From History of Walworth County Wisconsin by Albert Clayton Beckwith, Vol. II, 
publ. 1912, Page 1416-1419
 
ROYAL JOY WILLIAMS, whose family gave the name to Williams Bay, and one of the 
pioneers about the shores of Lake Geneva, was born in Conway, Franklin county, 
Massachusetts, May 1, 1818.  He was descended from Robert WILLIAMS, a 
shoemaker, who settled at Roxbury, Massachusetts, during the early settlement 
of New England.  Robert's son Richard, who settled in Taunton, had a son named 
Daniel, who was born about 1682, and Daniels' son was named Daniel, the latter 
born in 1718 at Taunton, Massachusetts; Daniel, the second, married Rebecca 
HUNT, and one of their ten children was Ephraim, who was born December 27, 
1747, old style, or January 7, 1748, new style calendar.  Ephraim married 
Mercy DANIELS, of Mendor, and moved to Ashfield; their eighth child, Israel, 
was born September 24, 1789, married Lavina JOY, and they were the parents of 
Royal Joy WILLIAMS and six other children, of whom William died young, while 
the family lived in the East; Francis, Moses Austin, Israel, Festus, Royal, 
Lavina and Hannah came to Walworth county, Wisconsin.
 
Royal J. WILLIAMS lived in Massachusetts until his nineteenth year, then, in 
August, 1836, he came to Walworth county with his younger brother Austin, 
their two brothers Moses and Israel having preceded them in July of the same 
year, and had entered a claim for the subject, comprising the north half of 
section 13, Walworth township.  As soon as the subject came he took possession 
of his claim.  Moses' wife, Lucinda S. WILLIAMS, taught the first school in 
the town of Walworth during the winter of 1838 and 1839.  At that time no 
settlement had been made on the prairies, only a few claims having been made 
on the lake shore.  In 1837 Israel WILLIAMS and wife came here and located 
along the south shore of the lake, opposite Williams Bay, having brought with 
them the rest of their children and Mrs. Lavina WILLIAMS' mother, Hannah L. 
JOY.  Mrs. JOY died in 1839.  The WILLIAMS family owned a large amount of 
land, and they moved to different locations, finally gathering about what has 
since been known as Williams Bay.  About 1840 they began building the first 
house in what was later Williams Bay; it is still standing.  For this they cut 
timber on the south side of the lake and rafted it down to the village of Lake 
Geneva and had it sawed into lumber for their house, all of oak but the 
floor.  They added to their original holdings until they had about one 
thousand acres at the bay near there, some lying across the bay on the south 
shore.
 
Seven children were born to Israel WILLIAMS and wife of whom William died when 
young in the East; Moses, who lived south of Walworth, later north of the 
lake, is now deceased, and is buried at Delavan cemetery; Austin, who lived 
near Williams Bay is also deceased, and is buried at Delavan; Israel lived at 
what afterwards became Kayes Park on the south side of the lake, later lived 
in the southeastern part of Linn township on Bloom Prairie; Festus, who was 
the youngest of the family, lived a while at Whitewater, also in Virginia, 
later in life at Williams Bay and Delavan; Francis, second in order of birth, 
spent most of his life in Connecticut, where he engaged in the ministry; 
Lavina married John FOWLE and lived at what is now called South Milwaukee, 
being now deceased; Hannah was the wife of Robert E. RUSSELL and she died in 
Minneapolis.
 
Royal J. WILLIAMS, of this sketch, was a chairmaker by trade.  He returned 
East in 1844 to his birthplace in Massachusetts.  Early in 1848 he married 
Lucretia S. WARREN, a native of Conway, Massachusetts, born November 9, 1824, 
the daughter of Samuel and Abigail (WILLIAMS) WARREN.  Her father was also 
born at Conway and was a farmer all his life, dying in Massachusetts when 
eighty-four years of age.  The mother of Mrs. WILLIAMS was born at Ashfield, 
Massachusetts, and died there when sixty-nine years old.  She was of Welsh 
lineage.  The eldest of the children of Royal J. WILLIAMS and wife was born in 
Conway, Franklin county, that state, November 29, 1848.  In 1853 the subject 
and wife and son George moved back to Williams Bay, where they accumulated 
some land.  In 1865 he moved to Virginia and the following year moved his 
family there, and in 1867 moved to Connecticut where he remained three years, 
and there George B., the son, grew to manhood, working a while at farming and 
later at railroading.  In the spring of 1871 the family came back to this 
county, and the subject farmed on his two hundred acres of land near Williams 
Bay; he also owned other lands.  He was a painter before the war, but after 
the war farmed and fed live stock for the market.  During the war, in 1862, 
the governor appointed him to enroll the township.  He was also a surveyor and 
notary public quite a while, and he was for a number of years assessor of the 
township of Walworth.  He was an ardent Republican and active in the ranks and 
worked for the general good of the community.  He was always ready to extend a 
helping hand to the needy.  He died at the old homestead at Williams Bay, 
August 26, 1886, when sixth-eight years old, his widow surviving until 
December 27, 1907, reaching the age of about eighty-three years.
 
Four children were born to Royal J. WILLIAMS and wife: George B., who lives in 
the old home; Edward F., Harley and Ellen.
 
George B. WILLIAMS is a man of generous nature and unassuming manner, a 
successful farmer and he has kept the old place well improved.  He is a member 
of the Congregational church.
 
Harley WILLIAMS was born at Williams Bay August 13, 1861, and he died May 30, 
1910.  He married Matilda PIGGINS, daughter of William and Matilda (BUGG) 
PIGGINS, who was born at Racine, where her parents were old pioneers.  They 
came from Falkenham, England, coming to Kenosha, Wisconsin (then Southport), 
where they were married.  About two years later they moved to Racine, where 
the father spent the rest of his life, dying May 5, 1897, his widow surviving 
until February 12, 1912, being one of the oldest settlers of Racine at the 
time of her death.  Harley WILLIAMS and wife spent two years on a fruit farm 
in Michigan, then returned to Racine and in the fall of 1887 came to Williams 
Bay.  He took charge of his father's estate, and before the railroad came 
through platted what is now the main part of the village, and in 1893 he 
platted another addition, still another two years later; now the entire farm 
of two hundred acres is covered by the village.  In 1898 he went into the coal 
business, which he gave up in 1900 and entered the real estate business, which 
he continued until his death, May 30, 1910, as stated above.  He was a member 
of the Modern Woodmen.  His family consisted of three children, Harley Royal, 
born August 3, 1887, married Nettie WANKERT, of Sharon and they have a 
daughter, Lorraine Matilda; Ellen G., now seventeen years old, and Lucretia 
M., aged fourteen, are at home with their mother in Williams Bay.
 
Ellen, the only daughter of Royal J. WILLIAMS and wife, died in Connecticut 
when about fourteen years old.  Edward F., the middle son, is now at Beloit, 
but he was recently of Plainview, Texas.
 
Submitted by Carol