Finding Your Folks: The Thompsons of Line Creek - Part 1

The ink had hardly dried on the paper last week when I received an e-mail from Robin Parker of Warm Springs who is descended from two of our Line Creek families. Her aunt who lives in Peachtree City had clipped out the column and sent it to her. Needless to say I was thrilled to hear from someone who could tell us a little more, and on a more personal level, about the lives of these people. Robin agreed to share some information on her families and will be writing most of the material for the columns for the next few weeks. Robin writes:

"In your column, you wanted to explore four families in the Line Creek area, two of these families are my ancestors, the Thompsons and the Gables.

"I am delighted to share with you and your readers, information on my Grandpa Jack Thompson and his descendants.

"James Jackson Thompson was born Dec. 22, 1849 in the Broken Arrow district (now known as Walnut Grove) of Walton County, Ga. He was the fifth child of seven born to James S. and Selethia Millsaps Thompson. Jack's siblings were (1) Joseph R. Thompson born ca 1840, (2) John W. Thompson born January 31, 1844, (3) Mary E. Thompson born June 10, 1846, (4) Permethius S. Thompson born April 12, 1848, (5) Nancy A. Thompson born August 3, 1852, and (6) Cicero Matthew Thompson born 1855.

"Not much is known of his early years, but it would be safe to say that he spent his days working beside his siblings on his father's farm. When Jack was 12 years old, things changed drastically for the family. His oldest brother, Joseph, enlisted as a Private in the CSA in 1861. Joseph would not return home; he died April 5, 1862 in Orange Co., Va. Jack's brother, John, also enlisted as a Private in the CSA in March of 1862. John suffered a terrible wound to his right leg which caused him a permanent disability.

"After the war, and sometime between 1870 and 1880, James Jackson Thompson, decided to leave Walnut Grove in search of work. It must have been a very sad event, as even after 120 some odd years have passed, I was quickly reminded by relatives still in Walnut Grove, that 'Jack' was the only one of the family to leave the area.

"For whatever reason, James Jackson Thompson made his way to Meriwether County and went to work on the farm of John Zeno Swygert in the Warnerville area. During my research I had tried to determine why he would come to an area where he was completely unknown, but during discovered that several other families from Walton County migrated south to the Coweta and Meriwether areas. Perhaps he was personally acquainted with some of the folks in the area.

"It was while Jack was working on the farm of John Zeno Swygert, that he met Mr. Swygert's daughter, Sarah Margaret Ann Clay Swygert. Sarah was born Oct. 24, 1855 in Meriwether County to John Zeno and Mittie Ann Addy Swygert. Sarah's arrival in the family came about two years after the family migrated from Lexington County, S.C. and arrived in Meriwether County in the fall of 1853.

"Jack Thompson and Sarah Swygert were married on Sept. 25, 1879 in Meriwether County by the Rev. W.R. Stillwell. From this union there were 14 children:

"(1) Marcus Shields Thompson born August 28, 1880 married Fannie Kate Nixon; their children were Sarah Carolyn and Marcus Leon.

"(2) Mittie Salethy Thompson born Jan. 1, 1882, never married.

"(3) Luther Lansdrum Thompson born March 16, 1883 and died Nov. 21, 1883.

"(4) Bowman Hughes Thompson born June 1, 1884 married Leila Brooks; their children were Franklin Hughes, James Albert, and Carl Woodruff.

"(5) Cromer Oblin Thompson born June 1, 1884 never married.

"(6) Lenora Agnes Thompson born Nov. 27, 1885 married Noah Henry Gable; no children.

"(7) Otis Lamarah Thompson born May 30, 1887 married Myrtle Lou Gable (my grandparents); their children were Dorothy Mozelle, James Lamar, George Walter, Richard Warren, Christine Elizabeth, Helen Louise, Imogene, Charles Bernard, and Robert Julian (my father).

"(8) Katie Lee Thompson born July 31, 1888 married Alvin Hardy Callahan; their children were Sarah Catherine and Mary Clay. [I would like to add a side note here noting that Alvin Hardy Callahan was the son of Mary A. Herndon and William T. Callahan and the grandson of Joel J. Herndon and Elizabeth Kempson. - JK]

"(9) James Zeno Thompson born March 4, 1890 and died Dec. 8, 1900 when he was crushed under a tree that was being felled.

"(10) Earlena Thompson born Aug. 1, 1891 married Henry Floyd Smith; no children.

"(11) Bessie Cleo Thompson born Jan. 5, 1893 married Will Aubrey Peak; no children.

"(12) Emmett Walter Thompson born July 5, 1895 married Cynthia Elizabeth Keith; their children were Emmett Walter, Jr., Thelma M., Beatrice I., Bernice L. and James Calvin.

"(13) Lizzie Mae Thompson born Dec. 13, 1897 married first John Albert Todd; their child, John Cecil: she married second Henry Smith; their child, James Harold: she married third Jesse L. Derrick; no children.

"(14) Sarah Estelle Thompson born Feb. 28, 1901 married Emmett McLendon; no children.

"They raised their children with a strong religious conviction, all being reared in the Mt. Pilgrim Lutheran church family; they had a strong sense of morality and an even stronger sense of family. All of these attributes have been handed down through the generations."

Next week we'll learn more about the adult life and times of Robin's "Grandpa" Jack Thompson. I sincerely appreciate her sharing his wonderful story.

Stories and family histories about your ancestors who lived on Atlanta's south side are always welcome. Send them to jkilgore@thecitizen.com or JodieK444@aol.com. Mail to The Citizen, P.O. Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214. All letters and e-mails I receive are subject to being used in the column.