Thomas Foster (abt. 1696 - 1769)

Born about 1696 in Essex County, Colony of Virginia [uncertain]

Husband of Elizabeth (Meador) Foster — married 1723 in Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died 1769 at about age 73 in St. James Santee Parish, Craven County, Province of South Carolina

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Biography

Thomas Foster Sr. was born circa 1696 in Essex County, Virginia, British Colonial America to Robert Foster and Elizabeth (Garnett) Foster. The couple had eleven children: John Foster, who married Isabella Golding; Robert Foster, who married Ann Lloyd; James Foster, who married a wife named Martha; Barbara Foster, who married Richard Loving; Richard Foster; Thomas Foster, who married Elizabeth Meadors; George Foster, who married Mary Singleton; William Foster; Margaret Foster; Elizabeth Foster, who married William Golding; and Anthony Foster, who married Martha Taliaferro.^[1]

Thomas was the seventh child and born just shortly after his parents moved to Essex County. There he grew to adulthood. He married Elizabeth. She probably was a Meador as there were families of Meadors in Essex County that he could have known and this coupled with the fact that he had a son, Alexius Meador Foster, make the assumption tempting. The marriage date is not known.

Thomas and Elizabeth, we assume, started their life together in Essex County, in that part which would become Caroline County, as it was there that their first four children were born. They moved from Caroline County to Amelia County in 1737 for in that year (June 10, 1737) Thomas Foster received a royal land grant of 350 acres of land on Stock Creek in what is now the far northwest corner of Amelia County south of the Appomattox River..

After moving to Amelia County, they built their plantation house, their outbuildings, cleared their land and planted their orchards....After the death of his mother and step-father, Thomas Foster started preparations for a move to Spotsylvania County. From deed records we know that Thomas and his underage children were in Spotsylvania as early as 1745 for in that year he bought land there. From the time Thomas moved to Spotsylvania County he became known as Thomas, the surgeon...Thomas Foster practiced medicine in Spotsylvania County for a decade before returning to the Appomattox River area, this time to Cumberland County just north of Amelia County where he continued to practice medicine in the area..

He later moved to the coastal area of South Carolina where he continued to practice medicine and died in 1769 in St. James Santee Parish, Cravin County, South Carolina.^[2]

Research Notes

Thomas Foster is a common name and sometimes identities get confused. This has happened between Dr. Thomas Foster Sr. Thomas Foster Sr. (abt.1696-1769) and his alleged son Thomas Garnett Foster Jr .Thomas Garnett Foster Jr (1724-1786). A family history published in 1990 ^[3]makes this claim without sufficient documentation. The Thomas Foster who was the son of Robert Foster Robert Foster Sr. (1651-bef.1716), moved to Amelia County in 1736 and made a deed of gift to Robert and Elizabeth Charlesworth in 1741, identifying Thomas as the son of Robert Foster. He is the same Thomas Foster who died there in 1786. The Thomas Foster, surgeon, who lived in Spotsylvania County, later Cumberland County and died in Craven County, South Carolina, in 1769 never lived in Amelia County and is a different Thomas Foster.

Timeline for Thomas Foster, Surgeon

On 3 Sept 1744 Thomas Forster, surgeon, bought 337 acres from Edward Herndon Jr. Both men were described as being of Spotsylvania County and parish of St. George. The land was adjacent Joseph Brock, Bowker, Robert Coleman, Hugh Sanders and Ignatius Turman. Witnesses were William Lynn, William Smith and Charles Boreman.^[4]

The following year, 3 June 1745, Thomas bought 400 acres in Spotsylvania County from Robert Coleman. The land was adjacent Achilles Bowker and Thomas Bowker. Witnesses were A. Foster, John Gordon and John Parrish. ^[5]

In 1753, Thomas moved from Spotsylvania County to Cumberland County. On 29 Jan 1753 he purchased 630 acres from James Terry. The land was adjacent John Williams, Robert Peake and James Allen. Witnesses were William Womack Jr., John Woodson and Daniel Coleman Jr. ^[6]

