Ephraim Williams
| Ephraim Williams Junior | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 7, 1715 Newton, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Died | September 8, 1755 (aged 40) at Lake George, Province of New York during the Battle of Lake George |
| Nationality | British American |
| Occupation | Soldier, Land owner |
| Known for | Benefactor of Williams College |
Ephraim Williams Jr. (March 7, 1715 [O.S. February 24, 1714] – September 8, 1755) was a soldier from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was killed in the French and Indian War. He was the benefactor of Williams College, located in northwestern Massachusetts. The school's athletic programs, the Ephs (rhymes with "chiefs"), are named after Williams.
Ephraim Jr. was the eldest son of Ephraim Sr. (1691–1754) and Elizabeth Jackson Williams (d.1718). He was born in Newton, Massachusetts, and was raised by his maternal grandparents after his mother died giving birth to a second son, Thomas, in 1718. His family was influential in western Massachusetts; so influential, in fact, that they were often referred to as the "River Gods" (referencing the Connecticut River, the major waterway in the area).
In his youth, Ephraim Jr. was a sailor and travelled several times to Europe, visiting England, Holland and Spain.
In 1742, at age 27, he moved to where his father had relocated, and purchased large tracts of land in the young settlement. He joined the militia and was commissioned captain.
In 1745 during King George's War (1745–1748), he was put in charge of building and defending Fort Massachusetts and the line of defences in western Connecticut and Massachusetts. He was absent when the fort was taken and destroyed by the French in August 1746. After the war ended, Williams spent considerable effort urging the settlement of new townships in the western portion of Massachusetts along the Hoosac River at the end of the 1740s. Many of the early settlers in this region were soldiers stationed at Fort Massachusetts during the war, including Williams himself.
However, within just a few years, Williams was again called into service as part of the French and Indian War (1754–1763). Williams, now a colonel, took part in William Johnson's expedition against Crown Point, New York, leading a regiment of ten companies. Among those companies were Burke's Rangers and Roger's Rangers. Among his aides was William Williams from Connecticut, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
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