WELCOME TO THE THOMPSON FAMILY BIOGRAPHY PAGE.
 JOHN EDWARD PENMAN CHAPMAN THOMPSON |
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FAMILY NAMES PAGE |
THIS PAGE CONTAINS NARRATIVES ON SOME THOMPSON FAMILY MEMBERS AND OTHER ITEMS THAT MAY BE OF INFORMATION TO ANYONE SEARCHING THESE PAGES FOR INFORMATION ON THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.
JOHN E.P.C. THOMPSON WAS BORN MAY 8 1855 IN THE TOWN OF DURHAM IN DURHAM COUNTY IN THE NORTHEAST OF ENGLAND. BOTH PARENTS DIED WHEN HE WAS SMALL. HE WAS PLACED IN A BOARDING SCHOOL BY HIS OLDER BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
WHEN HE WAS FOURTEEN, JOHN LEFT SCHOOL AND WENT TO WORK IN THE COAL MINES IN DURHAM COUNTY. HE FIRST MARRIED VERY YOUNG, BUT WE DO NOT KNOW THE NAME OF HIS FIRST WIFE.
HE SUFFERED FROM AN ILLNESS THAT CAUSED HIS HAIR AND MOUSTACHE TO TURN WHITE AT AN EARLY AGE. IT WAS THIS ILLNESS THAT LED HIM TO SEEK A HEALTHIER CLIMATE. HE MADE A TRIP TO AMERICA WITHOUT WITHOUT HIS WIFE. WHEN HE RETURNED FOR HER, HE FOUND THAT SHE HAD HAD A CHILD AND HAD RUN AWAY WITH ANOTHER MAN. HE DIVORCED HER AND NEVER SAW HER OR THE CHILD AGAIN.
HE MET THE DAUGHTER OF A FELLOW MINER. HER NAME WAS ELIZABETH ESTHER BENCE. THEY WERE MARRIED AT GRINDON CHURCH IN DURHAM COUNTY ON FEB. 17, 1877. HIS OCCUPATION AND THAT OF HIS FATHER-IN-LAW ARE SHOWN ON THE ORIGINAL MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE. A COPY OF THIS CERTIFICATE WAS SECURED THROUGH THE GOVERNMENT OFFICE IN LONDON, ENGLAND.
THEY HAD TWO CHILDREN, REBECCA AND WILLIAM, WHILE STILL IN ENGLAND. REBECCA WAS BORN ON DEC. 4, 1877 AT WHEATLEY HILL IN DURHAM COUNTY. WILLIAM WAS BORN ON JULY 8, 1879, ALSO AT WHEATLEY HILL. JOHN AGAIN MADE A TRIP TO AMERICA TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR HIS FAMILY. WILLIAM WAS ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD WHEN THEY SAILED FROM LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND TO AMERICA.
THIS YOUNG FAMILY FIRST WENT TO COAL CREEK, FOUNTAIN COUNTY, INDIANA. HE WORKED FOR THE MINE THERE. TWO MORE CHILDREN WERE BORN, JOSEPH ON APRIL 10, 1882 AND JOHN JR. ON APRIL 28, 1884.
THEY MOVED T0 TEXAS WHERE A NEW COAL FIELD WAS DISCOVERED IN ERATH COUNTY. JOHN WAS A MINE GUARD NEAR THURBER, A COMPANY OWNED TOWN. THERE JOHN JR. DIED AT THE AGE OF TWO.
THEIR FIFTH CHILD, ELIZABETH, WAS BORN AT JOHNSON'S MINES IN ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS ON MAY 17, 1887. THE LAST OF THEIR CHILDREN TO BE BORN IN TEXAS WAS ALICE, WHO WAS BORN JUNE 7, 1889 NEAR THURBER IN PALO PINTO COUNTY.
IN 1891, THE GOVERNMENT OPENED MORE INDIAN LAND IN THE TERRITORY OF OKLAHOMA FOR SETTLEMENT BY HOMESTEADERS. JOHN AND ELIZABETH TOOK THEIR FIVE CHILDREN AND HOMESTEADED LAND NEAR WHAT IS NOW BUCKHEAD, OKLAHOMA. MARGARET WAS BORN ON BUCK HEAD CREEK ON MARCH 17, 1893.
JOHN'S WIFE, ELIZABETH, DIED FEB. 23, 1896, JUST THIRTY SIX DAYS AFTER THE BIRTH OF ESTER ON JAN. 18, 1896. ELIZABETH ESTER THOMPSON WAS ONLY THIRTY-SEVEN. WE ASSUME THAT SHE NEVER RECOVERED FORM THE BIRTH AND DEATH OF HER NINTH CHILD, ALTHOUGH THE EXACT DATE OF THE BABY'S DEATH IS NOT KNOWN.
