If you have stuck with the Thompson BSOs over the last nine days, I congratulate you. If you are expecting to now see the proof of these relationships appear before you, I am afraid you will be disappointed.

All is not hopeless though because I believe in the no-stone-left-unturned process. I believe my theory about Ephraim Thompson’s wife and children is sound and I also believe that my tentative family group for Laurence Thompson and an unknown wife as Ephraim’s parents is also sound.

Therefore, three Thompson generations can be listed as:

Generation I –  Laurence Thompson, born c1740; died after 1810 census and his unknown wife

 Generation II – Children:

1. Ephraim, born c1771; married Sarah Curry, daughter of William Curry on 18 October 1798, Mercer County, KY; died before 13 September 1847, Howard County, Missouri. Ephraim was ordered to help maintain the roads in 1793, so I assume that he was 21 by that time.
2. Margaret, born c1774; married Emmer Stalcup, 25 March 1792, Mercer County, Kentucky. Her father gave permission for the marriage, so she was under 21 and thus born in 1772 or a little later. Margaret was enumerated in the 1810 census of Washington County, Kentucky, but is not found after that time.
3. David, born c1775; married Malinda Neville, 7 December 1796, Mercer County, Kentucky; died 2 June 1821, Callaway County, Missouri, per probate records (Volume A:13) Malinda was reportedly born 30 January 1778, Tryon County, North Carolina; died 29 January 1869, Lake County, California. David is tentatively placed as a son of Laurence Thompson because (1) he is the right age (2) he is on the same removal list as Ephraim from Mercer County in 1798 and (3) he also migrated to Missouri at an early time. Callaway County was set off from Montgomery County in 1820. Then and now Callaway County borders Boone County, where Ephraim Thompson also owned land. (4) Ephraim apparently married (2) to Isabella Jones in 1842, Boone County, Missouri. They had one son, born c1847, who was named David, perhaps for Ephraim’s deceased brother.
4. Grace, born c1779; married Henry Landes/s, 25 February 1799, Washington County, Kentucky, with the name of her father, Laurence Thompson recorded on the record.
5. George, born c1782; possible son because one George Thompson took on Samuel Scott as an apprentice on 1 January 1812 to learn the art of draper. Samuel W. Scott married Sarah Thompson, presumed daughter of Ephraim and Sarah (Curry) Thompson on 26 February 1821 in Howard County, Missouri

There may well have been one or more other children of Laurence Thompson, but their identities are still hidden in the records of Washington and Mercer Counties, Kentucky!

Generation III – Children of Ephraim Thompson and Sarah (Sally) Curry Thompson

1. Annie, born c1800; died c1829, probably Howard County, Missouri; married James Holland, 27 November 1818, Howard County, Missouri.
2. Elmore, born c1802; died before 13 September 1840, Howard County, Missouri; married Martha (Patsey) Smith, 25 February 1830, Boone County, Missouri.
3. Sarah, born c1805; died after 1850, probably Howard County, Missouri; married Samuel W. Scott, 26 February 1821, Howard County, Missouri.
4. Hannah, born c1810; died after 28 August 1870, probably in Howard County, Missouri; married William Alexander, 10 January 1833, Boone County, Missouri
5. Elias, born 1805-1810; died 23 April 1877, Howard County, Missouri; married Permelia Smith, c1835, but no record found. The 1850 census has Ann K. Smith, probably Permelia’s mother, aged 72, living with the family.

My next trip to the Family History Library will focus on identifying children/descendants of Laurence’s children, Margaret, David, Grace and George and to take a fresh look at Thompson land records in Mercer and Washington Counties. Now that I have at least an inking of an idea of several of Ephraim’s (maybe) father and siblings, there is a much better chance of sorting out all these people, especially with some help from probate records and court minutes.

If one looks at this Thompson cluster’s FAN club and if Laurence Thompson hailed from any of the same places as the families into which his children married, there is still a lot of research to do. The Stalcup family was from New Castle County, Delaware. The Holland/Hollin family came from Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Henry Landes was from North Carolina. Permelia Smith’s probable mother, Ann K. Smith, was born in Virginia. Sarah Curry’s family lived in Augusta County, Virginia. Mark and Grace Arnold (Ephraim was executor of her estate) were from King George County, Virginia. Those are a lot of places to check with no guarantee that Laurence and Ephraim Thompson were from any of them.

Will I ever have proof of Ephraim Thompson’s descendants and ancestors? I don’t know, but I am certainly not ready to give up yet. Thank you for hanging with me through all of this – there is still more to come!