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Note: HI5984
Note: (Research):Ware County was created from Appling County, Georgia in 1824. The only Thomas' present in Appling County in 1820 was Absalom Thomas. He is also found in Ware County, Georgia in 1830. He is young enough to be Jesse's sibling.
Probably Jesse Thomas of Ware County, Georgia (see 1830 U.S. Census, Ware County). On that census are enumerated five sons and two daughters. Males are enumerated as 1 under 5, 2 aged 5-10, 1 aged 10-15, 1 aged 15-20, and 1 aged 50-60. Females are enumerated as 1 under 5 years old, 1 aged 10-15 and 1 aged 40-50 years old.
The birthday of their first born child allows for the possibility that this is the Jesse Thomas who married Nancy Hollingsworth in Bulloch County, Georgia on 17 April 1809.
Jesse Thomas does not appear on the 1840 U.S. Census for Ware County, Georgia.
1837 LAND RECORD: State of Florida Tract Book, Union County, June 18, 1837 in the NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 15, Township 6S, Range 18E.
1838 LAND RECORD: State of Florida Tract Book, Union County, May 25, 1838 in the SE 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 15, Township 6S, Range 18E.
1838 LAND RECORD: State of Florida Tract Book, Union County, May 25, 1838 in the NE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 15, Township 6S, Range 18E.
A Jesse Thomas is found in the Alachua County, Florida Ancient Records. 1835 Alachua County, Florida Grand Juror 1835 Plaintiff 1835 Defendant 1838 Alachua County, Florida Grand Juror
Transcripts by Richard Thomas follow,
Jesse Thomas vs.�tab��tab�Preemption for 40 acres United States
I William Scott being duly sworn make oath that Jesse Thomas of Columbia County resides on the E half of the NE qtr of the 15 section 6th Township & 18th range in said county that he cultivates the N � of the E � of the SE qtr of said 15th Section that he has resided on the said E half & made three crops on part on said N half of the said E half of said SE qtr as well as on part of said E half on which he resides That the first two years he raised corn peas & potatoes & the same together with cotton the last year that he came and settled at said place this autumn will be three years
Sworn to before me This 19 Novr 1835�tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab�William Scott
W. H. Allen Recd & Justice of the Peace
I Cader Hancock being duly sworn make oath that I knows where Jesse Thomas lives in Columbia County & the land he cultivates that I saw him there the 26 of December 1832 & that he appeared as if he has been there for some weeks & that he has cultivated & raised crops there ever since
Sworn to this 19 Novr 1835�tab��tab��tab��tab��tab�Cader Hancock before me W H Allen J P & Recd
I Bartholomew Ganey being duly sworn make oath that I know Jesse Thomas & Wm Cason that Wm Cason has made two crops where he now lives with his brother in law a Mr. Jacob Holbrooks who has been there this last summer Holbrooks came there last spring Eli Cason Wm Casons uncle lived there before Holbrook about a year & Wm Cason lived with him In the summer of 1833 Wm Cason lived on the south side of the Santa Fee. He now lives on the North side 4 or 5 miles from where he lived before & near Mr. Thomas
Sworn to before me this 19th of Novr 1835�tab��tab��tab�Bartholomew X Ganey W H Allen�tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab� mark
I Richard Ganey having the foregoing read over to me by W H Allen make oath on the Holy evangels of Almighty God that what is there sworn to by Bartholomew Ganey is true & correct
Sworn to before me this 19 Novr 1835 being strictly examined by me�tab�Richard X Ganey W H Allen�tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab� mark
I Benjamin Ganey being duly sworn make oath that the forgoing deposition of Bartholomew Ganey is true & correct �tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab� his Sworn & strictly examined by me�tab��tab��tab��tab�Benjamin X Ganey �tab� �tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab� Mark Benj. Ganey & Richard Ganey are sons of Barthw Ganey W H Allen 19 Novr 1835�tab��tab�
A portion of Alachua County became Columbia County before 1840.
