In the past few posts I’ve identified the THOMAS lands in upper Anson County, raised the possibility that our ancestor Benjamin Thomas may have somehow been related to a Jacob Thomas who also owned nearby land in Anson, and identified a possible path back to a Thomas family whose DNA matches ours and whose story in Wake County overlooks a clue to Jacob Thomas in Anson. As the search light has yet to be focused on the life of Jacob Thomas in Anson County, let’s go there before offering a conclusion based on the findings.

So who was Jacob Thomas of Anson County? Entered 20 April 1779 and issued 14 October 1783, this Jacob Thomas was issued grant #4451 for 100 acres on the south side of Rocky River on the southeast side of Richardson Creek.
The land was near the present day crossing of Hwy 742 around what’s called Green’s or Hudson’s branch and adjoined or was near the lands owned by Joachim Hudson, William Morris, William May, John Wright, Asa Baucom, and William Curlee. The chain bearers for this grant were Joachim Hudson and Thomas Gilbert. There’s no other land or court record for this Jacob Thomas and he may appear in record only one more time. In the 1790 Anson County census, a Jacob Thomas is enumerated next to Frederick Taylor as 1 male over 16, one male under 16 and 3 females. He’s not near Benjamin Thomas and is his location cannot be readily gleaned from the census.

The only clues we have are in the strong naming tradition of “Jacob Thomas” used by generations of descendants of Benjamin Thomas. That, and in Thomas Gilbert as being chain bearer. Note that Thomas is the brother of Jesse Gilbert and Jesse married to Sarah Green 28 February 1764 in Edgecombe County. Thomas married Eady Weatherford who was from the family of William and Hillikiah Weatherford. Jesse died in Anson and Thomas Gilbert moved with others including Culpepper and Greed to GA. The first court in Laurens County was held in the home of Major Thomas and the first Grand Jury was: Benjamin Adams, Benjamin Brown, William, Boykin, Robert Daneil, Joseph Denson, BENJAMIN DORSEY, Simon Fowler, Henry Fulgham, John Gilbert, Thomas Gilbert, Leonard Green, Edward Hagan, Andrew Hampton, Charles Higdon, Mark May, Gideon Mays, George Martin, William McCall, Charles Stringer, John Speight, James Sarten, Jesse Stephens, Samuel Stanley, Samuel Sparks, George Tarvin, Joseph Vickers, Jesse Wigins, Nathan Weaver, David Watson, Joseph Yarborough, William Yarbrough.

For Jacob Thomas in Anson, there’s no smoking gun, no proof solid evidence that he’s our guy. However, Jacob Thomas is living amongst others who had migrated from or through Wake County from further north in Bertie/Edgecombe Counties. And in Wake County there is a Jacob who lived near to and joined road crews with other Thomas family who we now connect via DNA. The Clerk of Court’s office in Wake burned and therefore we have no record of Jacob buying or selling land. He’s there in early 1770’s and disappears just in time to be the Jacob who shows up in Anson to enter land there in 1779. It’s my belief he is either the father or brother to Benjamin Thomas of Anson.