The children of Malachi and Nellie Thompson:
1. Kizzie b. July 12, 1879 Nassau Co, FL m. Joseph Edward McClellan d. July 13, 1938 St. Augustine, FL (s/o Charles J. McClellan & Nancy Cooper) Buried Brantley County, Georgia (Dates/place of birth as her family recorded but Charlton County, GA 1880 census has Kizzie age 7.)
2. Silas b. 1876 d. January 17, 1930 St. Augustine, FL, buried Old Still Cemetery, Nassau Co, FL m. on July 31, 1902 Taylor, Baker County, FL Florida Sweat (d/o Jackson Sweat & Mary Thompson) Silas' death certificate list age 56 born in Florida with father as "John", but Charlton County, GA 1880 census has "Cyrus"/Silas age 4 born in Georgia with Malachi as father and again 1895 State census Nassau County, FL
3. Ardelia b. September 23, 1879 in Charlton Co, Georgia M. Fred Lockwood d. 1952 buried Old Still Cemetery, Nassau Co, FL (born in Michigan) (Charlton County, GA 1880 census has Ardelia as 10 months old)
4. Samuel M. Belle Wingate (Listed in Nassau County, FL 1895 census age 16 d/o Lee Wingate & Emma Sparkman) b. About 1880 ( They both were thought to have been buried in the Old Still Cemetery in Nassau County, FL but by chance their graves were located in Evergreen Cemetery in St. Augustine, FL
5. George Wesley b. August 27, 1885 M. Kizzie Tempsey Batton on d. January 12, 1964 September 28, 1913. (Both buried b. Dec 19, 1898 d. Jan 28, 1974 Old Still Cemetery, Nassau Co. Fl) (First cousins: d/o Lucretia Sellars Howard and 2nd husband Green Batton) 6. Freeman b. 1887 d. 1899 of pneumonia/Buried next to parents Old Still Cemetery Nassau Co, FL
7. William b. March 12, 1890 M. Nettie Dowling (d/o Evan Dowling and 2nd wife Ironia Rhoden) d. November 27, 1934 (Buried National Cemetery, St Augustine, FL/Quartermaster Corps WWI & died of complications of exposure to Mustard Gas.)
The very earliest record of this Thompson family is in Bryan County, Georgia with an 1819 document that shows "Thompson heirs" selling land to James Martin, County Commissar. Besides Malachi's father, Benjamin Thompson, the listed heirs are Richard Thompson (Vol. 9), William Thompson, Thomas B. Thompson, Archibald Thompson, John Thompson, and Sally (Thompson) Sallet Twiggs Rice. Abraham Geiger and Richard Rice witnessed this document. It is not known who the parents of these Thompson heirs were, but it was not Col James Thompson RS, and his wife, Elizabeth Ball of South Carolina as once thought. Many southern Thompson lines descend from these six male siblings with some migrating to the Wiregrass.
Benjamin Thompson was enumerated in the Federal Census of Bryan County, GA in 1820, 1830, 1840, and with Bitha, his wife, and sons, Levi, Hezekiah, and Malachi in the 1850 census. The earlier censuses show that Benjamin and Bitha had a large family but the names of these children are unknown, only the three youngest sons were enumerated in the 1850 with their parents. Hezekiah was enumerated in 1860 in Charlton County, GA but the others in the 1850 census are not located.
Early records in Bryan County, Georgia show that in 1847 Malachi attended school in district 19. The Thompson clan farmed in “"the neck" of Bryan County near where Fort Stewart US Army Base is presently located. An old graveyard is located on Fort Stewart has Thompson graves that connect to this line. In the 1850 census of Bryan County, Georgia in Benjamin Thompson's household, Malachi is listed along with his brothers Hezekiah and Levy Thompson. Carolina Benton and Calvin Benton are also listed in the household. Their relationship to the Thompson family is unknown. Earlier censuses show as many as seven or more children in Benjamin's household, but only the 3 youngest sons' names that were listed in the 1850 census are known.
Malachi's Civil War Pension Claim gives much information about his life. He enlisted on March 4, 1862 Company E 11th Battalion of the Georgia Volunteers Infantry, Army of Tennessee and within a months was transferred to Company E 47th Regiment of Georgia Infantry. Malachi was wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga with injuries of a broken right collarbone and the lost of his right eye when a cannon ball cut a tree near him. He was hospitalized at Montgomery, Alabama before "furloughed home to recuperate". Since none of his immediate family was in Bryan County, Georgia in the 1860 census, it is doubtful that home was still Bryan County.
By the end of the war, Malachi had relocated to Gaineyville, Charlton County, Georgia with his brother Hezekiah who, according to his pension application, was wounded in his left hip and spent most of the war as a POW in Maryland. These Thompson brothers relocated near the homestead of Richard Thompson (Vol. 11 pg 399). This is where Malachi married Nellie Sellars, daughter of John Sellars and wife Kizzie. Nellie was the granddaughter of John Sellars and his wife Jane Carter, and the great granddaughter of Samuel Sellars, RS (Vol. 2). In 1893 Malachi Thompson purchased "2,000 acres more or less" of timber land along the St. Mary's River for a mere $50 from Lewis Stokes (Vol. 11), the son-in-law of Richard Thompson. The land was then deeded to James Howard. By May 16, 1896 Malachi and his family had relocated across the St. Mary's River into Nassau County, Florida. Records show that he had a 40-acre hog farm 4 miles south of Hilliard. The farm was deeded on December 10,1913 to his son George shortly after his marriage to Kizzie Batten. Malachi died March 14, 1915. He and his wife along with several of their children and grandchildren are buried in the Old Still Cemetery near Kings Ferry in Nassau County, Florida. Neither Malachi nor Nellie has a death certificate on file with the State of Florida.
In the Civil War pension application of Hezekiah Thompson, which was obtained from the Florida Archives, there is a notarized handwritten letter from Levi Sapp of Berrien County, GA stating Hezekiah's service in the war. Levi was married to Elizabeth Thompson. The relationship of Elizabeth and the brothers is not known yet.
Contributed by: Linda Davis, 385 Otter Run Drive, Fernandina
Beach, Florida 32034