On September 9, 1775, the NC Provincial Congress appointed William Williams as Colonel/Commandant over the Martin County Regiment of Militia. He resigned his commission on April 2, 1778 to take his seat in the NC Senate.

In March of 1776, Col. William Williams led his Martin County Regiment of Militia to Currituck County and quelled a fairly large Loyalist insurrection in that county. The NC Provincial Congress provided him with a written gratitude for his handling of this incident.

William Williams was a delegate to the Third Provincial Congress of August 1775 in Hillsborough; the Fourth Provincial Congress of April 1776 in Halifax; and, the Fifth Provincial Congress of November 1776, also at Halifax. He was elected to represent Martin County in the NC Senate in 1777 and 1778.

William Williams, the son of Samuel Williams and Elizabeth Alston, was born c.1725 in Chowan County, NC. He married Elizabeth Whitmell on October 2, 1746 in Bertie County, NC, and they had four known children - Temperance, Elizabeth Whitmell, Samuel, and William II. He died on December 22, 1778 in Martin County, NC.

One source asserts that this man was an Adjutant and a Captain in the NC Continental Line, but that information is erroneous. It is possible that that Continental officer was this man's son, or other relative, but was definitely not this man.

Williamston, the county seat of Martin County, was named after this William Williams.