6. Amos and Mary (Bruce) Thompson

Amos Thompson was born in 1786 in Walker Valley, which was in Montgomery County, Virginia, at the time. Amos was the fourth child of Andrew and Ann Thompson.

Amos married Mary Bruce at about the age of 20 [Harris, 1976 notes]. Mary was born in 1787, the daughter of William and Annie (Ballard) Bruce [Farr, Ancestral File]. The Bruces came from Albermarle, Virginia.

The children of Amos and Mary are: (Birth source:)
 
 

The names of children of Amos are clearly identified in his will [Bland Wills, page 374, 18 Apr 1870 ], a transcript of which is provided at the end of this chapter. Both sexes and birth order are nicely corroborated in the 1830 census [Douthat, Wythe Settlers], and fit well with other known birth dates and marriage records. The birth order is clearly indicated in the will, with the single exception of Andrew G., who is mentioned in the first paragraph as being heir to the farmstead. The 1850 census [Wythe Census 1850, pg 678, family 1608] shows Andrew living with his father on the homestead, which corroborates the will and shows his true age. Since the birth dates of Ann and Harvey are also given in the 1850 census, and since the order of all other children is given by the will, it becomes easy to place Andrew and complete the birth order, as follows:
 
 

James Fleming

James Fleming Thompson was born in Wythe Virginia. Later records indicate he was born 23 Nov 1808 in Bland County. In fact, the borders of the counties changed in 1861, making both statements essentially true.

James married Sarah (Sallie) Hearne, 19 Mar 1835 [Hearne, History of Hearne, pg 585]. Sarah was born 24 Apr 1814, the daughter of William and Susannah (Hicks) Hearne, also of Wythe, Virginia.

Their children were:
 
 

The basic structure of the family was provided to me by Linda Long [Long, GEDCOM]. I have since verified the sources through Bland, Wythe and Tazewell public records. Details on sources are provided in the descendancy listing in Appendix B.

Death records tell of a Susan Thompson, b. 1854, who died as an infant. The records state a James Thompson was the father. She may belong to this family. (See Baby Susan Thompson, Chapter 11).

Family tradition has long maintained that James F. Thompson, father of David Fleming Thompson, and James Thompson, son of Amos and Mary Thompson are the same. Doris Harris was told (or concluded) they were the same after discussion she had with a Bruce in 1976 [Harris, 1976 notes]. In support of this, Netti Schreiner-Yantis [Schreiner-Yantis, Archives of Tazewell, pg 165] abstracts the will of George Wagoner, 25 April 1822. George's son, Adam is listed as getting land on Kimberling Fork. Adam was father of Franklin Wagoner, who was first husband of Catherine Y. Munsey, who later married David Fleming Thompson. Executor was William Bruce, who was a brother of Mary Bruce, wife of Amos Thompson. Amos is listed as a witness, he was the father of a James Thompson. William Hearne is a witness; our James F. Thompson married a Sallie Hearne whose father was William Hearne.

Josiah M.

Josiah M. Thompson was born in Dec. 1810, in Wythe County, Virginia.

Josiah married (1) Anna Devor, 12 Nov 1837. Anna was born in 1817. Their children:
 
 

Josiah married (2) Barbara (last name unknown)

Josiah married (3) Phebe Repass, 29 July 1878

Note: Blair says Margaret S.

Details about the sources of information for this family are found in Appendix B.

Joshua B.

Joshua Bruce Thompson is found in the Wythe Census of 1850 [Wythe Census 1850, pg 678, family 1608]. He is living with his parents, apparently because his wife has died. Here, Joshua's age is given as 38, so we can fix his birth year as 1812. The portion of the census record which applies to him:
 
 

Joshua's marriage record gives his birth as 12 Oct 1812.

Details about the sources for this family are found in Appendix B.

David R.

David R. Thompson's information is based on his will position, the known birth dates of siblings, and confirmed by the 1830 Census. There is an excellent choice for David in Tazewell and Mercer counties. He and his wife Angel have a son they name Amos D, which would be a family name. David was alive in 1870 at the writing of his father Amos's will. There are no David Thompsons in Wythe during these years, and this is the next closest David Thompson. He is the right age: David's birth order would place his birth year at 1814, which is the year that the David in the census would calculate as.

There is another possible choice for David. There is a David Thompson at Walker's Creek in 1880 age 64. His wife, Nancy, aged 62, and children J. Nelson M 22, and M. A. E. Thompson F 19. See: 1880 Census Page 73C. I cannot find this David on other censuses.

In June 2005, I was contacted by a descendant of John Milton Thompson, a son of the David Thompson of Mercer. A family bible belonging to John Milton was referenced and I was told it listed Amos Thompson as the father of David, grandfather of John Milton. I have not seen a copy or transcript of the bible, but I was told several other children of David and Angeline were listed, this information follows the census information, below.

