Thomas Jefferson Short born 27 September 1805 & died in Greene County Illinois 9 August 1876. This information can be found from his tombstone, Short Cemetery, Wrights, Greene County, Illinois.
Some researchers list Purnell Short as Thomas Jefferson Shorts father. The only place this information can be found in print was a unsourced conclusion that was placed on find-a-grave by another contributor, which has since been removed.
Book compiled by the Greene County & Jersey County Historical Society named “History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois…” published 1855; pages 885 and 1016 states the following of Thomas: (information was given by Thomas’ son, William)
“Settled in [Rubicon] township about the year 1834, although he came to the county in 1829, living about 5 years near Carrollton” “born in Tennessee Sept 27, 1805, his father being of German descent, his mother of Irish descent” Came from Summertown, Tennessee to Greene County Illinois in the fall of 1829. (page 885)
This same book says of Purnell Short (page 1016)
“Col. Purnell Short, a Kentuckian, came to Carrollton Township in 1830 from his ‘native heath’ about 1830” ...he moved to Woodville Township where he died.
One of the papers I received from the Greene County Historical Society was a family group sheet that had been sent to them & listed a William Short as Thomas' father, but it was unsourced. I looked at the probate records for Purnell and William. Purnell moved from Kentucky to Illinois, and died in 1854. Burial in Mount Gilead Cemetery, His will, probated by his son, Glover. Furthermore, there is no documentation of Thomas associated with Purnell. (The Short cemetery was is on Thomas property burials as early as the late 1830s)
There was no probate record for a William, other than that of Thomas’ son, also named William.
I found 4 pages of land deeds, all filed on December 3, 1836, on consecutive pages of the deed book. Listing transactions between Thomas, Joshua, William & James Short, along with Drewry / Drury Overby (brother to Thomas wife, Catherine, and James wife Amy).
In 1830 William is between 40-50 years old, and has 9 children, no slaves. According to the ages of the children on the 1830 census, William would have at least 7 children on the 1820 census. Since we know Thomas came from Tennessee, we can assume the others did as well at this point.
1820 census in Tennessee. William is Head of Household at this time.
There are 2 Williams, for the entire state of Tennessee that can be ruled out by age as they are both above 45 years old. One in Franklin County and the other in Jackson County. We have a William in Bedford County in the 26-44 year old bracket, and has 5 children, plus 1 slave in his household. There is William of Sumner County, Tennessee. This William is also in the 26-44 year old bracket, and has 7 children. All the children line up as far as the ages of the 1830 census as well. (Remember in 1820, Thomas would be in the 10-16 age bracket, William has only 1 male child in 1820, listed in the under age 10 bracket.
Elizabeth Short is on the line below William. Her household has males: 1 under age 10, and 2 age 10-16, along with 1 female age 10-16. Elizabeth is age is 26-45 Isaac Short, who has 2 males and 3 females all under age 10.
A typed copy of the 1810 census found in the Family Search catalog, page 22) William is found living in Grainger County, Tennessee, again, right next door to Elizabeth. In addition, note that just a couple lines below this we see the name Thomas Henderson, and William Windham.
Because the records for this time period are so scarce, I took a look once again at the Family Search catalog for any records for Grainger County. In the 1796-1813 court minutes.
In 1798 we have a William and James Short in the court records as having guardians assigned to them after the death of William & James’ father, also named James Short. James, bound to James Meriott to learn the business of house carpenter; William, bound to John Burton to learn the business of a tailor. image 86 / page 160 – William and John Burton end the agreement, and Thomas Henderson becomes the guardian of William.
William married Sarah Spralding in Grainger County in 1806. The marriage license was bonded by Thomas Henderson & William Windham, the license is also signed by William Short himself.
Some say William married Nancy Cassidy as his second wife in Grainger County in 1821, on this marriage record this William Short made his mark.
In Greene County, Illinois, I noticed that Thomas was the administrator of 2 other probates. One was Isaac Short, probated in 1838. (not the same Isaac of Sumner County) The other was Joshua Mastin Short, probated 1841.
