Canada. Mr. Williams attained a wide reputation as an Irish comedian. Among his last plays were " The Emerald Ring," " The Connie Soogah," and " The. Fairy Circle." — His wife, Maria Pray, b. in New York city in 1828, became a ballet-girl at fifteen years of age, performing at the Chatham theatre, and shortly af- terward married Charles Mestayer. After his death she married Mr. Williams in 1850, and thereafter generally appeared with him, playing star engage- ments. She is a sister of Mrs. William J. Florence.

WILLIAMS, Benjamin, governor of North Carolina, b. in North Carolina in 1754; d. in Moore county, N. C, in 1814. He entered the Revolu- tionary army as a captain, and did good service at Guilford, for which he was promoted colonel. Col. Williams served many years in the legislature, sat in congress in 1793-'5, and was governor of. his state in 1799-1802, and again in 1807-'8. In 1808-'9 he was a member of the state senate.

WILLIAMS, Catherine R. (Arnold), author, b. in Providence, R. I., about 1787; d. there, 11 Oct., 1872. She was a granddaughter of Oliver Arnold, attorney-general of the state of Rhode Isl- and, and daughter of Capt. Alfred Arnold, and in 1818 married Mr. Williams ; but the match was un- fortunate, and, after a separation from her husband, she supported herself by literary work. She was the author of " Original Poems " (Providence, 1828) ; " Religion at Home " (1829) ; " Tales, National and Revolutionary " (2d series, 1830 and 1835) ; " Aris- tocracy " (1832) ; " Fall River, an Authentic Narra- tive " (1833) ; " Biography of Revolutionary Heroes " (1839); "Neutral French, or the Exiles of Nova Scotia " (1841) ; " Annals of the Aristocracy of Rhode Island " (2 vols., 1843-5). See " Bibliograph- ical Memoirs of Three Rhode Island Authors," by Sidney S. Rider (Providence, 1880).

WILLIAMS, Channing Moore, P. E. mission- ary bishop, b. in Richmond, Va., 18 July, 1829. He was graduated at the College of William and Mary in 1853 and at the theological seminary at Alexandria, Va., in 1855, ordered deacon in St. Paul's church, Alexandria, 1 July, 1855, and sailed for China as a missionary under Bishop Boone in November of that year. He was ordained priest in the mission chapel, Shanghai, China, by Bishop Boone, 11 Jan., 1857, and shortly afterward, by direction of the foreign committee, he was trans- ferred to Japan. He was consecrated missionary bishop of China, with jurisdiction in Japan, in St. John's chapel, New York, 3 Oct., 1866. lie received the degree of S. T. D. from Columbia in 1867. The convention of 1874 relieved him of the China mis- sion, and changed his title to bishop of Yedo. WILLIAMS, Charles Langdon, lawyer, b. in Rutland. Vt., in 1821 ; d. there, 10 Feb.. 1861. He was graduated at Williams in 1839, admitted to the bar in 1842, and practised in Brandon, Vt.„ in 1844-'8, and afterward in Rutland. He pub- lished " Statistics of the Rutland County Bar," with biographical sketches (Brandon, Vt., 1847);. " Statutes of Vermont " (Burlington, 1851) ; and vols, xxvii.-xxix. of " Vermont Supreme Court Reports " (Rutland, 1856-'8).

WILLIAMS, David, patriot, b. in Tarrytown r N. Y., 21 Oct., 1754: d. near Livingston ville,'N. Y. y 2 Aug., 1831. He enlisted in the Revolutionary army in 1775, served under Gen. Richard Mont- gomery at St. John's and Quebec, and continued in the army till 1779. During his service his feet were badly frozen, and this partially disabled him for life. With John Paulding and Isaac Van Wart, he was one of the captors of Maj. John Andre on 23 Sept., 1780. (See Paulding, John.) Many of the details of the capture are related in Williams's deposition that he made on the following day. Some time after the war he bought a farm near the Catskill mountains, that had been the property of Daniel Shays, leader of Shays's rebellion. Will- iams was very generous, and indorsed freely for his friends. The farm became heavily mortgaged, yet he succeeded in retaining it, and received also a pension of $200 a year from the government. The estate is now in the possession of his grandson, William C. Williams. Williams was given a silver medal by order of congress, and also received in New York city a cane that was made from the cheval-de-f rise for obstructing the Hudson at West. Point. In December, 1830, he visited New York by invitation of the mayor, who gave him a horse, harness, and carriage, and the pupils of one of the city schools presented him with a silver cup. A monument has been erected to his memory, by the- state, at the stone fort near Schoharie court-house. The purity of the motives of Andre's captors has been called in question by some historians, but it has been vindicated by Horatio Seymour and Henry J. Raymond in addresses at Tarrytown in 1853, by Samuel J. Tilden and Chauncey M. Depew at the same place in 1880, and by Grenville Tremaine- and Daniel Knower at Schoharie in 1876.

WILLIAMS, David Rogerson, soldier, b. in Robbins Neck, S. C, 10 March, 1776; d. in Lynch's creek, S. C, 15 Nov., 1830. He was graduated at Brown in' 1797, studied law, and was admitted to the bar. In addition to his practice he conducted a large plantation. He served in congress in 1805-'9, and was again chosen in 1810 as a Democrat, serving till 1813. In the latter year, on 9 July, he was appointed a brigadier-general in the- regular army, but after seeing some service he resigned on 6 April, 1814, and in 1814-'16 was governor of the state. He was killed by accident at a new bridge over Lvnch's creek.

WILLIAMS, Edward, English author, lived in the 17th century. He published " Virgo Trium- phans, or Virginia richly and truly Valued " (Lon- don, 1650 ; 2d ed., u With Addition of the Discovery of Silkworms, etc.," 1650). The book is said by some authorities to be in substance the work of John Farrer, of Geding.

WILLIAMS, Edward P., naval officer, b. in Castine, Me., 26 Feb.. 1833 ; d. in Yeddo bay, near Yokohama, Japan, 24 Jan., 1870. He was graduated at the U. S. naval academy, 10 June, 1853 and was commissioned a lieutenant, 16 Sept.. 1855. During the first year of the civil war he served in the steamer " Paul Jones " on the South Atlantic blockade, and subsequently he was executive of the steamer " Powhatan." He was promoted to lieutenant-commander, 16 July, 1862. William was one of the volunteers that were called for by