David Morgan Williams, M.D.
1812 - -
Name David Morgan Williams Suffix M.D. Born ca. 1812 Georgia 
[1] Gender Male Possessions 1837 Henry County, Georgia [2] Tax roll entry with notation "for Sarah Allen." Residence 1839 Fayette County, Georgia [3] Residence 1850 Pike County, Alabama [1] Possessions 1852 Pike County, Georgia Tax roll. Possessions 1853 Pike County, Georgia [4] Tax roll. Guardianship 11 Jul 1858 Griffin, Spalding, Georgia [5] Guardianship bond of $400.00 posted for the minor, Elizabeth Hamet Pritchard. Occupation Physician Residence 1860 Tallokas, Brooks, Georgia [6] Residence 1864 Brooks County, Georgia [7] Physician; age, 52 years, 6 months. Probate 27 Jan 1866 Brooks County, Georgia [8] Receipt filed as executor of estate of John Williams. 
John Mann Estate
Receipt by D. M. WilliamsProbate 2 Jul 1866 Brooks County, Georgia Dismissed upon motion as executor of estate of John Williams. John Williams Estate
Dismissal of ExecutorsProbate 17 Jul 1867 Pike County, Georgia [9] Will signed and witnessed. David M. Williams Estate
WillNotes - Whose Family is it Anyway? Problems with Common Names Explored
There is no more frustrating problem in genealogy than placing individuals with common surnames together with records that are economical with information. This is one such case.
This study began as an effort to collect the census records- the low-hanging fruit, as it were- for Martha Williams Dickinson. The search proceeded with several scraps of information. First, Willie Kate Dickinson Henderson alleged her family research that her paternal great-grandfather was Dr. David Morgan Williams. (While unsourced, her genealogy of the Dickinson family came well before the days of the internet; thus, it is probable that hers was common knowledge at the time, although her great grandmother escapes mention.) Second, David Morgan Williams and Elizabeth Mann were wed in Fayette County, Georgia in 1833. Finally, Martha Dickinson, was born in Fayette County, Georgia in 1839. Georgia Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1960 , Georgia Confederate Pension Office, (Morrow, Georgia: Georgia Archives), RG 58-1-1., application of Mrs. M. G. Dickinson, Douglas County.
A digital search at Ancestry.com returns the 1850 and 1860 U.S. censuses for perusal. For the individuals, there is an identical match. The head of household is also a physician. As will be seen, the North Carolina birthplace for Elizabeth squares with information that known about the Mann family.
Then Ancestry offers the 1870 and 1880 censuses. More than a few researchers embrace these to finally place the Williams in Elmore County. This runs headlong into the unsourced date of death that others give for Dr. Williams, 2 Feb 1868.
Here is a comparison of the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses for the Williams families:
|1850 |1860 |1870 |Age Name POB |Age Name POB |Age Name POB |38 David M GA |48 D. M. GA |57 David GA |37 Elisabeth NC |47 Elizabeth M NC |57 Elizabeth NC |16 Elisabeth GA |26 Elizabeth GA |36 None reported |14 Victoria GA |24 Victoria GA |34 None reported |12 Martha GA |24 Martha GA |34 None reported |10 Mary E GA |20 Mary E GA |30 Mary GA |8 Malissa [?] GA |18 Melissa V GA |28 None reported |6 John AL |14 John M GA |24 Eliza AL |2 David M AL |12 Missing |22 Margaret AL |1 None reported |11 None reported |21 Catherine AL |0 None reported |10 James GA |19 James AL |4 None reported |14 Georgian AL |3 Joe GA |13 None reported |0 Sally GA |10 None reported
The match for David and Elizabeth seems too good to dismiss as coincidence, particularly given Elizabeth's birth place of North Carolina. However, it is odd that the 1850/60 head of household identifies as a physician while the 1870 head does not. (The old saw that "old doctos don't die, they just lose their patience" seems appropo.) And while there are matches between the children, there are also incongruities, not the least of which is the sudden appearance of Catherine and Margaret in Elmore County. Where were these children in the two preceeding censuses?