Widow Nancy Thomas is found on the 1840 U.S. Census for Columbia County. Enumerated are 4 males, 1 aged 5-10, 1 aged 10-15, 1 aged 15-20 and 1 aged 20-30. There are four females, 1 aged 5-10, 1 aged 10-15, 1 aged 15-20 and one aged 50-60. Close by are enumerated William O. Thomas (a. 20-30) and John G. Thomas (a. 20-30). Proposed children of Jesse and Nancy are John G., William O., Allen, Isaiah, Jesse E., Roland , Elizabeth and Nancy Thomas.
Whether or not Jesse and Nancy Thomas are Elizabeth (Thomas) Tucker's parents is unproven, but it does look likely for several reasons: 1. The enumerated family members in Jesse Thomas' home on the 1830 Ware County, Georgia Census match the enumerated family members in the home of Nancy Thomas on the 1840 Alachua County, Florida Census. Jesse Thomas is not enumerated in Ware County after 1830. Nancy and her children are enumerated in later census reports as being born in Georgia.
2. We know that a Jesse Thomas was living in Alachua (now Columbia County), before 1840. No mention of him is found after 1838. Only three households with the surname of Thomas are found on the 1840 U.S. Census for Columbia County: Nancy, William O., and John G.
3. It is known that Nancy Thomas had two son's, one named Jesse E. and the other Roland. It is also known that she had a daughter named Nancy. The elder Nancy's son, Roland, has a son named Jesse. Elizabeth (Thomas) Tucker has a son named Jesse and another son named Joseph ROLAND Tucker. These family names are further evidence to support the contention that Jesse is the father of these children and for Elizabeth being one of the daughter's enumerated on the 1840 U.S. Census for Nancy Thomas' household in Columbia County.
4. It is known that Elizabeth Thomas married Lewis M. Tucker in Columbia County.
5. William O. Thomas died in Alachua County, Florida in 1847. There is a probate record in which he names Allen Thomas and Isaiah Thomas.
6. Allen Thomas has a son named Roland.
********************************************* May be the son of Robert and Mary (Sands) Thomas. Source: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=csmithd&id=I14788
********************************************* Kettle Creek Church is in present day Ware County, Georgia.
August 10th, 1833 - " Also Brother Jesse Thomas came forward and related to the Church that it was very difficult to get his letter by Church of Kettle Creek being scttered since he moved away of which he was a member and proved it to our satisfaction. So he was received to full fellowship, a decorum was read and received and then proceeded to the choice of two deacons."
"Church Minutes", Minutes of Old Providence Baptist Church, Providence, Union County, Florida Established 1833, (Jacksonville: Jacksonville Genealogical Society, Inc., 1976), p. 3.
Sources for Kettle Creek See "Primitive Baptists Of The Wiregrass South, 1815 To The Present, John G. Crowley, University Press of Florida, 1998, p. 27" . Lists Kettle Creek as joining the Piedmont Association and places the church in Appling County south of the Altamaha River.
"Waycross West" Quadrangle, Georgia 7.5 Minute Series (Topographic), date not noted, United States Department Of The Interior Geological Survey. Displays Kettle Creek and it's present day location west of Waycross, Georgia.
February 9th 1839 - "On motion agreed to record the death of Brother Jesse Thomas who departed this life on the 29th of November 1838."
"Church Minutes", Minutes of Old Providence Baptist Church, Providence, Union County, Florida Established 1833, (Jacksonville: Jacksonville Genealogical Society, Inc., 1976), p. 13.
Other sources for Jesse Thomas
Township Plat Map of Township 6S Range 18E, Tallahassee Principle Meridian," n.d. originally surveyed in 1831, Internal Improvement Trust Fund Township Plat Maps (R.G. 593),Series 617, Carton 44, Florida State Archives, Tallahassee, FL.
See Section 15 for reference to Cash Entry Case Files for Jesse Thomas. File numbers 79 and 211 from the St. Augustine Land Office. Cash Files were ordered from the National Archives, Washington, D.C., see R.G. 49.
