Israel was born in Deerfield, Massachusetts, and settled in nearby Hatfield, where he was considered to be the wealthiest resident. He held town and county offices and was a high ranking officer in the French and Indian War (1754-1763). By the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) he was an outspoken Tory who was imprisoned for several months for his actions.
In 1734, Williams purchased a young African American girl named Kate. In 1750, he purchased from his cousin Ephraim Williams, Jr., a boy named Prince, and in 1753, he enslaved a teenaged girl named Blossom.
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