With this comparison fresh before us, a second, more fundamental problem presents itself. Are any of these even Martha Williams Dickinson's family?
The 1860 census includes a strange occurence if this is our Martha. Since she was married in Griffin, Spalding, Georgia in 1858 and was enumerated there on July 6 with her husband and newborn son, it seems improbable that she would be appear in Brooks County on June 26, sans child and married name.
Less strange, but no less troubling, is the apparent transient nature of these Williamses. The 1850 census places the family in southeast Alabama. By 1860 the family is in southwest Georgia. This suggests the not remarkable conclusion that David Williams had a tough go of things. However, Dr. Williams also makes an appearance in the 1852 tax rolls for Griffin, Georgia where he reports ownership of two slaves and an aggregate property value of $2,830.00.
All of this isn't insurmountable, of course: census records could be classed for accuracy with such activities as horseshoes and hand grenades; business can be carried on in numerous locations; and it is not unusual for individuals to make several appearances in a single census, even within the same district. Not irreconcilable, but troubling enough to call into question the received wisdom.
To recap, David Williams and Elizabeth Mann were married in Fayette County, Georgia in 1833. Martha alleges, in her application for a confederate widow's pension, that she was born in Fayette County in 1839. The inference that we are dealing with the same family could be strengthened by a Fayette County appearance in the 1840 U.S. census; however, no immediate candidates in Georgia or Alabama were produced by a digital search. Neither did a suitable candidate appear in the USGenWeb census index for Fayette County. See, files.usgwarchives.net/ga/fayette/census/1840/index/index.txt.
But another clue presents itself. Martha's brother-in-law was John David Stewart, the mayor of Griffin and two-time U.S. congressman. (Stewart had married James' sister, Susan.) His parents were George Stewart and Elizabeth Mann, and he was born and reared in Fayette County, Georgia. Might there be a connection? [10, 11]
Person ID I0182 Dickinson Last Modified 22 Nov 2014
Father John Roger Williams, b. 1788, Georgia , d. 1863, Brooks County, Georgia (Age 75 years) Relationship Birth Mother Matilda Wilbourn, b. ca. 1811, Georgia , d. Bef 1860 (Age ~ 49 years) Relationship Birth Married 24 Dec 1811 Morgan County, Georgia [12, 13] Family ID F0089 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family Elizabeth Ann Judy Mann, b. ca. 1813, North Carolina Married 28 Feb 1833 Fayette County, Georgia [14] Married 28 Feb 1833 Children 1. Elizabeth Williams, b. 1834, Fayette County, Georgia + 2. Queen Victoria Williams, b. 8 Oct 1836, Pike County, Georgia , d. 16 Oct 1919, Brooks County, Georgia (Age 83 years) [Birth]+ 3. Martha Gideon Ann Uriah Williams, b. 15 Apr 1839, Fayette County, Georgia , d. 23 Feb 1910, Douglas County, Georgia (Age 70 years) [Birth]4. Mary Williams, b. 1840, Georgia 5. Melissa Williams, b. 1842, Georgia , d. Before 1868 (Age 26 years) [Birth]6. John M. Williams, b. 1844, Alabama [Birth]+ 7. Edgar Dilmus Williams, b. 01 Aug 1848, Troy, Pike, Alabama , d. 28 Sep 1931, Stockton, Lanier, Georgia (Age 83 years)Last Modified 22 Nov 2014 Family ID F0034 Group Sheet | Family Chart
- Whose Family is it Anyway? Problems with Common Names Explored
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Event Map 
Married - 28 Feb 1833 - Fayette County, Georgia 
Possessions - Tax roll entry with notation "for Sarah Allen." - 1837 - Henry County, Georgia Residence - 1839 - Fayette County, Georgia 
Residence - 1850 - Pike County, Alabama 
Possessions - Tax roll. - 1852 - Pike County, Georgia Possessions - Tax roll. - 1853 - Pike County, Georgia 
Guardianship - Guardianship bond of $400.00 posted for the minor, Elizabeth Hamet Pritchard. - 11 Jul 1858 - Griffin, Spalding, Georgia 
Residence - 1860 - Tallokas, Brooks, Georgia 
Residence - Physician; age, 52 years, 6 months. - 1864 - Brooks County, Georgia Probate - Receipt filed as executor of estate of John Williams. - 27 Jan 1866 - Brooks County, Georgia Probate - Dismissed upon motion as executor of estate of John Williams. - 2 Jul 1866 - Brooks County, Georgia Probate - Will signed and witnessed. - 17 Jul 1867 - Pike County, Georgia = Link to Google Earth Pin Legend 
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Sources - [S007856] 1850 United States Census, Bureau of the Census, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1850), Census Place: , Pike, Alabama; Roll: M432_13; Page: 208B; Image: 421.
