A THOMAS Family of Buckingham County, Virginia

I know that I don't need to tell those Thomas researchers out there that Thomas research is HARD! The fact that Buckingham County lost one hundred years of records in a fire makes it almost impossible to trace so many of our Thomas ancestors. I'm going to try to slowly post the various Thomas families that I have worked on over the years and hope it helps some of you.

 

     William Thomas was almost definitely a son of Edward Thomas and Mary Harding.  Thomas Harding, the father of Mary, deeded land on Tuckahoe Creek in Henrico to Mary and her husband Edward Thomas of St. James Parish in Goochland County on May 17, 1729. This may have been a wedding gift. She was also named as his daughter in his will probated in Henrico in 1831.

       This Edward Thomas was the son of Michael Thomas who died in 1747. In the Albemarle Court order book at the December 1747 court Edward Thomas the heir of Michael was called to administer his fathers will. Michael's will is missing. In August of 1748 Edward Thomas transferred land to both Henry and John Thomas, both were likely his brothers. This was probably a legacy from Michael Thomas's will. Edward Thomas was granted 140a on Millstone Branch of Rock Island Creek on August 20, 1747 in present Buckingham County. On August 20, 1748 Henry Thomas was granted 172a adjoining Edward Thomas. John Thomas was granted 100a on April 1, 1749 adjoining Edward as well. A deed in 1751 claims Michael Thomas also owned land adjacent to the above mentioned men but he seems to have primarily resided on Hog Creek across the river in Albemarle. I'm not going to go into all the relationships in this post but I want to establish how they appear to be connected for the purpose of this particular line. Edward Thomas died in 1760 and in his will he leaves legacy's to five children: eldest son William, Martha Goolsby (w/o Stephen), Susanna Stephens (w/o Thomas), Elizabeth Thomas and John. He made his brother John and his son John executors. Witnesses were his brother? Joseph Thomas, his sister-in-law Winifred 'Winney' Dameron Thomas, wife of his brother John and Mary Goodwin, relationship unknown.

In the name of God Amen, I Edward Thomas of Albemarle County, Parish of Tillotson Parish, in a declining condition of body and of a sound mind & memory thanks be to the Almighty God do make, constitute & appoint this to be my last Will & Testament, first I recommend my soul to God that gave it me & my body to the earth to be decently buried as my Executor shall think fit and as to my worldly estate I think fit to dispose of in manner & form as followeth, viz  That is to say  Item   I give & bequeath to my eldest son William Thomas one hundred acres of land part of the tract I now live on & bounded as followeth, to wit: beginning at John Thomas’s upper bourer? On the river running on his said line to the back line, thence up the back line to a new line on the North Fork of the Millstone Branch, so down the said branch on the new marked line to the creek, so down the said creek to the river, thence down the river to the first station, be the same more or less, excepting the use of the orchard during my life which said land I give to him & his heirs forever, I also give him his cattle that he has in possession & his hogs which in his possession & that is to be his part.  Item  I give & bequeath to my daughter Martha Goolsby six pounds current money of Virginia which said six pounds not to be paid to her till three years after my death. Item  I give to my daughter Susannah Stephens the bed I here lie on & forty shillings current money to be paid three years after my death.  Item  I give to my daughter Elizabeth Thomas six pounds current money to be paid three years after my decease.  Item    My will and my desire is that the rest of my Estate not mentioned of what kind whatsoever I lend to my well beloved wife Mary Thomas on Law of Dower and at her death my desire is that my Estate be equally divided between my three daughters before mentioned.  Item    My will & pleasure is that my estate be not appraised.  Item    I constitute & appoint my brother John Thomas & my son John Thomas executors of this my last Will and Testament.  Item    I publish & declare this to be my Last Will & Testament revoking all other former Wills or Witness. Whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this the thirtieth day of December 1758.  Edward Thomas   Signed sealed, & delivered in presence of,  Joseph Thomas, Winney Thomas, & Mary Goodwin

Ay a Court held for Albemarle County the eighth day of March 1760. This Will wa presented to Court by John Thomas & John Thomas the Executors therein named, proved by the Oaths of Winnie Thomas one of the witnesses thereto & on the motion of the said Executors who made oath according to law, certificate is granted them for obtaining a probate thereof in due form giving security on which they with Thomas Jopling, their security enters into and acknowledged their bond for the due of faithful performance of the said will. 

