Martha (Thompson) Evans (1751 - 1830)

Born 1751 in Washington County, Virginia

Wife of William Harmon Evans — married 17 Jan 1783 in Washington County, Virginia

Descendants

Died 1830 at about age 79 in Russell, Virginia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Cary Richards [send private message], Bernard Van Arsdale [send private message], and Tamara Whitcomb [send private message]

Biography

Martha was born in 1751. Martha Thompson ... She passed away in 1830.^[1]

Research Notes

There is no evidence that Martha was the daughter of John Thompson (1720-1760) and Margaret (Fullerton) Thompson (abt.1720-1760). As a result they have been removed as parents.

Martha was born about 1751.

Martha married twice:

1. William Ferrell married in 1764, he died about 1780. ^[2]
2. William Harmon Evans married March 17, 1783, at Washington County, Virginia.^[3]

Children of Martha Thompson and William Ferrell:

1. John Ferrell ^[2]
2. William Ferrell Jr.
3. Richard Ferrell ^[4]

Martha, with her husband William and two sons, John and William, removed to Tug Valley, on Blackberry Creek, on the West Virginia side.^[5]

Children of Martha and William Evans:

1. Martha Evans
2. Ferrell Hammon Evans

Martha died circa 1830 in Russell County, Virginia.^{[citation needed]}

Uncertain Origins

The claim that the Thompsons were Scottish, lived one generation in Ireland, and then immigrated is unsubstantiated. The claim that Martha was a daughter of John & Mary Thompson of Halifax County, North Carolina is also not proven. In fact, there does not seem to be any real evidence for either of these theories.

Martha was born ca 1751, possibly at Augusta County (now Russell County), Virginia, which is the place she was married. The parents of Martha have not been proved. Apparently there was a group of Thompson siblings in now Russell County, Virginia, these proved by a court case filed at Wytheville, Virginia Courthouse.^[6] The brother, Richard, was involved in a civil suit which named all nine: William, Richard, John, Susannah who married William Johnson, Margaret who married first William Roman and second Russell Duty, Martha who married first William Ferrell and second William Evans, Elizabeth who married William Elam, Sarah "Sally" who married John Elam, and Rachel who married James Emmett.^[7]

There appears to be some circumstantial evidence that these Thompsons may have been children of John and Susannah Thompson who owned land on a branch of Long Glade Creek in 1759.

This was a query/comment on rootsweb by Michael Dye:

The Thompson family was in what became Russell Co. as early as 1771, at which time it was part of Fincastle Co. Fincastle had just been formed from Botetourt Co. and in 1769 Botetourt had been formed from Augusta Co., VA. So a search of Botetourt & Augusta Co. records is appropriate prior to 1771. In the Augusta records is a court record from 1759 where William Ferrell (husband of Martha Thompson), orphan of John Ferrell, was bound out to John Archer. John Archer owned land on Long Glade Creek in Augusta Co. There was a John Thompson who also owned land on a branch of Long Glade Creek in 1759. A court case from 1769 indicates that John's wife's name was Susannah and that he had a son named Billy. Also in 1769 John & Susannah Thompson sold two tracts of land on Glade Creek to Isreal [sic] Christian. This last bit of information is important because Isreal [sic] Christian also moved to the Thompson Creek area of what would become Russell Co. and was a close neighbor of the Thompson family on Thompson Creek. All of this information combines to indicate that John & Susannah Thompson were probably the parents of the Russell County Thompson family.

Sources

1. ↑ A source for this information is needed.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Henry Clay Ragland, History of Logan County, Virginia, 1896, Chapter XVIII.
3. ↑ "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XRWS-PH1 : 29 January 2020), Matty Ferail in entry for William Evans, 1783.
4. ↑ Lineage transcription of Alphonso Dewey Ferrell (162149), descendant of William Farrell (P-328091), SAR.
5. ↑ Hatfield, Jerry Blackberry Creek Kentucky. accessed online May 7, 2014
6. ↑ Thompson, Robert Thompson Family of Russell County, Virginia. rootsweb query posted July 22, 2003, accessed online May 7, 2014
7. ↑ Dye, Michael Re: Thompson Family of Russell County, Virginia. rootsweb query posted April 25, 2005, accessed online May 7, 2014

• "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XRWS-PH1 : 29 January 2020), Matty Ferail in entry for William Evans, marriage, 17 Jan 1783, Washington, Virginia, United States
• Russell County Virginia court records, Richard Thompson Estate Heirs & Administrators vs. John Thompson, Chancery Order Book A-1, Pages 1-31