red paper boat

This is a problem. I find a whole slew of trees, including the world tree at FamilySearch, that have Samuel (my many times great grandfather) attached as a son to Reuben James Thompson and Martha Chambers. James Thompson and Martha Chambers were Quakers who married in 1766 in Delaware Colony, as this family group sheet from FamilySearch would indicate.  There are marriage and will documents to support that. But at some point they migrated to Orange County, North Carolina. There is no indication that:
A) James was ever known by the name Reuben (maybe he was, but I haven’t found evidence of it yet), and 

B) that they had a son named Samuel (James’ will lists his other children, but no Samuel), and 

C) that James ever set foot in Georgia. How is Samuel born in Fayette County, Georgia in 1767? That area was Creek Indian territory. It was not taken by whites until the 1821 Georgia land lottery, so I am confident that it was 100% not settled by the newborn Samuel in 1767.

I don’t know what the answer is, but this is a hot mess. Did not one single person stop and question what they were importing into their family tree? As far as I can tell, the Thompson trail documentation goes cold at Samuel, and there is no evidence that he can be attached to James Thompson and Martha Chambers.

I cannot for the life of me figure out which child the grandchildren belong to. I hate these sorts of loose ends, but since Martha was a second wife, and not an actual ancestor, I’m going to try to let it go.

Don’t lend your directory. Your neighbor is as able to purchase one as you are.

The 1882 Atlanta city directoey cost $5. The inflation calculator I used says that’s $110 in 2015 dollars. I think I’d lend mine to my neighbors. It’s not like someone who couldn’t afford one would magically be able to purchase one, if their neighbor decided to be a stingy noshareasaurus. (Kinda like file sharing. No one has been able to prove that it hurts sales.)

In genealogy news, I got all the Atlanta city directory entries for James R. Thompson and Martha J. Edmonds entered into Excel and Legacy. That was a monumental task. I still have the rest of the Atlanta Thompsons to do, but it’s a start.

I found a thing! My mom said that when my great grandma Nell came over from Ireland, there was a fire on-board the ship while it was waiting to dock. I haven’t had any luck finding info about it, and I suspected it wasn’t a big enough deal to warrant news coverage. But I thought I’d trawl area newspapers for 2 Oct 1916 (she arrived on 1 Oct 1916, on the SS City of Philadelphia, and I doubted it would have been in any papers before the following day). I hit the jackpot.

“Liner Philadelphia Fought Fire at Sea,” The Sun, 2 Oct 1916, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/ : accessed 4 Jun 2017), Chronicling America

Liner Philadelphia Fought Fire at Sea

American Steamship, 646 Passengers Oblivious of Peril, Docks Here.

Secret Known to Few

Blaze in Hold, Discovered off Grand Banks, Smothered by Steam.

A fire smouldering in her after hold unknown to all except a few discreet and favored persons among her 646 passengers, the American liner Philadelphia, from Liverpool, anchored at Quarantine yesterday morning. Included in her 110 cabin voyagers were several distinguished Americans and Britons. Capt. Candy did not let Quarantine officials know anything about the fire, and as there were no outward signs of it aboard the ship news men down the bay asked no question. Even after the steamship had docked little information was available from the passengers, and nearly all wanted to know from their questioners if there really had been a blaze at sea.

Miss Elsie Mackay, leading lady for Sir Beerbohm Tree, who was a passenger, when asked how she felt being on a burning ship, remarked in startled surprise:

“Fire? Why, nobody told me anything about a fire. That was what must have made it so hot in the saloon on Thursday evening.”

Sir Beerbohm Tree was also completely in the dark. This was due in part, he said, to his being a poor seaman, preferring the seclusion of his cabin most of the trip and not really caring whether or not disaster menaced the ship, which is the usual disposition of a poor sea-goer.

Captain Admits Blaze on Liner.

Capt. Candy admitted the existence of the fire after the ship had been made fast to her pier, but he did not regard it seriously. Exactly what damage it has done, or may be doing, will not be known until this morning, when a force of longshoremen will enter No. 7 hold, next to the last on the ship, and remove the charred cargo, consisting mostly of baled cloth, dress goods, and women’s hats.

Among the few who knew the captain’s secret was Dr. Joseph Byrne. An officer whom he knows well told him on Thursday afternoon, just after Chief Engineer Joyce had turned steam into the hold where the fire was, on condition that he keep the information from all other passengers. The doctor is a nerve specialist, and soon recovered his composure. A little later he studied the effect of the secret on the stewards, all of whom had been informed of the fire so they would be prepared for any emergency.

Stewards Pale and Silent.

