Person:Abraham Thomas (2)

Revolutionary War Pension Information

Information from “Virginia/West Virginia Genealogical Data from Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Records”, Vol. 5, compiled by Patrick G. Wardell, Lt. Col. U.S. Army Ret. :

Thomas, Abraham - born 1756 in Virginia; entered service 1776 near Western Pennsylvania in Pennsylvania militia company; entered service there later to fight Indians, moved 1780 from Pennsylvania to Kentucky Territory where entered service in Virginia regiment of General Clark's troops; received Pension 1833 in Miami County, Ohio, died 4/5/1843; married there 7/5/1821 Polly Swailes, who received Pension there 1855 at age 79; widow granted Bounty Land Warrant #84012 there in 1855, application for bounty warrant witnessed by William Swailes (no kinship given); widow resided 1857 in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. F-W11622, R2367.

Biography of Abraham Thomas

http://www.all-my-stuff.com/gene/Localities/Ohio/Miami%20Co/Abraham%20Thomas02.htm

Notes

From "Germanna History", Notes: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhs58.html

Nr. 1441: Perhaps the best known of the twenty-five offspring of Michael Thomas was Abraham Thomas. He seems to have been a true frontiersman who probably never set foot inside a schoolroom; however, he was at home in situations where we would fear to tread. He seems more real than many of the children of Michael Thomas because he told several incidents of his life to an Ohio newspaper which published them. These comments found their way into the Draper manuscripts and are available to read today. Excerpts have been published in these notes.

Abraham was born, in 1756, to Michael Thomas and his first wife Catherine, in Culpeper Co., VA (now Madison Co.). When he was, in his own words, "...a chunk of a lad...", he and a brother drove a flock of sheep from Culpeper County to the vicinity of Red Stone Fort (about 150 miles). His father had purchased some land and was probably transferring his goods and livestock to the new farm. Abraham wrote that he and his brother lived the winter there on what they could provide for themselves. Probably they shot a lot of game. He admits, though, that he had relatives in the area, probably his sister Margaret, who had married Everhart Hupp.

Before he was nineteen years old, Abraham married Susanna Smith, the daughter of Adam Smith and an unknown wife. Probably Abraham did not have a shilling in his pocket when he married, but his life shows that he lacked nothing in the way of confidence. Susanna was actually a cousin of Abraham. Her grandfather was John Michael Smith, Jr., and her grandmother was Anna Magdalena Thomas, who was a sister of Michael Thomas. So, Abraham and Susannah were first cousins, once removed. Though the marriage probably took place in Culpeper County, they seemed to have lived the first several years in the vicinity of Ten Mile Creek.

Not only was Abraham busy getting set up in a new life with his wife, he was active in the military campaigns which took place about this same time. He served with Michael Cressup in the Lord Dunmore War, and in the Revolution, though both of these services seem to have short engagements. He was a scout with Daniel Boone against the Indians in the 1780 Ohio campaign, and with George Rogers Clark against the Indians in Ohio in 1782. On one of these campaigns he claimed that he was the first white man on the future site of Cincinnati.

Abraham continued to live in Fayette County for several years, as did his father. For a while he was at Fisher's Station in Kentucky, which his Fisher cousins had established. In 1808 he migrated to Miami County, Ohio, where he spent the rest of his life. He outlived Susanna Smith and married a widow, Mary Swailes. He lived for 87 years, having missed the disease and bullets and scalping knives that took the toll of so many people. Abraham and Susanna were the parents of William, Michael, Adam, Ezekiel, Catherine, Abraham, Samuel, Mary, and Peter. (31 Jul 02)

1. ↑ Blankenbaker, John (e-mail: john@@germanna.com). Germanna History.