Frederick G. Williams is an important person in the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was born in Connecticut in 1787, engaged in at least one battle in the War of 1812 and settled in the region of Kirtland, Ohio, after marrying Rebecca Swain.
When the missionaries to the Lamanites passed through northeastern Ohio in the fall of 1830, his wife, Rebecca, joined their new religion quite quickly. Frederick was more methodical in his consideration of the new faith, but he was also baptized and confirmed. Shortly thereafter, he joined those four missionaries and accompanied them the rest of the way to western Missouri. He rejoined his family after nearly a year.
In 1832, Williams replaced Jesse Gause as a member of the First Presidency of the church, serving with Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. The Prophet Joseph Smith and Emma Smith named one of their sons Frederick after Williams.
Williams became disaffected from the church around 1837 but returned and joined the Saints in Missouri and Illinois. Although he did not serve again as a member of the First Presidency, he stayed close to the Prophet Joseph. Williams died in 1842 and was buried in a site that is now Madison Park in Quincy, Illinois. The headstone seen here is situated in the Woodland Cemetery in Quincy to honor his memory.