 At a Court held for the said County the tenth day of April 1760 the same was further proved by Joseph Thomas another of the witnesses thereto & ordered to be recorded. Teste John Nicholas, Clerk

     William Thomas, oldest son of Edward was born by 1733. The date is estimated from his marriage to Rebecca Upton on December 26, 1754. Rebecca Upton was the daughter of Thomas Upton and Mary Heritage. The Upton's lived on Briery Creek in Albemarle. According to a Bounty Land Warrant application in 1818 for the land of deceased soldier Reuben Thomas, William Thomas and Rebecca Upton had four children; Reuben Thomas, Edward Thomas, Rebecca Thomas, who married Joseph Thomas, and Jesse Thomas. The application also lists two half-siblings named Mary Couch Tindall and Evy Couch Patteson. William Thomas probably died by 1770 because his widow Rebecca Upton married Capt John Couch and had the two daughters listed above. As luck would have it, almost all the children of Rebecca Upton left Buckingham County so we have a few records that managed to escape fire.  

Bounty Land Application for Reuben Thomas. The Thomas heirs rec'd 1/4 share and the Couch heirs rec'd 1/8. The atty was John Thomas son of Cornelius Thomas who was a son of Lucy Thomas Neville Childress (sister to Michael b. 1714). It's all relative lol

1. Reuben Thomas was born c1755 and died April 27, 1777 while serving in the American Revolution.

2. Edward Thomas was born February 19, 1758. In August 1777 he enlisted as a private in the Va Reg under his second cousin Capt John Thomas of Buckingham County. At the end of his three year enlistment period, about the year 1781, he moved in with his uncle Thomas Upton Jr in Albemarle County. He spent almost five years living with Upton and working as his overseer. He married Hannah Hughes, daughter of William Hughes. Edward and Hannah lived in Albemarle County on Green Mountain until the 1820's after which time they moved to Washington County, Missouri. He died there on May 11, 1847.

Affidavit given by Edward Thomas of Albemarle around 1808 relating to a chancery suit over the land of his late uncle Thomas Upton Jr. He is listed in the tax records with Thomas Upton from 1782-1785. Thomas Upton moved to Kanawha County in 1789 and died there unmarried and childless in 1794.

Revolutionary War affidavit for Edward Thomas in 1834. Notice the matching albeit older and shakier signature of Edward from his previous Affidavit in 1808.

3. Jesse Thomas was born about 1760. He lived in Buckingham County until 1786 after which he moved to Albemarle County. He settled on Green Mountain near his brother Edward. I still don't have much on this Jesse Thomas. I'm afraid I became burned out on Thomas research and had to take a break when I got to him. He either married a Nancy or Mary (Maybe both) and according to tax records he had at least four sons; William (oldest b1780), Reuben, Obediah, and Jesse. He was still alive in 1818 when he and his siblings filed an application for the bounty land of their dec'd brother Reuben. He may have died in Nelson County, Virginia. A deed from his mother Rebecca and affidavits from the 1808 chancery suit for Thomas Upton give his place of residence as Albemarle County. He received land in Kanawha from Thomas Upton's estate but according to the chancery suit he did not like the Kanawha.

