Page "James Williams (Revolutionary War)" Paragraph 2

By 1773, Williams had started a farm and built a mill in the Ninety-Six District on the western frontier ( in what is modern Laurens County, South Carolina ), and was an officer in the local militia.

Tensions rose before the revolution, as many of his neighbors took Loyalist positions.

Williams, however, supported the American cause.

He joined the local Committee of Safety, and was elected to the state's Provincial Congress in 1775 and again in 1776.