It’s circumstantial. It’s in the Hawkins County, TN, land records. Track the Thomas Lees who made land deals from the 1790s to the 1830s. Until 1816 when 7459 dies, there’s a ‘Senior’ and ‘Junior’. ‘Thomas senior’ gifted land to 3 ‘sons’ including 1 ‘Thomas junior’. Then ‘Thomas junior’ (42678) bought ‘Killenworth’ in 1809. ‘Thomas Lee’ sold part of a 1794 NC land grant to 42678’s father-in-law in 1806. After 7459 died, no more Thomas Lee deals until 1834. In fact, there’s no record of ANY Thomas Lee acquiring land after 42678’s purchase from Jeremiah Killingsworth in 1809 … until Thomas J. Lee started making deals in 1834. The same Thomas J Lee in the 1850 census at age 40, born 1810? The Thomas that 42678 named as a son in his LW&T in 1828? (Who are these multiple Thomas Lees supposedly ‘conflated’ with 7459?)
One other thing. In the land records, you can see that virtually ALL of the Lees making and witnessing land deals during this period have first names that match the names in the 7459 profile. Needham, Micajah, John, Burrell, Edward, Robert, Kader, Samuel, Elizabeth, Mary, James, William. Is this coincidence? Or is it 7459’s family? And if it’s family, who’s this interloper identified as ‘Thomas junior’ in several of these deals, including one with ‘Thomas senior’?