In 1819, on November 02, a document was made in Bryan County,
Georgia reading "heirs to James Martin". One may read this
as James Martin's heirs, but actually it is a group of
heirs selling land to James Martin. According to the book
From Beautiful Zion to the Red Bird Creek by Buddy
Sullivan page 50, James Martin was a county
commissioner of Bryan County dating from as early as 1816. The
heirs are named as follows: John Thompson, William Thompson,
Solomon Thompson, Thomas Thompson, Benjamin Thompson, Richard
Thompson, Archibald Thompson, and Sarah Salter Twiggs or Rice.
Sarah Thompson married Peter P. Salter in Bulloch
County 01 December 1807 the Twiggs and Rice
marriage dates are unknown. Richard/Richmond Rice signs
the above document with an X. The Rice family is a
well-to-do family of SC and Georgia. Also, witnessed to this
document were Abraham Geiger and Samuel L. Martin.
Abraham Geiger' son, Abraham, was married to Tabita
Thompson b. 1813. According to one resource, her father was
Richard Thompson.
Buddy Sullivan reports other information on this Thompson
line is his book, From Beautiful Zion to Red Bird Creek.
On April 8, 1797 a drawing of jurors for court scheduled for June 7th was held at the settlement of Harwich, White Oak Plantation. Among the jurors chosen were Thomas Thompson, James Martin, and Joe Waldron. On page 159,a paragraph states that a 1847 Poor School Fund was started and students from each district were listed. In district 19, Malachi Thompson and Caroline Benton are listed. This proves that Malachi Thompson attended school, yet his Civil War pension record was signed with an X. Others listed included Calvin Thompson, Joshua Thompson and Dorchus Thompson. On page 58 both William and Benjamin Thompson are reported as residents of the area. The Thompson Clan owned land near Black Creek in the lower neck of Bryan County. I believe that Fort Stewart is now located on that land. There are several cemeteries on Fort Stewart with old Thompson graves in them. Most of them are dated mid 1800's and are not the graves of the Thompson brothers.
Little is know about these children except the 3 sons listed in
the 1850 census:Eli, Hezekiah, and Malachi. The
1860 census does not show Benjamin, any of his siblings or
his youngest three sons in Bryan County, Georgia. It lists Thomas
Thompson's widow, Margaret as a seamstress with her
daughter.
There is a record of a fever epidemic in the county in 1857. One
of the main reasons why information on this family is so rare is
that the Bryan County Court House burned in 1866 destroying all
records such as wills, marriage certifications, and other legal
papers. Benjamin Thompson's heirs: ELI Children of
Eli age 44, farmer and Kasy (Keziah) age 43 Thompson
are listed in the 1870 Ga. census, Early County, M593 Roll 148
page 32 Abigail born SC George born Georgia Wade
born Georgia There must have been older children. I do not know
where the brothers Eli and Malachi, were in 1860;
Hezekiah was in Charlton County, GA. Apparently Eli
served in the Civil War also as a private who was wounded July 8,
1862.Company E 11th Ban. GA INF Bryan-Chatham-Effingham Counties.
Also noted Eli and family enumerated in the Early County,
GA Federal Census 1880 page 214 B: Eli Thompson HOH age 53
GA Parents: NC/GA Mary A. Thompson wife 50 NC NC/NC Caroline
Laird SC SC/SC Thomas Laird FL GA/SC Eliot Laird
(other) 11 GA/SC L.E. Laird 7 FL George Thompson
son age 26 GA GA/NC Dwelling next door Wade Thompson age
23 Martha Thompson age 21 Henry Thompson son age 2
and Anna Thompson daughter age 11 months HEZEKIAH
Children of Hezekiah and Jane (born 1838-41 last name may
be Hargrove/Hogan) Thompson: Henry born 1854
(listed in the 1860 census of Charlton Co, Georgia, in Nassau
County, Fl 1880 as Henry) William born 1859
(listed in the 1860 census of Charlton Co., Georgia) Amanda
born (listed in the Nassau County Census 1880 age 21) Hampton
born (listed in the Nassau County Census 1880 age 12) Ella
born 1869-died 1940 married on 12 September 1889 in Nassau County,
Florida to James George Washington Smith. Listed in the
First Book of Marriage Records of Nassau County, Florida and in
the 1880 census as age 9. Isabella born (listed in the
Nassau County Census 1880 age 5)Sarah born 1870/71 (listed
in the 1895 census of Nassau County, Florida) Rufus born
1883 (listed in the 1895 census of Nassau County, Hezekiah's
Civil War pension application from the Florida Archives contains a
notarized statement from Levi Sapp saying when and where Hezekiah
served. MALACHI Malachi Thompson was born November
16, 1832 in Bryan County, GA. He married Nellie Sellars on
14 May 1872 then relocating to Nassau Co, Florida where most of
the children were raised.The information on Malachi and Hezekiah
was obtained from pension records in the Florida Archives. Malachi
Thompson fought for the southern cause as a private
enlisting 4 March 1862 Company E 11th Battalion of the Georgia
