Thomas Gillespie (December 13, 1719 – December 15, 1786) was a large plantation owner in mid-to-late 18th-century
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
and served as
commissary
A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop.
In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...
of the
Rowan County Regiment
The Rowan County Regiment was originally established in about August 1, 1775 as a local militia in Rowan County in the Province of North-Carolina. When the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorized thirty-five existing county militias to be o ...
in the North Carolina militia during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
. He spent his early life in
Augusta County, Virginia before migrating to
Anson County, North Carolina
Anson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,055. Its county seat is Wadesboro.
History
The county was formed in 1750 from Bladen County. It was named for George Anson, Ba ...
in about 1750, where he lived most of his life on Sills Creek in the area that became
Rowan County, North Carolina
Rowan County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina that was formed in 1753, as part of the British Province of North Carolina. It was originally a vast territory with unlimited western boundaries, but its size was reduced to 524 sq mi ...
in 1753. He and his wife and son were the first white settlers west of the
Yadkin River
The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in North Carolina, flowing . It rises in the northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river are impounded by dams for water, p ...
. He owned a plantation of over 1,000 acres on Sills Creek in Rowan County, as well as 6,000 acres in the area of western North Carolina that became part of the state of Tennessee in 1796. He was an early elder in the
Thyatira Presbyterian Church in Rowan County, which was formed in 1753. Thomas was the great-grandfather of
U.S. President James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
through the lineage of his daughter Lydia, who married Captain James Knox and gave birth to Jane Gracey Knox, mother of the President.
Early life in Virginia
![Kitfry-1-](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Kitfry-1-.jpg)
Thomas Gillespie was born on December 13, 1719. The location of his birth is not documented but tradition says that he was born either in
Cecil County, Maryland or
New London Township,
Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the Delaware Valley region of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53 ...
, which were common points of origin of those that traveled the
Great Wagon Road
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
in the 1700s. The names of his parents are not known. He migrated to
Augusta County, Virginia in about 1740. There, he married Naomi Thompson on January 1, 1745 in the "Valley of Virginia" with the ceremony performed by Rev. John Craig, pastor of the
Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church
The Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church, is a Presbyterian church founded in 1740, and is the oldest Presbyterian congregation in the Valley of Virginia (the Shenandoah Valley). Its historic building is listed on the National Register of Histor ...
in Augusta County, Virginia from 1740–1764. Thomas was probably a member of the Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church.
Thomas Gillespie owned land in Augusta County, Virginia. On December 1, 1740, Thomas Glassbey (sic Gillespie) in Augusta County, Virginia received 400 acres on a draft of the north river of "Shanando" called the "Long Glade". He paid forty shillings of good and lawful money for this land. The land was bounded on the west by Long Glade and on the east by Naked Creek. This is in the northern part of Augusta County. This is the first legal document about Thomas and places him in Augusta County in December 1740.
Thomas Gillespie served in the Virginia Colonial militia in Augusta County in 1742.
Move to North Carolina
Before 1750, Thomas and his wife and young son, James, moved south to
Anson County, North Carolina
Anson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,055. Its county seat is Wadesboro.
History
The county was formed in 1750 from Bladen County. It was named for George Anson, Ba ...
(in the area that became
Rowan County, North Carolina
Rowan County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina that was formed in 1753, as part of the British Province of North Carolina. It was originally a vast territory with unlimited western boundaries, but its size was reduced to 524 sq mi ...
in 1753), perhaps because of land that he acquired for his colonial militia service in Virginia. Thomas, Naomi, and their first son (James) are reported to be the first white family to settle west of the
Yadkin River
The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in North Carolina, flowing . It rises in the northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river are impounded by dams for water, p ...
in Anson County. The Gillespie plantation was located on Sills Creek. He attended church at the nearby Cathy's Meeting House (founded in the 1740s) on Cathy's Creek, which later became
Thyatira Presbyterian Church. It was the first Presbyterian church in this area of western North Carolina.
[, Thomas Gillaspie Sr, Rowan, North Carolina, United States; citing p. 346, NARA microfilm publication M637, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 7; FHL microfilm 568,147; 4 males under 4 males 15 and over, one female and 7 slaves; also included are: GILLASPIE, David 1 0 1 0 1, line 2361; GILLASPIE, George 3 3 4 0 4, line 2394; GILLASPIE, Richard 1 0 6 0 8, line 2362; GILLASPIE, Thomas 1 1 4 0 3, line 2338; GILLASPIE, Thomas, Jur. 1 2 3 0 4, line 2363][Thyatira Presbyterian Church Booklet, Dec 1797, "Died at 2:00 P.M. on Tuesday the 15th of December, 1797, Mrs. Naomi Gillespie, aged 69; at 10 O'clock the same evening, Thomas Gillespie aged 76. Their six sons carried them to the grave and buried them in the same casket.]
