William A. (William Asbury) Williams

Working under the name William A. Williams, William Asbury Williams (1854–1938) is credited as the author of Early American Families, the Williams, Moore, McKitrick, Fonda, Van Alen, Lanning, King, Justice, Cunningham, Longacre, Swanson and Cox Families, published in Philadelphia in 1916. The book gathers lines of descent and related family histories across more than three centuries, showing the scale of his genealogical ambitions.

The surviving record available here points most clearly to Williams as a dedicated compiler of family history rather than as a novelist or literary essayist. His book was substantial enough to include portrait plates and extensive ancestral material, and it has been preserved in library and public-domain collections, which suggests lasting interest from genealogists and local-history readers.

Because the readily available sources are limited, many personal details about his life are not easy to confirm from the material reviewed. What can be said with confidence is that his name remains attached to a large, detailed genealogy that continues to circulate as a reference work for readers interested in early American families.