Here is the reconstruction of David and Angeline Thompson of Tazewell / Mercer and their children.

Until I have verified the family bible information, nothing can be certain, but I already had a preference for this family as the David the son of Amos. If the family bible information corroborates, then this is indeed the family.

According to my source, the following additional children are mentioned in the family bible in addition to those listed above: Calvin, Mariah, Bettie, Robert, Sallie, George, Julia E, Allen M., Fanny C, Allie N. None of these children have birth years or order. I suspect some of these are the same children in different nicknames, and some are new children who didn't make in onto the census record because of death as children. For example Sallie is likely a nickname for Sarah, Fanny C. is probably Frances C., Allen M, Allie N and Alice M are likely the same child. George is probably the same as George W. Obviously, more investigation is needed.

Francis M.

Francis M. Thompson lived in Giles. He and his wife Elizabeth are found in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses [Thompson, Letter 16 Oct 1994]. His birth year varies from 1808 to 1806, depending on which census you look at. This fits in well with the ages of his siblings and his birth order. Elizabeth Bland was the daughter of James and Ida (Dawson) Bland of Giles [Davis, Giles Census 1860].

The family of Francis and Elizabeth are as follows. Names of spouses given in [Davis, Giles Census 1860.]
 
 

The last two children, Edgar and Alice, are less certain than the other children. They appear in only the 1870 Giles Census. [Thompson, Letter 16 Oct 1994]. Their birth years make Elizabeth 44 and 46 at their births, which is not unheard of. However, they do not appear to belong to any of the other children. In 1870, Jane is still home, aged 22, as is William, aged 19. Neither are good candidates for parents of the children. Jane married in 1875. I conclude they are children of Francis and Elizabeth.

*Barry Thomas of Catawba, Va., says that the name is Nannie V. Thompson. She married Charles C. Thomas (b. 1848) on 23 Mar 1876 in Bland Co., Va. [Thomas, Letter 6 Aug 1999]. The age given in Nannie's marriage certificate places her birth in 1859, as opposed to the 1852 birth suggested by the 1860 census.

*Tony Eaton has a family bible which lists James A. and Mary Sue (Hess) Thompson and family, and descendants. It lists James birth as 10 Oct 1844 and death as 19 Oct 1897. Mary's death is listed as 4 June 1929. Myrl Thompson points out that after six children, Mary and James A. divorced about 1887 and she remarried James Scott of Ft. Chriswell, Wythe. [McGuire, Letter Letter 30 July 1999, cites Thompson Letter 8 May 1999]

John F.

John F.'s information is based on his will position, the known birth dates of siblings, and confirmed by the 1830 Census. Nothing more is known about John F. Thompson.

Elisha G.

Elisha G. Thompson is found in the Tazewell Census in 1850 [Tazewell Census 1850, pg 462, family 206].
 
 

He is found again in the 1860 Census in the "Eastern District" of Tazewell [Tazewell Census 1860, pg 727].
 
 

The will for E.G. Thompson (probated 8 Apr 1892) is found on [Bland Wills, page 483]. It mentions: a son Martin L. Thompson, a daughter Ollie Wiley, grandchildren who are children of (presumably deceased) Samuel E. Thompson, and a son Marian A. Thompson.

All three of these records, along with supporting information from descendants make it clear this is the same family. The will shows both Martin L. and Samuel E. are sons of the same Elisha.. The family bible of Ruby Stowers at Rocky Gap says that Elisha was married to Elvira Hick, and lived at Clear Fork. Ruby told me he lived "Up on the mountain, above the church at Sunny Point, 3 miles from Rocky Gap," which is at Clear Fork. Ruby comes from Elisha's daughter Ella Ollie, who married Newton Jackson Wiley (also of Clear Fork). The bible says Ella Ollie had a brother named Martin, who moved to White Gate (Giles), later dying 11 Nov 1939. At the Presbyterian Chapel in White Gate, there is indeed a gravestone for Martin Thompson 1856-1939. The death years match exactly, and the birth year fits quite well too.

James Jackson "Jack" Vest of Dublin, VA, says that his grandfather's name was Martin Luther Thompson. He confirms that Martin Luther was a direct descendant of Andrew Thompson, who "came to America from Ireland". Jack's parents are John Covington Vest (1877) and Julia Mae Thompson (1888). He is certain that Elvira's last name was Hicks.

The 1860 census record provides additional confidence that Elisha is the son of Amos, because Elisha named one of his sons Amos.

I conclude that all three records are talking of the same Elisha G. Thompson. Each is married to an Elvira (Elmira) of the same age. Each has the right age to fit in with the will order of Amos. There are no other Elisha Thompsons in the area at the time.

There are, however, some unanswered questions about what happened to the children. One can understand that young children like Rebecca might die in a ten year span between 1850 and 1860, but where was the 15 year old Mitchell in 1850? Additional research is needed, here.