In 1752, the Province of North Carolina started issuing Granville land grants for vacant land in the
Granville District
The Granville District (or Granville's district) was an approximately 60-mile wide strip of land in the North Carolina colony adjoining the boundary with the Province of Virginia, lying between north latitudes 35° 34' and 36° 30'. From 1663 unti ...
, which included Anson County. After 1780, the State of North Carolina began issuing State Land Grants for vacant land. During his lifetime, Thomas was granted or purchased a total of 2,570 acres of land in Rowan County, beginning with two Granville Land Grants in 1751 and 1752. The 1780 tax list of Rowan County prepared by
Adlai Osborne lists Thomas Gillespie, Sen. in Captain John Cowan's District with land valued at 5,529 pounds, as well as his sons Thomas Gillespie, Jr. with land valued at 230 pounds and James Gillespie with land valued at 2,521 pounds. His son, George Gillespie, was listed in Captain George Cowan's District with land valued at 1,430 pounds.
[, These maps are largely based on the work done in 1950 by David Rendleman, available from the Edith Clark History room in the Rowan County Public Library]
![Portion of Rowan County 1833](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Portion_of_Rowan_County_1833.jpg)
His large plantation house was located on Sills Creek included more than five rooms. He owned farm machinery, including a cotton gin. The crops that were grown on his plantation included flax, cotton, potatoes, and wheat. He also raised horses and cattle. Thomas owned up to seven slaves to help on his plantation but must have relied extensively on family to help run his large plantation. In 1790, there were 1,742 slaves in 2,432 families in Rowan County. The largest plantation, owned by Richmond Person, had 101 slaves and there were 31 families with ten or more slaves. There were six slaves mentioned in his will and seven slaves enumerated in the 1790 Census in Rowan County for Thomas Gillespie, Sr.
Family
Thomas and Naomi Gillespie had ten children. Only the oldest son, James, was born in Augusta County. The others were all born in Rowan County, North Carolina. Four of his children died in Tennessee, where Thomas had extensive land holdings.
# James Gillespie (c. 1745 – before 1787): He died in Rowan County, North Carolina. He married Jane Graham (before 1747 – 1823) on January 9, 1765. He served in the Revolutionary War.
[, p. 343]
# Martha (Gillespie) Allison (c. 1747 – after 1796): She died in Rowan County, North Carolina. She married Thomas Allison, Sr. (1746–-1751 – about 1780) in Rowan County on January 20, 1770. She had a son, Thomas Allison, Jr.
# Isaac Lemuel Gillespie (March 28, 1750 – December 24, 1826): He died in Williamson County, Tennessee and was buried in the Moses Steele Cemetery on the land he inherited from his father on Flat Creek, Duck River. He married Mary Ann McGuire (February 13, 1770 – September 20, 1845) on April 12, 1791 in Rowan County. He served as a private in the
3rd North Carolina Regiment in Captain Alexander Brevard's Company during the American Revolution.
# George Gillespie (July 22, 1751 – August 31, 1818): He died in Gallatin or Bethpage,
Sumner County, Tennessee
Sumner County is a county located on the central northern border of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in what is called Middle Tennessee.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 196,281. Its county seat is Gallatin, and its largest city is Hen ...
and was buried at the Old Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in Sumner County. He married Mary Graham (May 32, 1751 – 1815) on April 8, 1771 in Rowan County. He provided patriotic services during the Revolutionary War. He may have fought at the
Battle of Guilford Courthouse
The Battle of Guilford Court House was on March 15, 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, at a site that is now in Greensboro, the seat of Guilford County, North Carolina. A 2,100-man British force under the command of Lieutenant General ...
.
# Lydia (Gillespie) Knox Wallace (1753–1828): She died in
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina (after Wa ...
. She married Capt James Knox (c. 1752 – c. 1794) on November 4, 1772 in Rowan County. James was a Captain in the
Mecklenburg County Regiment
The Mecklenburg County Regiment was authorized on May 31, 1775 by the Province of North Carolina Congress. From November 7, 1779 until the 3rd Quarter of 1780, it was called the 1st Mecklenburg County Regiment when a 2nd Mecklenburg County Regime ...
during the American Revolution. Lydia and James had three children: Robert Knox (1774–1869), Naomi Knox (1775–1854), and Jane Gracy Knox (1776–1852). Jane Gracy Knox married
Samuel Polk
Samuel Polk (July 5, 1772 – December 3, 1827) was an American surveyor, slave owner, and the father of U.S. President James Knox Polk. His slaves included Elias Polk.
Life
Samuel Polk was born in 1772 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. ...