Transcript of Cash Entry Case File 211 by Richard Thomas
City of St. Augustine County of St John's Territory of Florida
Personally came before me George L. Phillips a Justice of the Peace in and for the said County duly commissioned and sworn Jesse Thomas who being duly sworn deposes and said, that in the year 1831 he settled on a portion of land in Section 15, Township 6, Range 18, and that in the following year he commenced to cultivate and improve it and has continued to cultivate and improve up to the year 1837. He this desposes therefore claims a preemption right to the said Section 15, Township 6, Range 18 which he prays may be granted in accordance with an act of Congress subscribed and sworn to before me this 3rd day of January 1838.
George L. Phillips�tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab��tab�Jesse Thomas Justice of the Peace
********************************************* MessageFrom: Richard Thomas [pepperhead1@msn.com] Sent: Monday, February 07, 2005 6:55 PM To: geoffrey.thompson@sbcglobal.net Subject: Re: Jesse Thomas Line
Geoffrey, I am happy to share what I know of Jesse H. Thomas, as I have been researching him for about 30 years. I haven't reviewed your document in it's entirety, but what I see so far is pretty accurate. I cannot shed much more on the daughters you have listed, and you may have actually more information than I do concerning those children. However, I can add to your knowledge and only because of a fortuitous find. In 1976 the Jacksonville Genealogical Society found and published the church minutes from the Providence Baptist Church on Olustee Creek. I have one of the few copies remaining of those minutes, and in them there is valuable information regarding Jesse Thomas and Nancy Thomas. There is even a couple of lines regarding Elizabeth Thomas. In fact John Tucker was the minister there for a number of years. I have attached a brief document regarding Jesse and the information I have. I look forward to sharing more, but it looks like you have most of what data is know to exist. I do not see any mention of Nicholas Thomas who was beyond a doubt a brother of Nancy the daughter. His will also was probated in Alachua County and exists in the ancient records. Your inclusion of Isaiah we had considered at one time, but dropped because he did not have the wealth of documents that the other sons have that place him with Jesse. He does show up in the voting records, and may very well be related.
I actually dropped out of the genealogy hobby about 10 years ago and started pursuing my love of Florida History. I am a member of the Seminole Wars Historic Foundation and am currently involved in publishing a paper regarding two of the Indian War forts of Columbia County. Both were places members of the Thomas family used for refuge during the Indian War. My sister Debbie picked up where I left off with Jesse Thomas about three years ago, and she is diligently seeking information in Georgia. We have about all you will find in Florida, and we need to work backwards.
However, I can corroborate some of your information.
Luckily we have the words of Jesse Thomas to tell us when he arrived in the Florida Territory. Based on his testimony for a preemption claim to land, Jesse says that he came to Florida in 1831. We also learn from the minutes of the Baptist Church at Providence, Florida that before coming to Florida he said he had belonged to the Church of Kettle Creek. The church minutes tell us that Jesse Thomas joined the church at Providence on Olustee Creek on August 10, 1833 after telling the membership it was difficult for him to locate his letter of dismissal from the Church of Kettle Creek, having lost it since he had moved from that church. He was accepted to membership after satisfactorily proving his membership to the former church. Jesse's wife, Nancy later joined the church on September 7, 1833 the same way her husband did. The church of Kettle Creek is thought to have been in Ware County, Georgia near the western edge of what is now the town of Waycross. I visited the site of the church in 1984, and today a Southern Congregational Methodist Church is on the site.
The 1830 census of Ware County, Georgia does list a Jesse Thomas and his household, but the 1840 census of Ware County does not. Using the census, land, and church records, it seems clear that the Jesse Thomas found in Ware County in 1830 had moved to Florida in 1831, homesteading land near the location of the Hunt Cemetery in present day Union County, Florida. Unfortunately very little is known of Jesse Thomas before his arrival in Florida, as he died on November 29, 1838 and left very few records behind.
Using a variety of other records, it is believed that Jesse Thomas was born in Georgia around 1780 and that he married Nancy Hollingsworth in Bulloch County, Georgia on 17 April 1808. It seems from the testimony of some of his children and their spouses that during the 1820s and possibly as early as 1808, Jesse must have lived in Bulloch County. There are other records that place a Jesse Thomas in Bulloch County during this time, but that Jesse Thomas cannot be tied to the Jesse Thomas found in Florida beyond a reasonable doubt.