The stewards looked paler than usual and were unusually quiet the rest of the trip. A steward delights in giving passengers exclusive information regarding almost anything, and absolute silence about the liner’s peril was a positive hardship. They were grave and occasionally talked in whispers. Meanwhile the passengers went about as if they hadn’t a care in all the world.

The natural reasons for keeping the travellers in the dark were the fear that if all hands knew about it the supersensitive and highstrung might suspect a plot to destroy the ship, or that there had been a secret submarine attack, or almost anything except the plain truth. Capt. Candy did not want to give his passengers any chance to misuse their fervent war imagination, and that is why he cautioned everybody to keep silent until the Philadelphia had put the last passenger ashore.

The saloon for several days was unusually hot. Some of the passengers remarked about it and asked the nearest steward why it was. But he adroitly attributed the warmth to the Gulf Stream, and that satisfied them. The heat, however, was due to the steam that was pouring through the perforated pipes of hold No. 7 and smothering the blaze.

Tells of Fire’s Discovery.

Capt. Candy said that early Thursday afternoon, when the Philadelphia was east of the Grand Banks, he learned that smoke was coming out of No. 7 hold. He went to Chief Engineer Joyce and steam was turned into the hold, the hatch of which is near the steerage dining room. Only a few passengers in the cabin knew about the fire and there was no confusion or excitement.

The captain said he had considerable anxiety for the well being of his 646 passengers and that is why he kept the knowledge of the fire from them. After the steam had been turned on an hour or so he went to the hatch and found the danger was apparently over. Smoke had ceased to pour out and steam was taking its place. He kept the steam on and it was still going when the ship docked and will continue to flow until longshoremen enter the hold this morning

Capt. Candy is inclined to believe that the fire was due to spontaneous combustion, perhaps in among the bales of cloth. Whether or not this is so will be ascertained this morning.

Samuel was my 6th great grandfather. At the time of the 1840 census–just five years before his death–he owned 21 slaves. I transcribed the document as well as I could, because unlike the census, it contains the names of the slaves he bequeathed to his survivors. Three slaves were left to his grandson, Samuel (my 4th great grandfather). At the time of the 1850 census, the grandson still had two slaves, a woman and young female child. By the 1860 census, he had no slaves.

This was obviously the period leading up to the Civil War. I wonder what prompted his divestment of slaves? Did he see the writing on the wall? Or did he have a conscientious epiphany?

Georgia, Georgia, Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992, Samuel Thompson will, signed 9 Oct 1945, proved 17 Nov 1845; citing Wills Book A 1823-1897, Fayette County, Georgia: Court of Ordinary, 1845, pages 57-62; digital images, Ancestry, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 3 Jun 2017). Repository: Ancestry, 360 West 4800 North, Provo, Utah 84604

Georgia
Fayette County}

I Samuel Thompson son of said State and County being of advanced age & sick and weak of body, but of sane sound, & disposing mind, and knowing that I must shortly depart from this world, deem it right and proper that I should make a deposition of the property with which kind providence has blessed me. I therefore make this my last will and testament, hereby revoking and annulling all other heretofore made by me.

Item First. I desire and request that my body be buried in a decent and Christian like manner and hoping my spirit may return to that God who gave it as I hope for Eternal Salvation through our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Item Second I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Elizabeth one hundred acres of land. It being East half of lot number thirty four (34) in the fifth District of originally Henry now Fayette County. Also, three negroes To wit one Negro man by the name of Stephen, and one by the name of John and one negro boy by the name of Ned for & during her natural life and after her Death the said property to revert and be Equally divided between the seven legateese here in after mentioned

Item Third, I give and bequeath unto my grand son Lewis T Thompson as trustee for my son Jeramiah Thompson four hundred and five acres of land being North half of lot number two (2) the whole of lot Thirty one (31) and West half of lot number Thirty four all in the fifth District of originally Henry now Fayette County to manage by the said Lewis T Thompson as trustee as aforesaid for the sole use and benefit and support of said Jeremiah Thompson and his family For and during his natural life and at the death of the said Jeramiah Thompson the said Settlement of lands to go and become the said Lewis T Thompson trustee as aforesaid.

Item fourth, I give and bequeath to my son Jeremiah Thompson four Negroes to wit a man by the name of Bob and his wife Eady a man by the name of Isham and his wife Milly.

Item fifth I give and bequeath unto the children of my grand daughter Paulina Millsaps and Larkin Millsaps her husband one hundred acres of land being the place whereon the said Millsaps now lives. Also four negroes to wit a woman by the name of Sarah and her three children Amanda Tiller and William to be and remain in the possession of said Larkin and Paulina Millsaps to be managed and controlled by them for their benefit and Meantainance of the said children and not to be disposed of by them nor to be subject to the control of the said Millsaps but to be kept together until his youngest child which is now or is or may hereafter be born to the said Larkin and Paulina Millsaps shall have arrived at the age of twenty one years at which time the aforesaid property together with the increase hereof is to be equally divided between the children aforesaid.

