Captain John Thomas

of

Buckingham County, Virginia

     Captain John Thomas of Buckingham County is often confused with "Capt" John Thomas of Albemarle County but the John Thomas of Albemarle was not officially a Captain. He was an Ensign who was given a brief command during a mission and his title was given out of a sense of respect.

     Captain John Thomas of Buckingham was born on May 1, 1756. He could have been the son of Michael, Joseph, or John Thomas. He was not a son of Henry because he deposed that he was a "first cousin" of Joseph Thomas, a known son of said Henry. He was also not a son of Edward Thomas because he was too young. Edward Thomas had made his son John a co-executor of his will in 1760, so he would have had to at least 16 at the time. John Thomas and Winifred Dameron had a son named John who is named in his 1760 will and most researchers link this John with the John who moved to Adair County Kentucky. I don't feel completely comfortable with this assumption for several reasons. First, Dameron researchers seem to agree that Winifred married John Thomas around 1744. Second, The children of Lazarus Dameron all appear to have been born between 1720 and 1735. Third, John Thomas wrote his will in 1760 his oldest son appears to be Charles Thomas born 1743 and two of his children are stated as being "under 18". The John Thomas who moved to Adair Ky was probably born around 1738.

Fourth, the only Thomas grandchild mentioned in the 1749 will of Lazarus Dameron was Charles Thomas.  All of this makes me feel that I need a little more evidence.

     Captain John Thomas married three times during his lifetime. His first wife was Sarah Roberts, whom he married on February 9, 1780 in Amherst County, Virginia. Sarah was the daughter of Elliot Roberts and Elizabeth Phillips. We have a complete list of their children thanks to a chancery suit over the estate of Elliot Roberts. Sarah died around 1798. The children of John Thomas and Sarah Roberts were:

1. Elliot Roberts Thomas b. June 3, 1784 d. May 24, 1854. He married Mary Trent and their family moved to Randolph County, Missouri.

2. Allen Thomas b. c1787

3. Judith Thomas b. c1789 d. February 17, 1826. She married George Burks on September 23, 1809 in Amherst.

4. Nelson Thomas b. c1790

5. John Stevens Thomas b. March 7, 1797 d. November 23, 1884.  He married Sarah Bransford and the family moved to Sullivan County, Missouri.

Capt John Thomas married Sarah Price West on October 6, 1799. She was born February 2, 1770 and died around July 26, 1820 in Buckingham County. Their children were:

6. Schuyler W. Thomas b. September 7, 1801 d. March 20, 1881 in Culpeper County, Virginia. He married Sabrina Olivia Scruggs. 

7. Harmon Thomas b. July 15, 1803

8. Alfred Sterling Thomas b. c1806 and died in Highland County, Ohio. He married Elizabeth Newton.

9. Sarah Price Thomas b. July 16, 1809 d. February 9, 1899. She married Thomas Pledge Woodson and they moved to Pike County, Missouri.

10. Nancy Nevil Thomas b. December 23, 1811 d. July 28, 1869. She married Albert Augustus Sweeney and they moved to Pike County, Indiana.

Captain John Thomas married a third time on February 1, 1821 to Susannah Crouch. Susannah Crouch was born September 25, 1766 and died February 9, 1842. At the time of her marriage to John she was the widow of David Nowling. They had no children.

Capt John Thomas Revolutionary War Application S46515

Capt John Thomas in the 1840 Buckingham pensioner census as John "C" Thomas. (The "C" was for Captain).