Thomas Bailey Christian Sr (1770 - 1853)

Born 15 Mar 1770 in Washington County, Virginia

Husband of Louisa Katherine (Harman) Bailey — married 4 Jun 1793 in Sinking Waters Tazewell Co Va

Husband of Mary Caroline (Altizer) Christian — married 18 Jun 1829 in Tazewell Co. VA At Mary's Father's House

Descendants

Died 7 Dec 1853 at age 83 in Sinking Waters, Tazewell County, Virginia [uncertain]

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Due to unsourced claims that this person was a Native American, this profile is tracked, protected and co-managed by WikiTree's Native Americans Project. We seek sources supporting the origins and heritage of this individual. Thank you.

Disputed Origins

A previous version of this profile claimed, without source, that Thomas was:

• son of Elinipsico (son of Cornstalk) and a wife Standing Deer Bailey
• grandson of Ounaconoa Moytoy
• one of four orphaned children of Elinipsico, taken in by Thomas Mastin who named him Thomas Christian.

In 1907 some descendants of Thomas filed applications for a share of the Eastern Cherokee settlement, claiming Cherokee descent. All claims were rejected since there was no Cherokee connection established and the family never lived with or near the Cherokee. ^[1]

Numerous descendants of Thomas Christian, including direct male descendants of his three sons, have participated in a DNA study and found no Native American DNA.^{[citation needed]}

See Research Notes below for more details.

Biography

Thomas Bailey Christian was probably born in Virginia about 1770. His parents are currently unknown, but DNA testing connects his descendants to the 17th century Christian family of Charles City County, Virginia. ^[2]

Thomas appears in land records beginning in 1785:

• Montgomery County Grants No. N, p. 696 - 255 a. On Brush Creek, a branch of Bluestone the waters of New River
• Record of the Taxes in Sumner County for the Year 1792: Thomas Christian, 1 poll, tax 1 pound. Next household is Thomas Mastin.

In 1805 Thomas Christian was in a battle over ownership of his land on Indian Creek. In a deposition, John Hankins stated that Thomas Christian was an orphan.^[3] Thomas stated that he was an orphan, raised by Thomas Mastin, in an affidavit submitted in support of Hezekiah Whitt's Revolutionary War pension.^[4]

Chalkley's Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish describes the 1805 suit thusly:

"Thomas Christian vs. Wray" 23 Jul 1803 which in a nutshell states Joseph Wray obtained certificate by right of settlement in Washington (afterwards Russell) now Tazewell Co. Joseph d. intestate, leaving son John Wray heir-at-law. John Wray sold a piece of land twice - first to Thomas Christian, of Sumner Co, territory south of the Ohio, by deed dated 26 Sep 1794 and then sold it a second time to Craven Belsha who bribed him......it states Thomas Christian was an orphan. Thomas Christian won the case. ^[5]

Marriages

Thomas's first wife was Louisa Harman. An Ancestry marriage compilation lists the date of their marriage as 1792. ^[6] She is listed as the mother of Moses and David Harman on their Virginia death records. ^[7]

Husband: Thomas Bailey Christian

Wife: [[Altizer-15|Mary Caroline "Polly" Altizer] *(Polly is a nickname for Mary)

Marriage:

Date: 18 Jun 1829

Place: Tazewell Co. VA At Mary's Father's House^[8]

Louisa Christian

George Christian

Lily Christian

The 1850 census lists Thomas, wife Mary, and five children, Matthew, George, Susannah, Sally, and Letty. ^[9] There do not appear to be additional children since the widowed Mary is living with George and Sally in 1860. ^[10]

Death

3 Sep 1853. Location not known. Data field above claims he died in Sinking Waters, Tazewell, Virginia.^{[citation needed]}

Research Notes

The following pertains to a different Thomas Christian who lived in Buckingham County, Virginia:

Pension paid from Richmond, Virginia. "United States Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24Q-G199 : accessed 22 September 2017), Thomas Christian, 03 Sep 1853; citing Richmond, Virginia, United States, NARA microfilm publication T718 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1962), roll 9; FHL microfilm 1,319,389.

