MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE of Richard William and Margaret Eaton, widow

Philadelphia County of the Province of Pennsilvania (sic) Bachelor and Margaret

Eaton of the Township, County & Province aforesaid Widow Having

stated their intentions of marriage to each other before

.....Monthly Meeting of the People Called Quakers .... of

Gwynedd ......................................................................

...after Deliberate Consideration thereof and having

Consent of Parties and Relations Concerned was by said meeting

Left to their Liberty to Accomplish their said Intentions ...

There are to .... all Whom ... Concern . Therefore

...Full Accomplishing of Their Said Intention This

Tenth Day of the Seventh Month of the Year of Our Lord

One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventeen. They the

Said Richard William and Margaret Eaton Approved of

A Publick Meeting of the Said People of Gwynedd Aforesaid

And of Said Rich William Taking the Aforesaid Margaret

Eaton by the Hand and in a Solemn Manner openly

Declared that he took her to be his Wife promising through

God's Assistance To be unto her a Faithfull and Loving Husband

Till Death Should Separate Them And Then And Therein the

Said Assembly the Said Margarett Eatton did Likewise Declare

She Took Said Richard William to be to her husband in like

Manner Promising to be unto him a Faithfull and Loving

Wife Till Death Should Separate Them and ..... the

Said Richard and Margaret / She According to the

Custom of Marriage Assuming the Name of Her Husband /

As a Further Confirmation Thereof Did Them (?) and These (?) to

Those Present Set Their Hands and we Who ........

Here Under Written being Among Other Present and ....

Solemnization for Said Marriage and Subscription for

Manner attest as Witnesses Thereunto know ... .. These

Persons Set Our Hands the Day and Year Above Written

See the original text

See the original signatures

Notes:

The table of names, above is in the same order as in the original document.

Some of the relationships of those above (by the transcriber of this document, James Quinn) are discussed below.

Jn^o Williams is likely the brother of Richard Williams. We know his brother John is of Gwynedd because he leaves a will and names Richard as brother and an overseer in 1726. This brother John may be the one who married Catherine Morgan in 1707 as found in the Radnor MM records. He is not the John, widower who marries Catherine Edwards (nee Griffith), widow, 1714 in the Gwynedd records (Catherine survives into the 1740s and leaves a will). It is very unlikely that either John or Richard are the sons of Robert Williams of Uwchlan (as some think) as this Robert appears to have a son John who married Jane Jones.

The center column seems to be signed by Quaker overseers, elders and neighbors who are not necessarily related to the couple being married. Thomas, Robert, Owen and Cadwalader Evans are the four original Evans brothers, first settlers of Gwynedd. Evan Pugh's mother was likely a sister of these four brothers and Hugh Evan is his son. Evan Pugh later migrates to Hampshire Co., Virginia (now West Virginia). John Humphrey is an original settler of Gwynedd. It is not known how he is related to the other Gwynedd settlers. He was one of the first Quaker ministers and later became wealthy and the community's money lender. Thomas Foulke is an original settler (his father Edward is the patriarch of all the Gwynedd Foulkes) and is married to Gwen Evans. Gwen Evans is the daughter of David ap Evan ap William. Her grandfather (Evan ap William of Llanfacreth, Wales) may be a lead on the ancestry of John Williams. Gainor Humphrey (m. Robert Humphrey) above is another sister of Gwen Evans and daughter of David ap Evan. Hugh Jones is possibly the son of John Humphrey.

No members of the Eaton family sign this document. Then Eatons are generally from Oxford township, but a branch of the family settled in Montgomery and Joseph Eaton became an early minister at Montgomery Baptist Church. It is assumed that Margaret's first husband was an Eaton. Oxford township, Philadelphia county, was a center of the Keith Schism in the 1690s which resulted in the conversion of many Quakers to Baptists. It is likely that Margaret Williams is the one who in the 1750s removes from Gwynedd MM to Montgomery Baptist Meeting.

The prominent position of the Morgan family on this document makes one wonder if Margaret is not a member of this family. However Edward and Elizabeth Morgan's daughter Margaret is thought to be the one who married Samuel Thomas 1713 at Gwynedd and later removes with him to Richland. The list of names appears to be Edward Morgan the patriarch of this family and his sons William, John, Daniel and Morgan. Son Edward Jr. may have died by this time and son Joseph (b. 1702) may have been too young to sign. Alternatively the Morgan family could be relatives of Richards or they could just be friends and neighbors. In that case, could Margaret be an Evans?

Ellin Roberts is probably the wife of John Roberts of Montgomery township. She may be a sister of James Williams (d. 1707, Cheltenham twp., m. Anne Lewis who later marries Rowland Roberts of Montgomery twp., children named Daniel, William and James).

Almost everyone above is either from the north of Wales or a descendant. They come from the mountainous region today marked by a 35 mile stretch of the highways A494 and A5 from Dolgellau to Llangollen and centered on Bala in Merionethshire. Much of this is the valley of the River Dee (Afon Dyfrdwy) and the western portion adjoins Snowdonia National Park.

The genealogy of Richard Williams is in a somewhat confused state on the internet at present. He is almost surely not the Richard Williams who moves to Loudoun Co., VA in the 1760s and writes a will in 1797. Richard and Margaret are much too old for this man who has a son Enos in 1759 (Margaret Eaton would likely be over 60 as the above is her second marriage and Enos birthdate is from his tomb stone at Fairfax MH). It is possible that they are related as Richard's possible brother William does go to Loudoun Co., VA in the 1740s.

HYPOTHETICAL GENEALOGY OF THE WILLIAMS FAMILY OF MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP