Thomas (Gregg) Gragg Sr. (abt. 1761 - bef. 1827)

Born about 1761 in Tinkling Springs, Augusta County, Virginia, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Nancy Ellender (Crow) Gragg — married 17 Jun 1783 in Augusta, Virginia, United States

Descendants

Died before Nov 1827 before about age 66 in Cocke, Tennessee, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Ron Gragg [send private message], Kim Willits [send private message], Pat Elliott [send private message], and David Black [send private message]

Biography

Thomas (Gregg) Gragg Sr. was a Virginia colonist.

This profile is part of the Gragg Name Study.

Thomas (Gregg) Gragg Sr. was an Appalachian.

Disambiguation

This Thomas Gragg has been confused by some researchers with his NEPHEW Thomas Gragg (1794-1862), son of Thomas Gragg's brother Henry Gragg (1755-1824). Some have conflated the two and have given this Thomas Gragg the date and place of death of his nephew in Bates County, Missouri. Although both Thomas Gragg's married women named Nancy Crow [which no doubt has created the confusion], there are many records and many U.S. Census records, showing they are two completely different Thomas Gragg's and also two completely different Nancy Crow's.

About Thomas Gragg

Thomas Gragg was born abt. 1761 in Augusta County, Virginia, son of Robert Gregg and Lydia Harrison, and died before November 1827 most likely in Cocke County, Tennessee.. According to records found by Katherine G. Bushman, Staunton, Virginia, Thomas Gragg married Nancy Crow, daughter of Walter Crow and Ann Miller. No record of marriage was found as the records begin in 1785 in Augusta County, Virginia, and the marriage must have been before 1785 [some have it as 1783]. she did find a record of land sale of Thomas Gragg and Nancy, his wife, to Thomas Green in 1786. Also a Nancy Gragg is mentioned in the will of [her father] Walter Crow.

The first mention of Thomas Gragg in Augusta County, Court Records, was as a tax payer in 1782, and the last court transaction was in 1786. The 1786 Tax List of Insolvents for Augusta County, shows "Thomas Gragg moved to Holston County (Tennessee).

Thomas Gragg received two North Carolina Land Grants in Greene County, Tennessee in 1787: Bk. 3, pg. 314 - September 20, 1787, 640 acres - Corner of John Slewers, to a white oak on Henry Gragg's corner". Bk. 3, pg. 457 - September 20, 1787, 200 acres on Dry Fork of Meadow Creek, joining Robert Allison's land." The two land grants placed Thomas's land in what is now Cocke County, Tennessee. The grants were between and adjacent to Samuel's land on the east, and Henry Gragg's land on the west, both brother of Thomas. Land records in 1803 show Thomas Gragg was listed as "from Cocke County", which is adjacent to Greene County to the southwest.

Indentures found at the Greene County Court House, show Thomas Gragg sold two parcels of land several years later - 129 acres in 1803, and 90 acres in 1805. The Cocke County Court House burned in 1875, and all the records were lost. Undoubtedly other land Transactions and likely the will of this Thomas Gragg were recorded there and lost in the fire.

Thomas Gragg received forty five acres of land from the State of Tennessee in 1817, the last record land found of Thomas Gragg.

A land sale [deed] in Greene County, Tennessee found was that of "Patsey Gragg to Jonas Ottinger - 86 acres of land in Greene County, Tennessee", and states: Being a part of a tract of land granted to Thomas Gragg by the State of North Carolina and given to Patsey Gragg by the last Will and Testament of Thomas Gragg deceased. This deed was dated 9 Nov. 1827. [See actual record below]. It is likely Thomas Gragg died in Cocke County, Tennessee, certainly prior to the 1827 deed aforementioned.

Note: Unfortunately, the Courthouse in Cocke County, Tennessee was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1876, so the wills and estate records of Thomas Gragg, Sr. and his wife Nancy will likely never be found or recovered.

Citation: Pete Gragg book about Thomas pg 14. [with some additions].

Thomas married Nancy Ellender Crow on 17 Jun 1783, in Augusta County, Virginia [some say in Mercer County, Kentucky [needs source] ^[1][2][3] i^[4] Thomas Gregg b.1761; son of Robert Gregg Sr. and Lydia Harrison; married Nancy Ellender Crow b. 25 Mar 1764, in Augusta, Virginia, d. 10 Feb 1800, in Green, Tennessee; daughter of Walter Crow (1717) and Anne Miller (1720).

"The first mention of Thomas in Augusta County court records, was as a tax payer in 1782, and the last court transaction was in 1785. The 1786 Tax List of Insolvents for Augusta County, shows "Thomas Gragg moved to Holston (Tennessee)." ^[5] Family lore is that five brothers came to Henry and Bates Counties from Tennessee. The five were sons Malcom, Robert, John, Alexander and Thomas, who were of Scotch-Irish descent. ^[6]

Records

Land Survey, Thomas Gregg, 140 acres, Dry Branch of Linville Creek, adjoining Samples, Herrons, Adams, Harrison. February 16, 1764 ^[7]

The marriage record for Thomas Gragg and Nancy Elender Crow in 1761 shows the following^[8] information:

Name: Thomas Gragg

Gender: Male

Birth Place: VA

Birth Year: 1761

Spouse Name: Nancy Elender Crow

Marriage State: TN

Number Pages: 1

Source number: 1663.030

Source type: Family group sheet, FGSE, listed as parents

Number of Pages: 1. ^[9]

The first mention of Thomas in Augusta County court records, was as a tax payer in 1782, and the last court transaction was in 1785. The 1786 Tax List of Insolvents for Augusta County, shows "Thomas Gragg moved to Holston (Tennessee). ^[10]

(A land record for a Thomas with wife Elizabeth belongs to a different Thomas Gragg born 1715, wife Elizabeth Semple, was removed) Chalkley records show a 25 Mar 1785, grant to Thos. Gragg in Augusta County (see Book 25-117).

The following record in Greene County, TN proves Thomas Gragg died prior to 9 November 1827:

Deed, Greene County, TN: dated 9 Nov. 1827, between Patsey Gragg of the County of Greene and State of Tennessee of the one part and Jonas Ottinger of said County and State of the other part. Witnesseth, that the said Patsey Gragg for and in consideration of the Sum of Two Hundred Dollars to her in hand paid by the said Jonas Ottinger the Receipt whereof the said Patsey Gragg doth hereby acknowledge, has Given, Granted, Bargained, Sold alined and Conveyed and by these presents does hereby Give, Grant, Bargain, Sell alien and Convey unto the said Jonas Ottinger his Heirs and assigns forever, all that Tract and parcel of Land Lying situate and being in the County and State aforesaid, and on the Dry fork of Caney Branch, Being a part of a Tract of Land Granted to Thomas Gragg by the State of North Carolina and Given to said Patsey Gragg by the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Gragg Deceased, [boundaries omitted], Containing by Estimation Eighty Six Acres more of Less, [Signed] Patsey Gragg, Witnesses: Thomas Gragg, John McMurtrey. Recorded Greene Co, TN Court, April Session 1828.

Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891, about Thomas Gragg

Name: Thomas Gragg

State: Tennessee

County: Greene County

Township: No Township Listed

Year: 1812

Record Type: Tax list: Database: TN Early Census Index; ^[11][12] this source verified.

Research Notes and Other Findings

1. the information shown on Find-A-Grave for Nancy Crow is incorrect as it combines Nancy Ellender Crow and Nancy Ann Crow.
2. I have no documentation for children Alexander or Sally. #Regardless of misconceptions on numerous online trees, there is no such person as Thomas ‘Henry’ Gregg. Thomas Gregg was born in 1761, and Henry in 1755( approx.) and they are brothers.
3. The following reference sources were removed for reason shown:

A family search tree for a Thomas, Sr with a list of children belonging to his son born 1794.

A genealogy.com site with incorrect data and family members, mostly for the son born 1794.

A mesalieux.com site which has been altered and no longer contains pertinent records.

Several ancestry.com site trees which had only other ancestry.com trees as reference, no primary source material in any of them.

A source on Tribal Pages, a defunct platform or it was a malformed url.

— I have retained a copy of these sites which I looked at carefully.

Clan Gregor History

'Who are the MacGregor's^[13]

Scots Irish Slavery

few people know of of the atrocities the Royalty and Rich in Great Briton levied upon the Scots and Irish citizens!

White Slavery: The Scottish Slaves of England and Americas

There were hundreds of thousands of Scots sold into slavery during Colonial America. White slavery to the American Colonies occurred as early as 1630 in Scotland.^[14]

White Slavery, what the Scots already know (by: Kelly d. Whittaker)

"Alexander Stewart was herded off the Gildart in July of 1747, bound with chains. Stewart was pushed onto the auction block in Wecomica, StMary’s County, Maryland." .^[15]

SCOTTISH SLAVES IN AMERICA

"Ship Passenger Lists: National and New England (1600-1825),^[16]

Sources

1. ↑ Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004
2. ↑ See "Gragg Descent"~ GEORGE ROBERT GRAGG 1978 pp-81
3. ↑ Source number: 1663.030; Source type: Family group sheet, FGSE, listed as parents; Number of Pages: 1. Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc,2004.
4. ↑ See "Gragg Descent" ~ GEORGE ROBERT GRAGG 1978 pp-81
5. ↑ "Gragg Descent" ~ George Robert Gragg 1978, pp 81See: http://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Gragg-440-1.
6. ↑ "Gragg Descent" ~ GEORGE ROBERT GRAGG 1978 pp-81
7. ↑ Abstract of Land Grant Surveys, 1761-1791, Augusta & Rockingham Counties, Virginia, by Peter Cline Kaylor, pg. 15
8. ↑ "U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900."
9. ↑ Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900. Provo, UT, USA:Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
10. ↑ "Gragg Descent" ~ George Robert Gragg 1978, pp 81 IV
11. ↑ Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. Tennessee Census, 1810-91. Compiled and digitizedby Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.
12. ↑ http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=tncen&h=29880556&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&tid=8439675&tpid=300166062&rhSource=7836
13. ↑ 'https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Clan_MacGregor
14. ↑ http://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/white-slavery-re-slaves-of-scotland/
15. ↑ http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/white_slavery.htm
16. ↑ " Edited and Indexed by Carl Boyer III, Publishedby the Compiler, Newhall, California, 1977, Pages 164-171.http://web.northnet.org/minstrel/scottish.slaves.htm

Acknowledgments

Thank you to David Black for creating WikiTree profile Gragg-281 through the import of David_s Family Tree_Ancestry_26Jun2013.ged on Jul 23, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by David and others.