This Indenture made this ninth day of September in the year of our Lord Christ, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety Nine between Rebecca Couch of the County of Buckingham & state of Virginia of the one part & Jesse Thomas, her son, of the County of Albemarle & state aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth, that whereas Thomas Upton dec'd late of the county of Kanawha & said state died seized of his own right, of two tracts of land in the said county of Kanawha, the one situate on the Cole River & the other on the main Kanawha & by his last will and testament made in writing & duly proved & recorded in the court of the said county of Kanawha, made disportion of the whole of the Cole River tract & part only of the main Kanawha tract, leaving the other part of his Kanawha tract undisposed of by his said will and testament, which by the laws of the state will divide in customary his brother Joseph Upton, other sister Rachel Upton, & the said Rebecca Couch & whereas the said Rebecca Couch, mother, to the said Jesse Thomas, in consideration of the natural love & affection, which she hath and beareth for and toward her said son, Jesse Thomas, & for his furtherance & promotion in this world, but most especially in consideration of the sum of one dollar current money of the state aforesaid to her in hand paid, she the said Rebecca Couch hath given, contracted, bargained, made and by these presents, doth give, grant, bargain, & sell, ? & consign unto her said son Jesse Thomas & to his heirs & assigns forever, all her said dividend, share & parcel of the undisposed lands, on the main Kanawha River in the said County of Kanawha by the will of the said Thomas Upton dec'd as aforesaid to have and to hold to the said Jesse Thomas, his heirs & assigns forever, the said dividend, share & parcel of land. which shall by partition thereof where made, fall to the lott of the said Rebecca Couch, to the only proper ?, & behold of him the said Jesse Thomas, his heirs & assigns forever. Witness whereof the said Rebecca Couch hath hereunto set her hand an affixed her seal the day & date of this indenture first above written. Signed sealed & acknowledged & delivered in presence. John Patterson, Thomas Patterson, Rebecca Couch, Bomaster Pryor, Abraham Neighbors, Polly Patterson (his half sister), Anthony Debril, Charles Patterson

4. Rebecca Thomas was born November 5, 1763. She married her cousin Joseph Thomas in 1781 by Banns near Providence Meeting House. In 1795 or 1796 She and her husband moved to Kanawha County, West Virginia to settle land on the Upper Falls of the Coal River that she inherited from her uncle Thomas Upton Jr. Her husband Joseph Thomas was born August 3, 1759 and died in Kanawha August 1, 1839. He, along with his brother James built the first Grist Mill on the Upper Falls of the Coal River and poor James drowned there in 1819. They were the sons of Henry and Sarah Thomas of Buckingham who was probably a brother of Edward Thomas (1707-1760). He was obviously a close relative and neighbor. Capt John Thomas gave a statement for Rebecca's pension in which he said that Joseph and Rebecca were cousins, probably second since he said that he was Rebecca's second cousin and Joseph's first. Rebecca Thomas died in Kanawha on December 21, 1846

1846 Deposition of Rebecca Thomas
She further states that she was born and raised in Buckingham County, Virginia, that her maiden name was Rebecca Thomas, that she was married to the said Joseph Thomas by publishment and by the Rev David Patterson near Providence Meeting House in said Buckingham County more that sixty years since but cannot remember the day and year. That there is no family record of said marriage that she knows of no record of the same unless there is one in said Buckingham County, that she was not married to him prior to his leaving the service but the marriage took place previous to the 1st day of January 1794 as will be made to appear by testimony herewith or hereafter presented to the department of war. She therefore claims the full benefits of the Acts of Congress before named.   Rebecca (her mark) Thomas 

 

1846 deposition of Capt John Thomas of Buckingham
The affidavit of John Thomas taken at his home in the county of Buckingham before R. C. Nicholas a justice of the peace in said county, the 14th of November 1846. The deponet first duly sworn, deponet sayeth that he is well aquainted with Rebecca Thomas formerly of this county, who is his second cousin and who was married to Jospeh Thomas, who was also of Buckingham and his first cousin, that he lived near them while they lived in this county as man and wife and that they had before moving to Kanawha several children, that he was not present at their marriage but knows they were is regarded both before and after their removal, that some thirty years at least must have elapsed since their removal to that county, he has visited them and that they were living together as man and wife and further this deponet sayeth not.  John Thomas

Rebecca Upton married Capt John Couch after the death of William Thomas. She had two daughter's that I feel I must mention.

1. Mary Couch was born in 1773. She married Thomas Tindall and lived in Buckingham County until the 1840's. She moved to St Louis Missouri before 1850 and died there in 1852. This isn't far from where her half-brother Edward Thomas lived. I have no idea what made her move to St Louis with her family since her husband had died in Buckingham.

2. Evy Couch was born about 1770. This is just an estimate because I have nothing more on her at this time. It seems that she remained in Buckingham and since the records were destroyed during the time period that she lived I can't even find her name on one single record. Buckingham County Tax Records and Implied Deeds has John Patteson, Surveyor of Buckingham County receiving land from Capt John Couch's estate in 1813. This particular John Patteson was born in 1762 and died in 1847.