A request for a widow's pension for service during the Seminole Indian War has been unsuccessful. This has been a disappointment, but is expected, since Nancy Thomas is thought to have died in the 1860s before the pensions were common. Military records for a Jesse Thomas who served in the War of 1812 from the State of Georgia have been reviewed, but they are only useful in proving that a Jesse Thomas served in the Georgia Militia during the War of 1812.
After Jesse Thomas died, his widow was enumerated in the 1840 and 1850 Columbia County censuses, and again in the 1860 census of New River County. During the 1850 census she was enumerated in the same household as Cassa Cason, the widow of Eli Cason, and children of both families are listed as well. No record of Nancy Thomas' death has ever been found, but it seems she must have died during the 1860s.
To piece together the family of Jesse Thomas requires a variety of documents which at most provide strong circumstantial evidence. However it seems reasonable that the family that has been constructed from the material at hand is accurate, and the only errors may be the names of his daughters.
The name Eli Cason may be familiar to you. He is also enumerated in the 1830 census of Ware County, Georgia, and his daughter Cynthia married Jesse's son Allen. Allen is my great-great grandfather, and is documented quite extensively in the records I have. I see that you have also listed William O. Thomas as a son of Jesse. I believe you are correct in placing him as a son.
William O. Thomas has perhaps the largest will in the ancient records of Alachua County (73 pgs) and through his will we know that Allen Thomas was the administrator of his estate, and was also the guardian of his two minor heirs. There is some question as to whether Elizabeth Thomas was one of the minor heirs; however she seems to have been too old, as she joined the same church as Jesse and later left at a time that would seem to indicate she was not a minor.
From: Richard Thomas [pepperhead1@msn.com] Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 6:46 PM To: geoffrey.thompson Subject: Jesse Thomas plus 3 attachments
Geoffrey, I had time today to review your document and have a couple of comments. But first let me digress if I may. First you have done in three years what it took me at least 20 years to do. However I did all of my research before the internet, and most of it was laborious and costly to say the least. A lot of it was during my time as a student at the University of South Florida in the 1970s. I drove many miles in some cases just to talk to a member of an older generation, and sadly many are not around for me to ask more questions. I spent many hours in dimly lit libraries and dusty old courthouses. In fact, I was one of the last individuals who was allowed to actually hold many of the original documents that are housed in the Florida State Archives. White gloves and a thorough search of your person were usually all that was required, but inconsiderate handling has led most libraries, etc. to prevent access except to a few.
I am only briefly familiar with the surety schema that you use, but only because I am an IT professional and am familiar with it's use in some database designs. I am totally unfamiliar with the numbering system that you use to identify the individuals, but I'm sure it is important when one wants to separate individuals. I know even 30 years ago similar systems existed and was always amazed in the days before PCs that someone could keep up with so many numbers.
When I submitted documentation to support my Florida Pioneer Descendant Certificate (Allen Thomas) the Florida Genealogical Society would only accept a piece of primary evidence to support lineage. In some cases if there was a preponderance of data they would allow the use of a secondary source but it was extremely difficult to get it approved. So, excuse me when I cast doubt on something because the facts don't support it at a surety:1 level. My years spent as a vocational historian have also required me to use in some cases very dubious facts to try and create a historical context, but I use them sparingly.
So with that said, let me share some information with you that I think you will be happy to hear. Let me start by saying I will share the sources in a separate document that will be attached to this email. It starts with the church minutes, which have very little information on the Thomas', but what they do have is important. First, the minutes tell us Jesse joined the church August 10, 1833. We know from the minutes that Jesse said he was a member of the Kettle Creek Church. While no minutes from Kettle Creek exists, we know it was south of the Altamaha River in Appling County and joined the Piedmont Association in 1824, and from most accounts was located on Kettle Creek. Kettle Creek is west of Waycross and is located on the West Waycross 7.5 minute Quadrangle map. We also know from the church minutes when Jesse died. (November 29, 1838).