HOH David M Williams/physician/38
Elisabeth Williams/37
Elisabeth Williams/16
Victoria Williams/14
Martha Williams/12
Mary E Williams/10
Malissa Williams/8
John Williams/6
David M Williams/2
Margaret Tilman/14 - [S036369] Georgia Tax Digest, 1789-1799, (Morrow, Georgia: Georgia Archives), Henry County, 1837.
- [S336288] Georgia Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1960 , (Morrow, Georgia: Georgia Archives, RG 58-1-1), Mrs. M. G. Dickinson, Douglas County.
Mary Dickinson reported her place of birth as Fayette County, Georgia in her 1906 Confederate widow's application. - [S036369] Georgia Tax Digest, 1789-1799, (Morrow, Georgia: Georgia Archives), Spalding County Tax Digest 1853.
- [S58] FamilySearch.org, (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), "Georgia, Probate Records, 1742-1990," (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-30615-4544-23?cc=1999178&wc=9SBF-16D:267773001,267781501 : accessed 18 Nov 2014), Spalding > Guardian bonds 1852-1930 vol A-B > image 36 of 426; county probate courthouses, Georgia.
- [S014287] 1860 United States Census, Bureau of the Census, (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1860), Census Place: , Brooks, Georgia; Roll: M653_112; Page: 672; Image: 20; Family History Library Film: 803112.
HOH D M Williams/48
Elizabeth M Williams/47
Elizabeth Williams/26
Victoria Williams/24
Martha Williams/24
Mary E Williams/20
Jessa V Williams/18
John M Williams/14
James Williams/10
Emily Williams /5
Joe Williams/3
Sally Williams/4 mos. - [S78] 1864 Census for Re-Organizing the Georgia Militia, Nancy J. Cornell, (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000), p. 61.
- [S58] FamilySearch.org, (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Georgia, Probate Records, 1742-1990, (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-30616-1775-15?cc=1999178&wc=9SBN-SP6:267652001,267727301 : accessed 22 Nov 2014), Brooks > Sale bills 1866-1872 > image 104 of 667.
- [S58] FamilySearch.org, (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Georgia, Probate Records, 1742-1990, (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-30463-13675-77?cc=1999178&wc=9SBS-YWT:267751201,267877301 : accessed 22 Nov 2014), Pike > Wills 1844-1912 vol C-D > image 200 of 501.
- [S013899] 1870 United States Census, Bureau of the Census, (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1870), Census Place: Township 20, Elmore, Alabama; Roll: M593_15; Page: 151A; Image: 494; Family History Library Film: 545514.
- [S014080] 1880 United States Census, Bureau of the Census, (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1880), Census Place: Central Institute, Elmore, Alabama; Roll: 12; Family History Film: 1254012; Page: 93C; Enumeration District: 071; Image: 0486.
- [S336457] Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978, (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013).
- [S007817] Georgia Marriages to 1850, Jordan R. Dodd, (Provo, Utah: The Generations Network, Inc., 1997).
- [S012032] Georgia Marriages, 1699-1944, Hunting For Bears, comp., (Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004).
Online publication - Hunting For Bears, comp.. Georgia Marriages, 1699-1944 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004.Original data - Georgia marriage information taken from county courthouse records. Many of these records were extracted from copies of the original records in microfilm, microfiche, or book format, located at the Family History Library.
- [S007856] 1850 United States Census, Bureau of the Census, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1850), Census Place: , Pike, Alabama; Roll: M432_13; Page: 208B; Image: 421.