The following year on 5 Nov 1754 Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth, sold both tracts of land in Spotsylvania County (737 acres) to Robert Chew. The deed describes Thomas as being of Cumberland County. ^[7]

In 1756 Thomas added to his holdings in Cumberland County. He purchased 400 acres from Thomas Whitten. Witnesses were Thomas Davenport Jr., William Davenport, Stephen Davenport, Flams'd Ransone and William Thompson.^[8]

In 1764 Thomas sold all of his land in Cumberland County. The 630 acre tract was sold to Thomas Davenport Jr., Joseph Calland and William Davenport. ^[9] The 400 acre tract was sold to William Davenport.^[10]Both deeds were dated 22 Mar 1764 and the witnesses for both deeds were the same: Alexander Banks, Hartwell Macon, James Davenport, Lear Hughes and Henry Davenport. Caroline Forster, wife of Thomas Forster, gave her dower release to both deeds.

Thomas married Caroline Rogers in 1761 in neighboring Prince Edward County. The marriage bond states that Thomas was of Cumberland County. Thomas signed his name Thomas Forster. The reverse side of the bond reads “Foster [insert: Thomas] Doct’r”. Peter LeGrand was surety for the bond. ^[11]

Thomas and Caroline moved to Craven County, South Carolina, probably soon after selling their land in Cumberland County but sometime before his death in September, 1769; his burial date is 25 Sept 1769. The entry from the abstract reads “Thomas Forster, M.D.” A posthumous son was born on 7 Mar 1770. The entry from the abstract reads “John, Sn of Thomas & Caroline Forster, M.D.” ^[12]

Sources

1. ↑ Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 4. (Ancestry.com [on-line database w/ images]). https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6131/
2. ↑ Foster, Dr. Billy Glen, "The Foster Family of Flanders, England and America", First Edition, Insite Publishing Co., Bryan, Texas, 1990. Page 40.
3. ↑ Dr. Billy Glen Foster, Foster Family of Flanders, England and America (College Station, Tex.: B. G. Foster, 1990).
4. ↑ Spotsylvania Co., Va., Deed Book D:142, Edward Herndon Jr to Thomas Forster, 1744; Family Search, film no. 004145195, im. 372/599 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99GF-B69R: viewed 15 Mar 2024).
5. ↑ Spotsylvania Co., Va., Deed Book D:212, Robert Coleman to Thomas Forster, 1745; Family Search, film no. 004145195, im. 407/599 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99GF-B6MC: viewed 15 Mar 2024).
6. ↑ Cumberland Co., Va., Deed Book 2:45, James Terry to Thomas Foster, 1753; Family Search, film no. 007893764, im 342/591 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4H-ZRTB:viewed 15 Mar 2024).
7. ↑ Spotsylvania Co., Va., Deed Book E:227, Thomas Forster to Robert Chew, 1754; Family Search, film no. 008153248, im. 119/935 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKV-5C5L: viewed 17 Mar 2024).
8. ↑ Cumberland Co., Va., Deed Book 2:285, Thomas Whitten to Thomas Forster, 1756; Family Search, film no. 007893764, im 462/591 ( https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4H-ZRKD:viewed 17 Mar 2024).
9. ↑ Cumberland Co., Va., Deed Book 3:473, Thomas Forster to Thomas Davenport Jr. et al, 1764; Family Search, film no. 007893765, im. 264/571 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4H-CQXQ-C: viewed 17 Mar 2024).
10. ↑ Cumberland Co., Va., Deed Book 3:476, Thomas Forster to William Davenport, 1764; Family Search, film no. 007893765, im. 266/571 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4H-CQXQ-9: viewed 17 Mar 2024).
11. ↑ Prince Edward Co., Va., Marriage Bonds, Thomas Forster, 1761; Family Search, film no. 007741931, im. 110/847 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91X-BSDF-P: viewed 19 Mar 2024).
12. ↑ Anne Baker Leland Bridges, Roy Williams, St. James Santee Plantation Parish, History and Records 1685-1925 (Spartanburg, S.C.: Reprint Co. Pub., 1997), p. 421 for birth entry, p. 424 for death entry.

See also:

• Dr. Billy G Foster