Volunteers Infantry Army of Tennessee. Within a month, he was
transferred to Company E 47th Regiment of Georgia Infantry. Malachi
was injured in the battle of Chickamauga in north Georgia. This
battle was labeled as the bloodiest of the war. When a cannon ball
cut a tree, he lost his right eye, broke his right collarbone, and
wounded emotionally causing him to wander for several years after
the Civil War ended in April 1865. Apparently all the Thompson's
land was lost in Bryan Co, Georgia at this point causing Benjamin's
children to relocate as they were displaced. Two of sons came to
north Florida. There was a Benjamin Thompson from Bryan
Co., Georgia, (may be an older brother of Malachi), that
died in the war in 1863. His widow Mary Purse Thompson,
who was residing in Nassau Co., Florida, applied for a pension
according to records in the Florida Archives. The widow Thompson
later married a Mr. Mott Malachi married Nellie
Sellers, daughter of John Sellers and Kizzie
Rowe. Children of Malachi: Kizzie born 12
July 1879 Nassau Co., Florida died 13 July 1938 in St.Augustine,
Florida and married Joseph Edward McClellan born 1868 in
Nahunta, Georgia and died October 31, 1930 in St. Augustine,
Florida. (See information on McClellan line submitted by Christi
Green of Savannah, Georgia. 33 pages) "Silas died in
his sleep of natural causes on January 17, 1930 at the age of 56
in St. Augustine, Florida according to his death certificate and
buried in the Old Still Cemetery in Nassau Co, Florida next to his
parents. He married Florida Sweat of Baker Co., Florida on
29 July 1902.(See book written by Ed Sweat named “Sweat
and related Families of the Wiregrass.) The Sweat line has
been established as a Florida Pioneer thru Samuel Sweat, Florida
Thompson's grandfather. Florida's mother was Mary
Thompson daughter of Richard and Mary Corneal
Thompson. Mary Corneal was born in Ireland. Richard
Thompson may have been a brother to Malachi, further
research is needed. (Linda Davis' line) Ardelia
born 23 September 1879 in Georgia died 1952 buried at Old Still
Cemetery, Nassau County, Florida. She was the second wife of Fredrick
Lawrence Lockwood who was born in Bay City, Michigan. Samuel
married Bell Wingate and buried in St. Johns Co, Florida.
The Wingate line can be traced to the list of Florida
Pioneers settling in Florida prior to 1845. They are buried in
Evergreen Cemetery in St. Augustine, FL. George Wesley
born 1885 married on 28 September 1913 to Kizzie Tempsey
Batton born according to SSDI 19 Dec. 1898 and died Jan
1974. Married at the age of 15, Kizzie was the youngest of
Green and Lucretia Sellars Howard Batton, making George
and her first cousins. Both are buried in the Old Still Cemetery
in Nassau Co., Florida Freeman born 1887 died of pneumonia
age 12 and buried in the Old Still Cemetery, Nassau County,
Florida. William born March 12, 1890 married Nettie
Dowling after the 1910 census as he was living with his
brother Silas and family in Nassau Co, Florida then.
Nettie was the daughter of Evan Layton Dowling born 1888
in Georgia and his second wife Ironia “Roney” Rhoden. Her
grandparents were John D. Dowling and Nancy Taylor,
and this line goes back to a South Carolina Revolutionary Soldier.
Will died 27 November 1934. He is buried in the National Cemetery
on Marine Street in St. Augustine, Florida as he served in the
Quartermaster Corps during World War 1 as a private. He died of
complications of Mustard Gas. His gravesite is section A plot RICHARD
With circumstantial evidence, Richard Thompson was added
as a child of Benjamin Thompson. He would have been the
oldest son in the 1830 census, being born between 1805 and 1810. Richard
and his family were first enumerated in the Ware County, Georgia
1850 census. Richard's first born son was named Benjamin
which would be the naming pattern of the times...naming the first
son after the father's father. After Ware County, this family
migrates to Charlton County, Georgia. After the Civil War, Benjamin's
two youngest sons move to Charlton County also and are neighbors
to this Richard Thompson family. Land records show that Richard's
son-in-law Lewis Stokes sold 2,000 acres of land to Malachi
Thompson, Benjamin youngest son. Richard Thompson
married Mary Corneal born in Ireland. There is a family of
Corneal's near Savannah about 1800 and it is believed that
this was her family. In the Ware County 1850 census, Ebenezer
Corneal is enumerated with Richard Thompson's
family. It is thought that he is Mary's younger brother. Ebenezer
married a Crew and later moved to Baker County, Florida. Richard
and Mary Corneal Thompson are enumerated in the Baker
County, Florida 1880 as a elderly couple living alone. Children
of Richard and Mary Corneal Thompson: Joanna
b. 1837 married Lewis A. Stokes Benjamin b. 1839 Seely
or Celety b. 1846 Judge b. 1851 Mary b. 1855
married Jackson Sweat. Sarah Caroline b 15 January
1863 married John Hodges. The Hodges were neighbors
of the Thompson family in Charlton County, GA.