Claims of Native origins seem to come from undocumented 21st century Internet postings by someone calling himself "Red Wolf:" ^[11]

"Elinipsico was very young man when he had his first child. His woman, Standing Deer died during the birth of their last child, leaving him to raise them alone, so he would have later taken another wife, but he died before doing so. Elinipsico and his father Hokolesqua were the son and father killed in 1777. Elinipsico's son Kumskaka was nearly 7 years old at that time, Kumskaka was the one given the name Thomas Christian by the Thomas Mastin who raised him."

That Thomas Christian had Native origins might also be tied to the theory that he was brother to Hezekiah Whitt, also believed to be of Native origins, and who was also raised by Thomas Mastin:

A previous version of this profile included a notation from Bridgitte Pascale concerning the Hezekiah Whitt of the first-mentioned Revolutionary War pension: (Some of the following needs to be moved to the appropriate profile of Hezekiah Whitt.). There appears to be contradictory claims made about Hezekiah Whitt, brother of Thomas Christian:

"This is not the same "Hezekiah Whitt" who was married to Rachel the daughter of Chief Cornstalk, who was the Aunt of Thomas Bailey Christian and Hezekiah N. "Low Hawk" Whitt.

Hezekiah and Rachel were my 6th Great Grandparents and I have a copy of the 1820, 1830 & 1840 Census listing the entire family - he was not dead in 1817! In fact his tombstone says he was born March 1761 and died March 1849! On the stone it states he was a Patriot because he served in the local militia. This [following] will is from Hezekiah N. "Low Hawk" Whitt who was the son of Elinipsico son of Chief Cornstalk, I have this from my files:

"Finally, in 1815 Hezekiah N. Whitt, “Low Hawk” who was raised by Thomas Mastin, wrote a will in which he named his “brother” as Thomas B. Christian. They were likely brothers both orphans who were raised together by Thomas Mastin.

Thomas Mastin took in 4 orphans; Thomas B. Christian, Hezekiah N. "Low Hawk" Whitt, Rachel Skaggs and Druscilla Christian - Thomas and Hezekiah N. Whitt were both son's of Elinipsico & Druscilla was his youngest.

In my records I have 5 children listed:

Thomas "Kumskaka" b. 1770, d. 1853

John "Yellow Hawk" b. 1771 d.1773 age 2

"Low Hawk" aka Hezekiah N. Whitt b. 1772 d. 1817

Sarah "Mountain Raven" b. 1774 d. 1809

Druscilla Christian b. 1776, d. 1851 in MO.

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900

Name Hezekiah Whitt

Pension Year 1845

Application State Virginia

Applicant Designation Survivor's Pension Application File

Archive Publication Number M804

Archive Roll Number 2569

Total Pages in Packet 16

Editor's Note: The pension application cannot be for the Hezekiah who died and left a will in 1817.

Web: Virginia, Find A Grave Index, 1607-2011

Name Hezekiah Whitt

Birth Date Mar 1761

Age at Death 88

Death Date 1849

Burial Place Cedar Bluff (Tazewell County), Tazewell County, Virginia, USA

In 1815, Hezekiah N. Whitt (1760-1817), who apparently died in Tazewell, Virginia, wrote a will naming his brother "Thomas B. Christian". Read the will here (better source sought). :

In the name of God, Amen, June 21, 1815. I, Hezekiah N. Whitt, of the County of Tazewell, being in perfect health and mind do hereby make testimony. It is my will that all just debts and funeral charges in full be paid.

I leave to my brother, Thomas B. Christian, all my apparel, both linen and woolen, and my horses and oxen. I leave to my sister, Sarah Adkins, £70, to be paid by my brother Thomas B. Christian, and two silver salt cellars and pots.

It is also my will that my burying place be for ever kept and be appropriated for that use and none other, and I hereby devise the said burying ground, containing three acres and 1/2, for as to be the burying place for all my descendants, and my wife Hannah shall allow to be there buried.