Anne (Hutsell)

Anne Thompson was born in 1824 in Wythe. She is still at home, age 26 in 1850. Her marriage record says she was 42 when she married in 1866.

She married Joseph C. Hutsell on 1 Feb 1866 [Bland Marriage Registry, pg 2]. Joseph, b. 1818 in Wythe, son of M. & J. A. Hutsell. Anne was his second wife. He was married first to Elizabeth Bruce [LDS IGI, batch 7209416-41].

Andrew G.

The will of Amos makes it clear that there are both an Andrew G. Thompson and a Harvey G. Thompson. The 1850 Census lists both Andrew, age 23, who is married to Sarah, and Harvey, age 20 (very hard to read). The History of Bland County [Bland History, pg 160] makes it clear that Andrew G. was married to Sarah Hicks. Harris does not list an Andrew nor Harvey, but a "Garland", who married Sarah Hicks. Parke Bogle cites the Bland County death record of John Hoge Thompson as showing that Andrew's middle name was Garland [Bogle, Letter 23 Aug 1994]. This explains Harris's information.

Andrew G. was born 1827, in Wythe [Wythe Census 1850]. He married Sarah M. Hicks, the daughter of Josiah Hicks of Hicksville, Virginia [Bland History, pg 160, "Kicksville" is a typo]. She was born in 1830, according to the 1850 census. This family is also found in the 1860 census as family 1225.

The children of Andrew G. and Sarah I have found to date are:
 
 

Harvey G.

Harvey G. Thompson was born in 1830, according to the 1850 census. He marries about 1854 and moves to a tract of land in Burkes Garden next to George and Barbara (Thompson) Snider [Thompson, Letter 17 Nov 1994]. (Barbara, the daughter of Andrew Thompson, Jr.)

The family of Harvey G., as provided by the 1860 and 1870 Tazewell Censuses are:
 
 

(In some of my previous research, I had listed that Harvey G. was married to Sarah or Sarah Hicks. This was based on a misinterpretation of the data on hand at the time, and is incorrect.)

Transcript of Amos Thompson's Last Will and Testament.

[Bland Wills, page 374, April 18, 1870.]

Know all men by these present that I, Amos Thompson of Walker Creek in the County of Bland and Sate of Virginia (Farmer) being in feeble health and of sound & disposing mind & memory, do make & proclaim this my last will & testament hereby revoking all former wills by me at any time heretofore made. And as to my worldly estate & all the property Real Personal or mixed of which I shall die seized & possessed or to which I shall be entitled at the time of my decease. I devise bequeath and dispose thereof in the manner following to wit:

First, my will is that all my just Debts & funeral expenses out of my personal property be paid.

Item, I give devise & bequeath to my son Andrew G. Thompson all of my land on which I now live being two hundred & fifty five acres, be it the same more or less, with all that pertain thereto with the following conditions to wit: First that he in my old age & infirmity, maintains provides for & decently supports me and at my death has me decently buried, secondly, that he pays to each of my other heirs the following sums, that is, to my sons, James Thompson, Josiah M. Thompson, Joshua B. Thompson, David R. Thompson, Francis M. Thompson, John F. Thompson, Elisha G. Thompson, & my daughter Ann Hutsel, Eighty five Dollars each & to my Son Harvey G. Thompson Forty Dollars, Provided however that the said Andrew G. Thompson shall have five years to pay the above named sums of money after my death and the same is to draw no interest.

And I further appoint my Friend [no name listed] Executor of this my last will and testament, to see that the same be carried in effect.

In testimony whereof I the Said Amos Thompson have subscribed my name and affixed my seal this 18th day of April, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy.

Amos X Thompson

Signed Sealed published & declared by the said Amos Thompson, as and for his last will and

Testament, in the presence of us who at his request and in his presence and in the presence of each other, have subscribed our as interpreted thereto

A. J. Muncy

Jacob Muncy

(The Amos Thompson will was found under unusual circumstance: I had previously searched on two different occasions for the will of Amos, but had no success. Searches of the Bland, Wythe, Tazewell, and Giles County probate records had no record of an Amos Thompson. On July 1, 1992, I decided to look at any probate records in Bland County of anyone who might be in my lines. In the index, there was mention of D.F. Thompson on page 373 of Bland County Probate Records. When I turned to this in sequence with the other wills I was looking at, I found it to be a record of the legal arrangements between D.F. Thompson and his stepdaughter Marietta E. Waggoner. My eyes followed all the way to the bottom of the transaction and then to the next page to assure there was no more information. To my surprise, Amos Thompson was noted in the margins! Inspection showed it to be Amos Thompson's last will and testament! I went back to the index and checked again -- Amos Thompson was not listed in the index. But, the will is there on page 374. I consider this to be a great find!)

© Copyright Brian J. Cragun, 1994, 1997. All rights reserved.