Life History

Notes

• "William Few, the first, father of Senator William and of Ignatius and Benjamin, died in this county in 1789.  His children were:  Benjamin, William, Ignatius, Hannah Howard, and Elizabeth Andrew [sic, for Andrews]. ... He came from Maryland and was the grandfather of Dr Ignatius A Few.  There were many Marylanders in Columbia"
  --  The Sunny South (now The Atlanta Constitution), Atlanta, Georgia, 28 July 1901, p 8, Section on William Few (died 1789) and Sons, Religion Section,  via Ancestry.com, accessed 27 November 2017
  
  William Few was born 08 Jun 1748 in Baltimore County, MD, and died 16 Jul 1828 in Fishkill, NY.
  He married Catharine Nicholson, daughter of Commadore James Nicholson and Frances Witter.
  More About William Few:
  Elected Senator - Georgia
  Children of William Few and Catharine Nicholson are:
  Mary Few, b. 07 Mar 1791, NY, d. 1872
  Frances C Few, b. 01 Jul 1789, NY
  Matilda Few, b. 1793, NY, d. 1878
  Caleb Asbury Few, b. 1819, SC, d. 1892
  Albert Few, b. 1795, NY, d. 1810
  --  Nicholson Family, http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/n/i/c/John-D-Nicholson/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0077.html
  
  U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
  William Few
  Birth 1748 MD
  Spouse Catherine Nicholson
  Spouse Birth 1764 NY
  Marriage 1788 NY
  
  U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970
  Claims through Col William Few
  "Col William Few was active in stimulating the spirit of independence and when war broke out he went to the front and won the rank of Colonel on the field.  During the war Col Few represented Georgia in Congress and helped frame and signed the Constitution as a member of the Federal Convention.  Furthermore Col Few was the only Southern Senator sitting at the opening of Congress, March 14th, 1789.  He was Senator from Georgia.  His portait hangs in Independence Hal, Phil."
  Colonel, Georgia Militia, Hartman's Regiment
  William Few b 1748 d 1828, wife Catherine Nicholson, b 1764 d 1854 married 1788
  Francis [Frances] Few b 1789 d 1885, married 1822, wife of Albert Chrystie, b 1790 d 1856
  etc
  
  U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989
  Frances Few
  Birth 20 Apr 1789
  Baptism 1 Jul 1789 New York City, New York, USA
  Father William Few
  Mother Catherine Nicholson
  Reformed Church Record Book, p 256
  
  Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1600-1889
  William Few
  descendant of William Few who came to the colonies with WIlliam Penn
  Birth 8 Jun 1748 Baltimore County, Maryland
  1758 his family settled in Orange County, North Carolina
  Became a lawyer, practiced in Augusta, Georgia, and was a member of the Georgia assembly and council
  1778-82 Georgia representative to the Continental Congress
  1787 delegate to the Constitutional Convention for the USA
  1788 Elected Senator for Georgia
  1794-97 Judge of the Georgia Circuit Court, delegate to the Georgia Constitutional Convention
  July 1799 moved to New York
  1802-1805 elected to the NY state legislature
  Later became the US Commissioner of Loans
  Death 16 Jul 1828 Fishkill, New York
  --  Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography, Volumw II, p 446, 1887 edition
  
  William was named in his father's will of 1789 as one of the executors of his father's estate,  His father William died in July 1794.
  
  William Few Will
  Page 1:
  Mentioned in the will:
  Wife Ann Few
  Stepdaughter Katherine Hunt
  Children Benjamin, William, Ignatius, Hannah Howard and Elizabeth Andrews
  Will Page 2:
  Mentioned in this page of the will:
  Wife Ann Few
  As executors:
  friend Benjamin Andrews (apparently his son-in-law)
  sons Benjamin Few and Ignatius Few
  Rhesa Howard Esquire (William's son-in-law, husband of Hannah Howard)
  --  Will of William Few, written in Columbia County, Georgia, on 24 October 1789, 5 years before his death in 1794;  probate docuemnts date from 21 July 1794.  --  Columbia County, Georgia, Court Records, accessed on Ancestry.com, Georgia, Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992, 27 November 2017.
  
  U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930
  Col William Few
  Age at Death 81, born abt 1747
  Death 16 Jul 1828 residence of his son-in-law Mr Chrystie, Fishkill
  Published 21 Jul 1828 New York Evening Post, New York City, New York, USA
  
  "The New York Post is an American daily newspaper that is primarily distributed in New York City and its surrounding area. It is the 13th-oldest newspaper in the United States, and it had the sixth-highest circulation in 2009.  Established in 1801 by federalist and Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, it became a respected broadsheet in the 19th century, under the name New York Evening Post.  The modern version of the paper is published in tabloid format."
  --  "New York Post," Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Post
  
  -------------------------
  William Few Jr
  Birth Jun 6, 1748 Baltimore County, Maryland
  Death Jul 16, 1828 Fishkill, Dutchess County, New York, USA
  
  US Senator, Signer of Constitution. Born into a small farm family he overcame poverty, limited educational opportunities and family hardships to become one of America's important military and political leaders. His passion for American freedom was fueled when his brother was hanged by Loyalists for his part in a North Carolina frontier uprising organized to protest the heavy taxes being levied by Britain. The family fled to Georgia leaving Few behind to tie up family financial and personal affairs. While in North Carolina he participated in the state's militia training, but was unable to serve due to his family obligations. However, the training proved invaluable when he rejoined his family in their new home near Augusta, Georgia.
  
  When he moved to Georgia he joined the local militia and spent the next few years training the citizen- soldiers. In 1778 he saw his first military action when his regiment attempted to impede a British invasion from Florida. The battle resulted in a sound defeat by the British but inspired the young soldier to review the militia's strategy. Later that year the British captured Savannah almost completely destroying the Georgia militia.
  
  Few's regiment, of which he was second in command, regrouped and using "guerrilla warfare type" tactics kept the British and Loyalist forces off guard protecting Augusta and keeping them from getting a stronger foothold in the area. Soon the forces were diverted to Virginia and Few was credited with helping save Georgia from falling completely into enemy hands. The leadership he displayed as a soldier propelled him into local political prominence and led the area's political leaders to appoint him to the Continental Congress and as a delegate to the Continental Convention.
  
  Even though he was not overtly active at the convention he worked hard in the Congress to assure the Constitution's ratification. After the new document was ratified he was selected as one of Georgia's original US Senators. He served from 1789 to 1793 before returning to Georgia where he served another term in the state legislature and sat as a circuit court judge. In 1799 he left Georgia and moved to his wife's home state of New York.
  
  While there he served in that state's legislature, was the state's prison inspector and worked as director and president of the Manhattan Bank before retiring to his New York country home. He died and was buried in New York in 1828, but in 1976 his remains were moved to Saint Paul's Cemetery in Augusta, Georgia.
  (bio by: Bigwoo)
  
  Spouse Catherine Nicholson Few (1754 - 1844)
  
  Burial Saint Paul's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia, USA
  
  Maintained by Find A Grave Mar 15, 1999
  --  Find A Grave Memorial #4723, https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4723
  -------------------------
  

Sources

• 1. Genealogy.com Trees
• 2. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
• 3. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 4. Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1600-1889
• 5. U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930
• 6. U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989
• 7. The Atlanta Constitution
• 8. U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970
• 9. Columbia County, Georgia, Court Records