Eliezer Williams
Rev. Eliezer Williams was a Welsh clergyman and genealogist, who served the Earl of Galloway as a family tutor and genealogical researcher.
Early life
Williams was born in Pibwr-lwyd, Llangynnwr, Carmarthenshire, Wales, the eldest son of Peter Williams, one of the outstanding early leaders of Welsh Calvinistic Methodism. He was educated at Carmarthen grammar school and Jesus College, Oxford.Cleric
Williams was ordained deacon in 1777 and priest in 1778. He was a curate of Trelech, Carmarthenshire before becoming curate of Tetsworth, Oxfordshire. He became second master at the grammar school in Wallingford, Berkshire) and curate of the nearby village of Acton. Then, in 1780, he was made chaplain of under the command of Keith Stewart. He also tutored Lord Garlies, Stewart's nephew, who was a midshipman.After a few years, the Earl of Galloway asked Williams to become the family tutor. He also assisted with research into the Galloway ancestry, helping to establish the Scottish Earl's claim to the English peerage. A Genealogical Account of Lord Galloway's Family was published in 1794. In 1784, Williams was appointed vicar of Cynwyl Gaeo with Llansawel, Carmarthenshire. In 1799, he became curate of Chadwell St Mary, Essex and was also chaplain at Tilbury Fort. In 1809, while serving in Chadwell, he gave evidence in the case of White v Driver in which Elizabeth Manning's will was disputed on the grounds of insanity.