So we can "presume" the Jesse Thomas who joined the church at Providence is the same Jesse Thomas who lived in Ware County. There are in the Florida State Archives township maps that date back to the days when the surveyors first surveyed the territory for the land offices. Luckily the map for the area in Columbia County where Jesse settled is loaded with the cash entry file numbers, bounty land warrant numbers, and preemption claim numbers, and in many cases the names of the settlers who claimed the land. Jesse Thomas, Allen Thomas, Roland Thomas, and Jesse E. Thomas are all represented on these maps. These are the same pieces of property that you referenced at the BLM web site. I met the team that developed that site in 1992; but that is neither here nor there. In the 1980s I requested the cash entry case files on all of the property that that the Thomas' had listed on the maps. I also have copies of all the maps covering southern Union County and northern Alachua County.
If you only visit the BLM web site and use the source as proof the individual purchased the land without requesting the case file, you run the risk of missing out on a lot of information. It just so happens the case file for Jesse Thomas is a gold mine of information. For it contains an affidavit that he swore to that says he came to Florida in 1831. Most case file do not contain a lot of information, but it just so happens that our Jesse Thomas was involved in a land dispute that ended up in court (see your references to his being a plaintiff and defendant in Alachua County). The case filed against him and William Scott was a case of trespass filed by William Cason. There are at least three affidavits of people who knew Jesse Thomas and they testified in his behalf in this case. Jesse obviously won the case, but died later the same year, and would not benefit from his efforts.
The same case file tells us that Eli Cason was Jesse's neighbor. If you check the 1830 Ware County census you will find Eli Cason enumerated close to Jesse. Jesse's son Allen married Cynthia Cason, and it is presumed they knew each other as youngsters in Ware County. In fact the Casons were contracted to perform some of the surveying in the area, and it can be imagined that they knew where the best land was and may have been instrumental in the site selection that Jesse made. In fact my sister and I are sure the family migrated to Florida in the company of the Casons and perhaps the Osteens. When I have more time I will share when Nicholas, William O. and Jesse E. said they came to Florida(1833). That is also a primary source.
The two farms were adjacent to each other in Florida, and it explains why the two widows, Nancy Thomas and Cassa Cason were enumerated together. I had a chance to buy Jesse's homestead about 10 years ago, but couldn't justify the purchase. My father Henry E. (17564) lives about 1/2 mile west of the site and Jesse's son Allen and other family members are buried in the Hunt Cemetery on the property.
That's about all I can share today. But I have a lot on Allen and his descendants, in fact I met with a descendant of Edicois Thomas three weeks ago and they have added about 400 names to the list of Jesse's descendants. I can add about 200 more. If the estimates are correct, there are easily several thousand descendants of Jesse Thomas. A couple of additional notes. If Jesse lived in Alachua County it was for a couple of months only. Columbia County was cut out of Alachua in 1832 and from Jesse's words it seems he was there only a short while. The fact that so much information exists in Alachua County is thought to be because Newnansville was the closest seat of government where a territorial court existed. Any court proceedings were by necessity carried out there. There are many voting records from Columbia County from that time that mention Jesse Thomas.
Lastly, I saw in your document and in another on the internet recently that mention is made of Fort Mills and Fort Call possibly being the same fort. I can only presume that is because of my research into the two forts. In November of 1996 I was invited to speak at a historical festival being held in Providence, Union County. My purpose was to discuss my research on the Indian War forts of southwest Union County. It was at that festival that I presented for the first time evidence that suggests the two forts were possibly the same. Since that time I have been asked to complete the publication of my research but have only succeeded in having copies of the research documents placed in the library of the Seminole War Historical Foundation. I gave out about 50 copies of my preliminary research document after my talk. If I can ever find the time, I will finish the paper and it will be published in the Florida Historical Quarterly. During the 1990's I was also responsible for the addition of the Thomas surname to a historical marker the State of Florida erected at Providence.
I look forward to sharing more, and perhaps you can get back farther that I have.
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