Last year, I wrote extensively about my quest to untangle and sort out the five contemporaneous Lawrence Thompsons wandering around Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1700s.

There is yet another puzzle piece that might somewhere, but I think perhaps not.

A reader asked me if I had come across this family. I was aware of them, but hadn’t ever tried to connect them to my husband’s Thompsons.

John Thompson married Christiana (MNU) by 1799, as their first known child, Robert, was born in 1800, per census records.

Given that the Thompson men seemed to marry well after the age of 21, let’s say that John Thompson was born c1775. Christiana was likely a bit younger, so born c1778.

This family lived in Franklin County, Kentucky, which was formed in 1795, having been carved out of parts of Mercer, Shelby and Woodford Counties.

By 1827, part of Franklin County was set off to form Anderson County, which is where two of John’s and Christiana’s known children lived in 1850.

However, we need to look at first things first. Where was this couple living in 1800? A strong assumption would be Mercer County, Kentucky, as John and Christiana’s son, John Stalcup Thompson, would later marry Eveline Plough, daughter of Daniel Plough.

Remember, Franklin County was set off from part of Mercer County, Daniel Plough is found on the 1800 tax list of Mercer County and the Thompson family had a number of ties to the same county.

There is a John Thompson found on the Mercer County tax list in 1800. However, he is enumerated as Col. John Thompson, which seems to indicate a man older than a newlywed.

John Thompson is not an uncommon name even in 1800 Kentucky. There were John Thompson in Christian, Mason, Pulaski and Livingston Counties, which I believe are too far away from the core Thompson area for my husband’s family.However, we’ll return to look at Mason County in a bit.

Then we have John Thompson in Fayette, Jefferson, Jessamine and Scott Counties, which are possibilities.

Finally, we have John Thompson in Clark, Lincoln and Shelby Counties, which are the most likely counties for John and Christiana if “my” John Thompson is not the one in Mercer County. Remember, Franklin County was also formed from a piece of Shelby County.

John Thompson left an 1825 will recorded in Franklin County, Kentucky. You would think that would help tremendously, but it doesn’t really.

John named his wife, Christiana, made his son Robert the executor and, at first, left nothing to daughter Dorcas Miskill, but later relented and gave her $1.00. Robert and Dorcas were apparently the two eldest children, but John only refers to the remainder as “my children.”

Both Robert Thompson, born c1800, and Dorcas (Thompson) Miskill, born c1803, remained in Anderson County, Kentucky (set off from Franklin County) for their entire lives.

I haven’t dug too deeply into Robert’s and Dorcas’s families. However, Dorcas married Robert Miskill in Mercer County in 1824, just a year before her father died. Dorcas is head of household in 1830. I thought that Robert had died, but it seems they may have separated with or without the benefit of divorce. Dorcas never remarried, but there is a Robert Miskill, born 1799 in Kentucky, who married in Vigo County, Indiana and lived there until he died c1880. I have to wonder if Dorcas’s father never liked Robert and didn’t want her to marry him. His will says she is to have nothing – not that she has already received her portion.

Robert Thompson apparently remained single until he married Annis Brown on 8 November 1837 in Anderson County, Kentucky.

A reader identified John Stalcup Thompson as a son of John and Christiana. It seems that many online trees have given Christiana the maiden name of Stalcup because of that. I haven’t been able to prove that one way or the other.

Now, my reader wondered if this family was part of my Thompsons because Ephraim Thompson’s sister, Margaret, married Emor Stalcup in Mercer County in 1792. That is one possible connection. Emor Stalcup died in 1805 and, if John Thompson of Franklin County is related to Ephraim, it could be that John Stalcup Thompson was named in memory of the deceased Emor.

In spite of that possible clue, I have found nothing that convinces me that John and Christiana might be part of “my” Thompson family.

Earlier in this post, I mentioned Mason County, Kentucky. Mason County is well outside the core counties area where “my” Thompsons settled.

However, I did a little digging and discovered several possible clues to an alternate theory about John and Christiana’s family. First, there is a John Thompson on the 1800 reconstructed Kentucky census living in Mason County. Further, there is a widow Rebecca Stalcup on the same census and probate records include an entry for John Stalcup, who died in Mason County in 1804.

Whether or not the Mason County families are a more viable possibility to the origins of John and Christiana Thompson, I have no idea.

In 1830, Christiana Thompson is head of household in Anderson County, Kentucky. There are no other Thompson families nearby or, for that matter, any familiar families except for Daniel Plough, father of Evaline, who married John Stalcup Thompson.

Christiana’s household included one female, 40-50 (her), one male, 30-40, one female, 15-20 and one male, 15-20. I can’t prove who any of these other people are.

Christiana seems to have died before 1840, but is definitely not found anywhere in 1850.

As for John Stalcup Thompson, he was born c1807 and died in 1879. His birth place was reported as Tennessee in 1850 and in the 1880 mortality schedule. However, in 1860 and 1870, his place of birth was listed as Kentucky.

John married Evaline Plough, c1828. She was born 27 July 1811 and died 26 January 1878 in Anderson County, Kentucky.

They were the parents of nine known children (All events in Anderson County, Kentucky unless noted otherwise):

1. Daniel Marion, born 9 October 1829; died 29 June 1859; no marriage record found.
2. Almeda, born 1 January 1833; died 10 February 1878; married John W. Burford, 23 November 1852. John was born 15 October 1823 and died 14 May 1900.
3. Mary Evaline, born 9 October 1834; died 14 March 1883; married James E. Paxton, 1 November 1856.
4. John Carter, born 12 January 1836; died 22 January 1901; married Frankie James, 14 October 1879, Franklin County, Kentucky. Frankie was born c1861; died after 1910.
5. Margaret Susan, born 15 December 1838; died 1 Maarch 1930, Mercer County, Kentucky; married (1) David McAllister, 18 December 1855. He was born c1822; died of consumption on 2 November 1856. (2) Clark A. Winchester, c1880. He was born April 1843, New York; died 29 November 1905, Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky. Margaret has no known children.
6. Levi Ira, born 20 December 1840; died 10 January 1929; married Frances Cook, c1866. Frances was born 17 April 1846; died 27 April 1926.
7. Martha S., born 9 December 1842; died 2 February 1892; married Ezra G. Boggess, c1871. Ezra was born 1 December 1847; died 12 April 1897.
8. William Harrison, born 4 March 1845; died 26 September 1916; married Roxie Ann Phillips, 25 February 1868. She was born 10 October 1847; died 26 February 1928, Fayette County, Kentucky.
9. George Washington, born 2 November 1853; died 1935, mercer County, Kentucky; married Cynthia A. Roberts, 4 November 1891. She was born c1860; died after 1910.

There are many descendants of John and Christiana Thompson today. If you can shed any light on the origins of John Thompson, please leave a comment.