Item sixth. I give and bequeath unto the children of my grand daughter Sarah Ann Wethers and Thomas Wethers her husband one hundred one & 1/4 acres of land being the west half of lot number twenty three (23) in the Sixth District of Fayette County also one negro boy by the name of Robbin and one negro girl by the name Betty. The said property to be and remain in the possession of the said Thomas & Sarah Ann Wethers to be managed and contoled by the said Thomas & Sarah Ann Wethers for the benefit and mentainence & education their said children, but not to be disposed of by them nor be subject to the controls of the said Wethers, but to be left together until the youngest child which is or which may hereafter be born unto the said Thomas and Sarah Ann Wethers shall have arrived at the age of twenty one years of age at which time the said property is to be equally divided between the children aforesaid.

Item seventh. I give and bequeath to my grand son Allen Thompson one hundred acres of land being the place where on he now lives. Also three negroes to wit a negro man by the name of Peyton, a boy by the name of Sam and a Girl by the name of Nerva.

Item Eighth:
I give and bequeath to my grand son Samuel Thompson, one hundred acres of land being the place whereon he now lives. Also three negroes to wit a woman by the name of Silly & a Negro boy the name of Henry and a Girl by the name of Martha

Item ninth
I give and bequeath to my grand son James S Thompson the South half of lot of land number two (2) in the fourth District of originally [Henry?] now Fayette County also two negroes to wit a boy by the name of Joe and a Girl by the name of Phillis.

Item tenth. I give and bequeath to my grand son Lewis T Thompson one hundred and one and 1/4 acres of land being the East half of lot number twenty three (23) in the Sixth District of Fayette County also three negroes to wit a boy by the name of Robin son of Silly a boy by the name of Mishack and a boy by the name of Lewis

Item Eleventh, all the rest of my real estate wherever it may be, together with all the rest of my personal property consisting of horses, hogs cattle sheep etc all my farming utensials smiths tools of house hold and kitchen furniture to be sold by my executors hereinafter named, and after paying off all my just Debts out of the proceeds thereof the ballence to be equally divided between the Eight legatees hereinafter mentioned.

Item Twelfth
I constitute and appoint my grand son Lewis T Thompson and worthy friend Thomas Weathers my Executors of this my last will and Testament this ninth day of October in the year of Our Lord Eighteen hundred and forty five.

Samuel Thompson

Signed, Sealed and Delivered and Published, by Samuel Thompson in the presence of us the subscribers Who subscribed our names hereto in the presence of said testators and each other this October 9th 1845.

Thos Bynum
W. H. Blalock
Edward Conner

Georgia
Fayette County}

Inferior Court for Ordinary Purposes, November adjourned term 1845. Personally appeared before us in Open Court Elijah Glass Wm N Hill, Patrick H Allen & Iasiah F Reeves, Justices of this Inferior Court for said County, Wm H Blalock & Edward Conner, who after being Duly sworn deposeth and saith that they saw Samuel Thompson
Sign Seal Publish and declare this the above and foregoing writings to be and contain his last will and testament that they signed the same fully without compulsion so far as all know or believe. Sworn to and subscribed before us this 17th day of November Eighteen forty five

Patrick H Allen JIC
Iasiah F Reeves JIC
Wm N Hill JIC}

W H Blalock
Edward Conner

Georgia
Fayette County}

Court of Ordinary November adjourned term 1845 The written last will and testament of Samuel Thompson having been duly proven at this term of the court upon the oath of W H Blalock & Edward Conner ordered that the same be admited to record

Recorded Nov. 17th 1845
Jas. F Johnson clk

Member tree from Ancestry

Someone has misunderstood the nickname convention for replacing M with P. Martha = Mattie = Patty = Patsy. That’s understandable, but when they then fabricates an additional proper name out of a nickname, I have to wonder about the quality of their research. Do they make other incorrect inferences?

So for the record, her name was only and ever Martha Bishop. Patsy/Patsey was just a nickname for Martha.

ETA: Also, that death date. It is absolutely not correct, but I have no i idea where it’s coming from. A bunch of member trees for Martha include it. The best I can tell is that she died between the 1900 and 1910 censuses. It’s possible she remarried after her second husband, Samuel Thompson, died. I doubt it, though.

Martha is, by the way, the unnamed wife in Samuel Thompson’s will. Martha is not, however, her own spouse. This tree is a giant hot mess.