Last be known it, I leave to my wife, Hannah Whitt, 1/2 of two lots lying at Indian Creek, in Tazewell County, on the south side of the River, and now in occupation of Moses Christian; also all my estate at Sinking Waters, while she remains my widow, and she is to pay all my just debts and funeral charges.

"I leave to my brother, Thomas B. Christian, my gold ring and my morters, and to him £100, he paying to the Patron or Lord of the Manor 5 bushels of wheat". I leave to my brother, Thomas B. Christian, after my wife's death or marriage, all the rest of the farm, and he is to pay to my sister, Sarah Adkins, £50, and to all my nephews and nieces, £5, and to the Patron or Lord of the Manor 5 bushels of wheat.

I make my wife executor.

Hezekiah N. Whitt

In the witness of William Davis & Thomas B. Christian Will was executed September 18, 1817, 15 days after the death of said Hezekiah Whitt.

Signed in authority of the State of Virginia by Leonard S. Harper

Sarah Adkins was the 1st cousin of Hezekiah N. "Low Hawk" Whitt, she was the daughter of Blue Sky Mary Cornstalk and her husband Parker Vincent Adkins. Blue Sky Mary was the daughter of Chief Cornstalk and his wife who probably was Cherokee, many people believe she was Helizikinopo Ounaconoa Moytoy. It is common for Chief's to have multiple wives, many at the same time.

Editor's Note: The 1817 will clearly demonstrates that Hezekiah, brother of Thomas Christian and Sarah Adkins, was married to someone named Hannah and that they had no children living at the time of the will since Hezekiah leaves bequests only to siblings, nephews and nieces.

Sources

1. ↑ Eastern Cherokee application 10464, Sallie Charles and others. Digitized at Fold3 Charles
2. ↑ Appalachian Aristocracy (online tree); better source sought.
3. ↑ Virginia Memory. Can we get a quote from this source?
4. ↑ Pension application S7885. Digitized at Fold3. Thomas . Can we get a quote from this source?
5. ↑ Virginia Memory
6. ↑ Ancestry.com, citing Source number: 2054.016; Source type: Family group sheet, FGSE, listed as parents; Number of Pages: 1
7. ↑ "Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR7J-SGM : 29 January 2020), Louisa Christian in entry for David Christian, 1861.
8. ↑ Source: #S4 Page: downloaded Jun 28, 2011 Quality or Certainty of Data: 3 Date: 28 Jun 2011
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4BX-HNM : 8 October 2020), Thomas Christian, Orange, North Carolina, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M41B-8V7 : 19 March 2020), Mary Christian, 1860.
11. ↑ genealogy.com postings, Wolf

See also (These should be converted to inline citations, as appropriate, above.):

• First Census of the United States 1790 - Virginia p.100
• A History of Halifax County Virginia, Wirt Johnson Carrington. p24 - Name given as Thomas Mastin the Magistrate
• . Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol31, #4, p57 - Thomas Mustain, 400 acs Lunenburg Co. on both sides of Poplar Br, a Mill Cr,. adj Hugh Henry; 5 Feb 1753, p 42. 40 Shill.
• Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol 23, #1, 9 - Thomas and sons Avery and Jesse Mustain recorded as swearing Oath of Allegiance.

The following need verification:

• Holston past finder, Issues 36-47 Holston Territory Genealogical Society - Archive repository for Mastin letters. Statements by Thomas Mastin/Mustain pertaining to the orphans he took in, left by the Cornstalks who were killed at the fort in 1777: "Thomas Mastin's papers for the orphans are found in Tennessee. (It states he raised 4 orphans) There is also one from Hezekiah Whitt in Virginia for the recognition of Thomas Christian as a Cornstalk orphan. Following the murder of Chief Cornstalk October 9, 1777, at Fort Randolph, Point Pleasant, VA. now WV. A white-man friend, Thomas Mastin and his Indian wife, Agnes adopted 4 of his children. Cornstalk lived on the Saludy River.
• Holston Territory Genealogical Society - 1991Annual - Thomas MASTIN took our Thomas CHRISTIAN, Sr. under his wing when our Thomas was orphaned.”