John Williams (New England minister)

This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

John Williams (10 December 1664 – 12 June 1729)^{[citation needed]} was a New England Puritan minister who was the noted pastor of Deerfield from 1688 to his death. He and most of his family were taken captive in the Raid on Deerfield in 1704 during Queen Anne's War. He was held by the French in Montreal for more than two years, who wanted a high-ranking French pirate in exchange. After being released in late 1706, Williams became even more notable for The Redeemed Captive (1707), his account of his captivity. It became a well-known work in the genre of captivity narratives.

Four of his five surviving children were also released in 1706 and ultimately returned to Deerfield. But his youngest daughter Eunice, seven when captured, had been adopted by a Mohawk family at Kahnawake and became thoroughly assimilated. The French would not take by force captives adopted by their Mohawk allies. She married a Mohawk man and had three children with him.

Williams was a central voice in the smallpox inoculation controversy of 1721. He was an uncle of the notable pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards.