The John R. Williams papers contain correspondence and financial documents related to supplies for United States army troops at Fort Massac and Cantonment Wilkinsonville, on the Ohio River. Also included are documents and financial records related to Williams's mercantile business, based in Detroit, Michigan.
The Correspondence series comprises the bulk of the collection, and includes both incoming and outgoing letters related to the contract agent's work supplying garrisons at Fort Massac and Cantonment Wilkinsonville. Most items are official letters concerning military supplies, including correspondence from Oliver Ormsby and copies of outgoing letters written by John R. Williams. Two personal letters are a French-language letter Williams wrote to his uncle, Joseph Campau (July 24, 1800), and P. McNiff's letter challenging Williams to a duel (October 5, 1800). Williams wrote a brief note to Colonel David Strong stating the army's intention to cede the Wilkinsonville post to Native Americans (April 10, 1801). Two undated letter drafts, which Williams composed in French, discuss the author's army service and his desire to remain in Detroit.
The Receipts and Contracts series (52 items) contains material related to supplies for troops stationed at Fort Massac and Cantonment Wilkinsonville (1798-1801) John R. Williams's business affairs in Detroit, and to John R. Williams's business affairs in Detroit (1805-1816). Inventories, Invoices, and Reports concern supplies at Cantonment Wilkinsonville. The Miscellaneous series is comprised of 2 French-language items; one is a prayer entitled "La Journée Chrétienne."
John R. Williams was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1782, the son of Thomas Williams. After temporarily moving away during his childhood, he returned to Detroit as a teenager and worked for Joseph Campau, his uncle. At the age of 18, Williams joined the United States Army, serving as a "cornet," and he worked as a contract agent for Ormsby & Wilson, who supplied military forts along the Ohio River. In the early 1800s, Williams again returned to Detroit, where he and Campau began a successful mercantile business.
During the War of 1812, Williams served as captain of an artillery regiment, and was taken prisoner at the capture of Detroit. After the war, Williams began a political career, helping write the first charter for the city of Detroit and becoming the city's first elected mayor (he served several non-consecutive terms between 1824 and 1846). He later earned a commission as Major General of the Michigan Militia, a title he held until his death. Williams and his wife, Mary Mott, had ten children. Williams died in 1854.
