Brigadier General Otho Holland Williams (1749-1794). This painting by Maryland's most famous portrait painter, Charles Willson Peale, is on display at the Society of Cincinnati, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, Washington DC.
Image courtesy Society of Cincinnati
The founder of Williamsport, Brigadier General Otho Holland Williams, had rather humble beginnings. He was born in 1749, the second child of Joseph and Prudence Holland Williams at their tavern at the mouth of the Seneca River in Montgomery County. In about 1730 Joseph and his brother Basil Williams sold their properties and moved west. Basil lease property on the Conococheague Manor, while Joseph moved to the "mouth of the Conococheague" (later Williamsport) where he opened a tavern.