One of Williams sons, named Charles, born in Cumberland County, Tennessee in 1825. In the membership records of the Iowa GAR it lists Charles parents as William Short and Sarah Sproddle. William is still in Illinois in September 1845, when he sells his land to Thomas, and died before 1850.
In the 1850 census of Benton Wisconsin, Sarah, the wife of William is living with her son, Charles Martin Short, and his wife Ann, and grandson Charles. The census shows Sarahs age as 63 and born about 1787 in Tennessee. In 1860 she is still living with Charles and family, in Benton, Wisconsin.
In the probate records of Thomas Jefferson Short, there was found a record of a debt between James R Short & Thomas that had been marked “good” in the records. In the estate box was found a letter from James, while living in Kansas, to Thomas dated 1867, asking Thomas if he would loan him $100.00.
Conclusion:
So now we have connected William to the Thomas Henderson of Grainger County, Tennessee. Thomas Henderson is also connected to the probate of the James Short who died in Grainger county Tennessee. (See the below link to the Grainger county court records 1796 – 1813, pages 91-92, 39 and 35)
Due to the fact that William & Elizabeth were neighbors for 2 consecutive census’ one could assume since Elizabeth had children, she would have been a sister-in-law. William would have felt some family role in helping to raise her children etc. and this would explain the close relationship.
DNA Evidence
A known “Short” DNA match to my father also tested his YDNA (we will call him Y1) He is of Irish descent. Y1 is a descendant of the Isaac of Sumner County 1820 Census.
I recently found a male “Short” direct descendant through Thomas’ son Henry and had his YDNA tested, (we will call him Y2).
The results show that Y2 is not a Short, he is a Counts. The interesting thing about this Y2 test, one of his closest YDNA matches is also an autosomal match to my father. Since the MRCA for Y2 and my father is Thomas, the NPE would have taken place before Thomas.
Since Y1 match being the descendant of Isaac, (found in the 1820 Sumner County, Tennessee census) brother to William, this would indicate the NPE is Thomas’ parents. Therefore, I believe Thomas is the son of Elizabeth Short, who was born a Short, and one of the sons of Nicholas Counts 1751-1838 Grainger County Tennessee. (This Counts family is also of German descent, spelled Kuntze) That he had 2 brothers, Joshua Mastin Short, and James Robert Short.
That his mother, Elizabeth was the daughter of James Short who died in Grainger County in 1798.
Sources:
Greene County Historical & Genealogical Society; PO Box 137; Carrollton, Illinois 62016 – (217) 942-6013
Greene County Illinois Courthouse; 520 N Main Street #2; Carrollton, Illinois 62616 – (217) 942-6731
(1) Greene County, Illinois: Probate index 1836-1848 v6 microfilm link:https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939KTBLWWwc=SF29FMS%3A162587101%2C162593301&cc=1834344(image 105)
(2)Greene County Probate Records 1845-1852 vD microfilm link:https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-YMQ2-X?i=85&wc=SF2S-VZQ%3A162587101%2C162630601&cc=1834344 (image 86)
(3) (Grainger County TN court minutes 1796-1813 microfilm link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSHM-L9WG-9?i=5&cat=196033 (image 48 / page 85)
(4) (Grainger County TN court minutes 1796-1813 microfilm link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSHM-L9WG-9?i=5&cat=196033 (image 86 / page 160)
(5) (Grainger County TN court minutes 1796-1813 microfilm link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSHM-L9WG-9?i=5&cat=196033 (images 91-92)
other pages relating to probate of James Short Sr that may be of interest can be found on the above link, images 39 and 45
(6) Tennessee marriage records 1780-2002, Marshall / Maury, 1808-1867 https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1169/VRMUSATN1780_07062300072/2728436backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/77661938/person/46393926233/facts/citation/322792404511/edit/record (image 37)
(7) Tennessee marriage records 1780-2002, Grainger 1796-1809 loose recordshttps://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1169/VRMUSATN1780_04126000577/878678backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/77661938/person/320155921764/facts/citation/940448111973/edit/record#?imageId=VRMUSATN1780_041260-00576/record (image 568)
(8) Iowa, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1949 microfilm link: (image 143)https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C95N-F9PC-3?i=142&cc=2351982