THERE WAS ONE MORE GIRL WHO DIED IN INFANCY, BUT WE DO NOT KNOW HER NAME, BIRTH DATE, OR DEATH DATE. THE ONLY RECORD OF HER CAME FROM A ONE PAGE AUTOBIOGRAPHY WRITTEN BY ELIZABETH THOMPSON ALSTON, ELIZABETH ESTER'S DAUGHTER. SHE STATED: "ONE SON AND TWO DAUGHTERS DIED IN INFANCY". JOHN, AT AGE 41, WAS LEFT TO PROVIDE FOR SIX CHILDREN; REBECCA, WILLIAM,JOSEPH, ELIZABETH, ALICE, AND MARGARET. THE YOUNGEST WAS UNDER THREE YEARS OLD.
THE OLDEST, REBECCA, MARRIED A MAN NAMED WILSON. SHE DIED IN CHILDBIRTH AT AGE TWENTY.
IN 1899 JOHN MARRIED CORA MAE PIRTLE STURDEVANT, A WIDOW WITH TWO CHILDREN, ANNIE ELVIRA AND MOLLY MINERVA. JOHN AND CORA HAD FIVE MORE CHILDREN, GEORGE BORN MARCH 20, 1899, JOHN BORN OCTOBER 8 1903, JETTY BORN IN DECEMBER 1906, ROBERT BORN NOVEMBER 10, 1908, AND ALINE BONITA BORN SEPTEMBER 13, 1914.
THE BIRTH AND DEATH DATES WERE OBTAINED FROM RECORDS IN THE THOMPSON FAMILY AND THE BENCE FAMILY BIBLES.
JOHN BECAME JUSTICE OF THE PEACE IN POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY IN 1906, AND AGAIN IN 1925. THIS INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED FROM HIS DAUGHTERS, ELIZABETH AND ALINE. IT WAS VERIFIED BY HIS LEDGER, WHICH SHOWS THAT HE TRIED CASES FOR: DISTURBING THE PEACE; ASSAULT AND BATTERY; GRAND LARCENY; PETTY LARCENY; ADULTERY; DISTURBING A RELIGIOUS WORSHIP; RECKLESS RIDING; AND CARRYING A CONCEALED WEAPON (BRASS KNUCKLES). HE SAT ON CIVIL CASES INVOLVING SUCH NAMES AS: BUFFALO GLOVE; WHIP MANUFACTORY AND THE ATCHINSON,TOPEKA AND SANTA FE RAILWAY CO.; HE ALSO PERFORMED MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.
THE 1910 CENSUS RECORDS SHOW THAT, AT THAT TIME, HE LISTED HIS OCCUPATI0N AS "HATTER". HE JOINED A BAPTIST CHURCH AND BECAME A BAPTIST PREACHER.
JOHN WAS A HANDSOME MAN OF SHORT STATURE. HE HAD WHITE HAIR AND A FULL WHITE MUSTACHE.
JOHN DIED ON JUNE 20, 1929, AT AGE SEVENTY-FOUR, IN SHAWNEE, OKLAHOMA. HE HAD COME A LONG WAY FROM THE COAL MINES OF DURHAM COUNTY ON THE NORTHEAST COAST OF ENGLAND.
MARION, ILLINOIS
SEPT 29, 1929
Dear Cousin:
Was very glad to hear from you. Sorry to hear about Uncle John's death. I have a son Robert so that is how we got the letter. He got it then gave it to me. I would have answered sooner, but have been trying to get all the information that I could find for you. I wrote to Uncle Joe's wife in Springfield, Ill. She is the only one I know to write and she didn't know much. She said he was born in the year of 1855, but didn't know exactly the month, married February 1877 to ester Bence in Hutton Henry, Durham County, England.
Your father's full name ,the way he was christened, is John Edward Penman Chapman Thompson. The man with many names. Aunt Mary Jane tells me your mother's sister is still living. Will give you the address the best I can. Mrs Mathews Lewins, Springwell Via Low Fell, Durham England.
I will try and look up the family record later. If I find anything more of which I think I will, I will let you know. Hope this information will help you very much. sorry i can't give you more just now.
Very glad to hear from you tell your brothers to write. Glad to hear from any of you folks. Will close hope to hear from you soon.
Regards to All
Your Cousin
J. H.
Thompson
300 N. Holland St.
Marion, Illinois
this letter was transcribed here pretty much as i received it...the only changes were in the format as the copy i had was hand written and had a copy of a social securiy card in the center right margin..
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