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Thomas Family - Bertie Co NC
I'm going to transfer some of these comments to discussion as I address them.
Comment by Joan Thomas Holloway 14 hours ago My gg-grandfather was Joseph H. Thomas. According to 1850, 1860, and 1870 US census he was born in Bertie County, NC. He's my brickwall. The earliest information I have on him is a 1849 marriage certificate to my gg-grandmother Sarah Jane English. He was born around 1795 and she was born in 1828. The difference in age makes me wonder if he had been married previously. Would welcome any suggestions! '>>
According to Mitchell's will index, there were 7 Thomas' who left wills in Bertie Co., NC:
Abraham, 1864
Elisha, 1826
George, 1834
Isaiah, 1854
James E., 1780
Josiah, 1866
Michel, 1766
Your Joseph H Thomas could have belonged to any of these men except Michel and James who died before your Joseph was born in 1795.
Unfortunately I did not find any English surname wills in Bertie County. However, there could be some estate files for that name at the NC State Archives.
I did find Joseph Thomas on the 1830 Bertie Co., NC census report. He was the only male of the house, he was 30-40 years old, which puts his DOB between 1790-1800. This fits with your Joseph Thomas. Other members of the house were an older woman, 60-70 years old whose DOB would be between 1760-1770 and 3 other females: 1 between 15-20, 1 between 20-30 and one between 30-40. This last female could be a wife of Joseph Thomas. Also, if this is your Joseph Thomas, it is probable that his father was deceased prior to this census being taken since only an older female is listed – probably his mother – so Elisha might be a good candidate for his father since his will was written in 1826. Of course, the dates listed above are dates when the will was written, not probated, so he could have died after that date.
I could not find Joseph Thomas on the 1840 Bertie Co census report. There is Isaiah, John, Josiah, Lewell, and Mickel. However I did find a Joseph H Thomas on the Wake Co census. The name fits, however the age is a bit off: 30-40 yo (b. abt 1800-1810); Wake county is not adjacent to Bertie but it was the capital area of the state.
These 7 wills could easily be looked through at the NC State Archives, as well a look at the estate files which may include intestate (where someone died without writing a will) probates. You can write the Archives directly to get copies of the will for about $20 or find someone to look them up for you, copy, and mail if you live outside of the state.
Also, although Ancestry.com does have a North Carolina Marriage Collection database, not all of the marriage bonds are in there, so you might want to take a peek at the Bertie county marriage bonds at the archives as well.
Comment by Joan Thomas Holloway 14 hours ago My gg-grandfather was Joseph H. Thomas. According to 1850, 1860, and 1870 US census he was born in Bertie County, NC. He's my brickwall. The earliest information I have on him is a 1849 marriage certificate to my gg-grandmother Sarah Jane English. He was born around 1795 and she was born in 1828. The difference in age makes me wonder if he had been married previously. Would welcome any suggestions! '>>
According to Mitchell's will index, there were 7 Thomas' who left wills in Bertie Co., NC:
Abraham, 1864
Elisha, 1826
George, 1834
Isaiah, 1854
James E., 1780
Josiah, 1866
Michel, 1766
Your Joseph H Thomas could have belonged to any of these men except Michel and James who died before your Joseph was born in 1795.
Unfortunately I did not find any English surname wills in Bertie County. However, there could be some estate files for that name at the NC State Archives.
I did find Joseph Thomas on the 1830 Bertie Co., NC census report. He was the only male of the house, he was 30-40 years old, which puts his DOB between 1790-1800. This fits with your Joseph Thomas. Other members of the house were an older woman, 60-70 years old whose DOB would be between 1760-1770 and 3 other females: 1 between 15-20, 1 between 20-30 and one between 30-40. This last female could be a wife of Joseph Thomas. Also, if this is your Joseph Thomas, it is probable that his father was deceased prior to this census being taken since only an older female is listed – probably his mother – so Elisha might be a good candidate for his father since his will was written in 1826. Of course, the dates listed above are dates when the will was written, not probated, so he could have died after that date.
I could not find Joseph Thomas on the 1840 Bertie Co census report. There is Isaiah, John, Josiah, Lewell, and Mickel. However I did find a Joseph H Thomas on the Wake Co census. The name fits, however the age is a bit off: 30-40 yo (b. abt 1800-1810); Wake county is not adjacent to Bertie but it was the capital area of the state.
These 7 wills could easily be looked through at the NC State Archives, as well a look at the estate files which may include intestate (where someone died without writing a will) probates. You can write the Archives directly to get copies of the will for about $20 or find someone to look them up for you, copy, and mail if you live outside of the state.
Also, although Ancestry.com does have a North Carolina Marriage Collection database, not all of the marriage bonds are in there, so you might want to take a peek at the Bertie county marriage bonds at the archives as well.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joan Thomas Holloway on
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I am so sorry I missed your first post! Thanks for writing again.
The Thomas listings in Bertie that I have been checking are Ezekiel, Rachele, Jonah, John, Jordan and James as they all had males under 10 in the household in 1800. I also found a 1820 Census in Bertie County for a Joseph. He was age 16-26 with two other males (one up to 10 years and one 10 to 16 years). One female age 16-26 and two females up to 10 years and one 10-16 years. The elderly woman was not in his household in 1820, but as you say, it could have been a mother or mother-in-law he was taking care of in 1830.
I haven't found him at all in a 1840 Census, but have found him in the 1850 thru 1870 Census Sheets. I wondered if there was an epidemic or some disaster that took place in Bertie County that could have hurt his family. If he is the Joseph in the 1820 Census he would have lost 2 sons and 1 daughter by 1830.
I went to the NC Archives a few years ago and obtained copies of the wills they had. I will pull them out again and recheck. Some of them are so difficult to read. I did not have time to look at the marriages, birth, or death records. Good suggestion and thanks. I could have stayed a month at the Archives and enjoyd every minute! I only had about an hour in the library as I spent most of my time in records.
Thanks so much for your time and effort. I will follow through by checking the wills I already have and requesting what I don't havel. I will also check the marriage bonds. I have preordered the Bertie County book scheduled for publishing next summer to see if there is anything in it that may help me. Joseph has 6 generations of descendants accounted for here in Savannah.
My brother has submitted his DNA for testing and we are awaiting further results. Hopefully, a door will open somewhere. -
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