Person talk:Thomas Thompson (121)

Origins of Thomas T. Thompson [30 April 2013]

There isn't a lot of information online about Thomas T. Thompson except for the Stringtown history previously posted at Stringtown History, that link now being broken, permission was obtained earlier to reproduce the Stringtown History on my personal web site where it is linked to the profile page of Thomas T. Thompson.

Thomas married Frances Robinson of the Robinson family that figured prominently in Colonial Virginia along with their family ties to the Terrill and Beverley families. The stepping off point for these Robinson and Thompson families, bound for Kentucky, was Orange County, Virginia where both of Frances Robinson's grandparents lived; they were William Robinson (died in 1792) and William Terrill.

The D.A.R. applications posted in their DAR Genealogical Research Systemsuggests that Thomas T. Thompson was born in Prince William County, Virginia but I have not seen any corroborating evidence to confirm or disprove that information. A couple of the DAR applications state Grant County, Kentucky as the birth place of Thomas T. Thompson but that information can be ignored since it is known that Thomas T. Thompson married in Virginia and census records in 1850 and 1860 (Grant County, Kentucky) both state Virginia as his place of birth.

Oral tradition has been passed down that suggested that as each child of Thomas and Frances married, they were given a tract of land, a slave and assistance with building their first home. I first heard this story from my grandfather, Howard Francis Boyle, who was born and raised in Hinton, Harrison County, Kentucky. A couple of decades later I saw the "Stringtown History" article which expanded on the story my grandfather related to me; both mentioned a slave being given to each newlywed couple. If this part of the story were true, then Thomas must have given away all of his slaves before the 1850 Slave Enumeration. Thomas is listed as a slaveholder on that census as well as the 1860 Slave Enumeration but these slaves appear to have originated from Frances Robinson's father who transferred two slaves to her in his Last Will and Testament written in 1840 and probated in 1841. "I give to my daughter Francess a negro woman Fanny and her child Rankin to her and her children but not to be liable to sale by her said husband nor subject to the payment of any debt that may now exist or may hereafter be created." The 1850 Slave enumeration shows a female and a male slave with the male being younger. In 1860 there are three slaves; two appear to be the same, supposed, mother and child and the third was an additional adult male.

I have never been able to extend beyond the generation of Thomas T. Thompson and ask the community for assistance, if any have additional information.--Dschimka 11:08, 30 April 2013 (EDT)