Joseph Thompson is the seventh child of the Andrew and Ann Thompson He was born in 1792 in Wythe, Virginia, according to his marriage information [Bland Marriage Register, pg 2] His death date is unknown, but it is after 1864 when he remarried. He is not found in either the 1850 or 1860 census.

Joseph was married to his first wife, ca. 1815; this date calculated based on ages of children listed in the censuses. She was younger than he by two to four years, born 1794/1796. Her name was possibly Maria, as will shortly be explained. She died after 1840, where she is listed in the census, and before 1864 when Joseph remarried.

Joseph remarried in 1864 to Elizabeth Carr of Giles, Virginia [Ibid.]; daughter of Polly Carr. He was 72, she was 36. There are no known children from this marriage.

Joseph Thompson and his first wife had the following children:

(male child)	b. ca. 1810/1820
(female child)	b. ca. 1810/1820
(male child)	b. ca. 1820/1825
(female child)	b. ca. 1825/1830
(male child)	b. ca. 1830/1835
(female child)	b. ca. 1830/1835 (possibly Sarah M.)
(male child)	b. ca. 1835/1840
(female child)	b. ca. 1835/1840

The sexes and approximate ages of the children are found by comparing the censuses from 1810 to 1850. It is hard to be absolutely certain about the family. There can be no less than 5 males and 3 females. The age ranges fit this quite well, but not perfectly. There are still two children in 1820 that must be accounted for, either as moved away, or as present in the 1840 census. In particular one of the children may be 0 (zero) in 1820 and 20 in 1840. I have not listed either of them in the list, above.

The possible name of Joseph's first wife, as well as the name of one daughter come from a marriage record [Bland Marriage Register, pg 19]. On 28 Jul 1881, Hiram Stinson, a 66 year-old widower of Giles County (son of Jacob and Polly Stinson) married Sarah M. Thompson, age 48, a widow of Wythe County. Her parents are "Joseph and Maria". Sarah's age (b. 1833) is just right to be one of Joseph's children, however, it is not clear whether Thompson is her married or maiden name. More research needs to be done, here.

Other Notes

There is a Joseph Thompson, aged 70, living with James and Jane (age 23) Conner in the 1860 census [Douthat, Wythe Census 1860, family 1261]. This is possibly our Joseph, son of Andrew. The ages match, and there would have been a daughter of the right age to marry.

Further Research

1. Find a will for Joseph. He died about 1864/1880, most likely in Bland County.

© Copyright Brian J. Cragun, 1994, 1997. All rights reserved.