(1772–1827) on December 25, 1794. While living in a log cabin in Pineville, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Jane and Samuel had ten children. The first child was
James Knox Polk (1795–1849), the 11th
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
. Lydia later married Ezekial Wallace on March 19, 1797 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
# Thomas Gillespie, Jr. (c. 1755 – c. 1830): He died in
Williamson County, Tennessee
Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 247,726. The county seat is Franklin, and the county is located in Middle Tennessee. The county is named after Hugh Williams ...
after moving there after 1805 and was buried in the Moses Steele Cemetery near Flat Creek in Williamson County. He married Mary Jane Luckey (c. 1763 – unknown) on September 5, 1785 in Rowan County.
[; Captain John Cowan's District: Thomas Gillespie, Sen (5,529 pounds, 2 pence); Thomas Gillespie, Jr. (230 pounds); James Gillespie (2 521-2-6). Captain George Cowan's District: George Gillespie (1 430 pounds)]
# Alexander Gillespie (c. 1759 – before December 15, 1800): He died in Rowan County. He did not marry.
# David Gillespie (1763 – September 18, 1834): He died in Williamson County, Tennessee and was buried on the land on Flat Creek, Duck River that he inherited from his father. He married Mary Luckey (1770/80–1814) in 1785 and later married Mary Marlin/Martin on February 12, 1814 in Tennessee. He was employed by his father during the American Revolution, hauling supplies in a wagon for the troops.
# John Gillespie (c. 1762 – c. 1825): He died in Alabama. He married Margaret Kerr (c. 1769 – c. 1843) on January 31, 1786 in Rowan County
# Robert Gillespie (1772–1843): He died in Rowan County, North Carolina. He married Sarah "Sally" Thornton (1781–1850) before 1808 in Rowan County.
Military service
![North Carolina 1783](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/North_Carolina_1783.jpg)
During the American Revolution, Thomas served in at least 1780 and 1781 as a
commissary
A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop.
In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...
under General
Griffith Rutherford
Griffith Rutherford (c. 1721 – August 10, 1805) was an American military officer in the Revolutionary War, a political leader in North Carolina, and an important figure in the early history of the Southwest Territory and the state of Ten ...
, commander of the
Rowan County Regiment
The Rowan County Regiment was originally established in about August 1, 1775 as a local militia in Rowan County in the Province of North-Carolina. When the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorized thirty-five existing county militias to be o ...
(active from 1775–1783), which was under the
Salisbury District Brigade
The Salisbury District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the Fourth North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disba ...
(active from 1776–1783). General Rutherford lived near Gillespie on Grants Creek
and was also a large land owner, like Thomas. Thomas was one of five commissaries under a Quartermaster General, Joseph Marbury. As commissary, Thomas was responsible for provisioning the soldiers in the brigade, which included as many as 1,400 to 2,000 men.
[, biography with extensive referencing]
Non-commissioned officers were entitled to receive 1,000 acres of land for their service in the American Revolution. Thomas received Grants of 4,000 and 1,000 acres of land on Flat Creek, Duck River for his Revolutionary War services. This land was originally located in North Carolina and became part of Tennessee on June 1, 1796 and part of Williamson County, Tennessee in 1799. This land was inherited by his male children through his will. The initial application for this grant was on October 27, 1783. This grant, No. 80, was entered on pages 216 and 217 of Book A. The land was survey on February 21, 1785 by H. Rutherford. The grant was given on April 25, 1807 to David and Isaac Gillespie, after their father's death.
Thomas also received bounty land for his service in 1786 (Grant No. 676) and 1787 (Grants Nos. 798, 802, and 809 in the
State of Franklin, which later became
Washington County, Tennessee
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,001. Its county seat is Jonesborough. The county's largest city and a regional educational, medical and commercial center is ...
. His son, George, also received bounty land in Sumner County, Tennessee for his service in the war.
Flat Creek community
Flat Creek is a historic community that was established in 1799 in the extreme southeast corner of Williamson County, Tennessee. It was founded primarily by Revolutionary War veterans awarded claims for their service. Isaac Gillespie, Thomas Gillespie, Jr., and David Gillespie inherited land in Flat Creek from their father and they were buried at Moses Steele Cemetery near Flat Creek. The Moses Steel Cemetery is named for Moses Steele, who was originally from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The land on which the cemetery is located was originally purchased by Moses from Thomas Gillespie's 4,000-acre bounty land. The
Smithson–McCall Farm was built on 528 acres of Thomas Gillespie's 4,000 acres that were willed to his son David and conveyed to him in 1808. Samuel Henderson purchased 125 acres from David in 1813 to build what later became the Smithson-McCall farm.
Religion
Thomas was a devout Presbyterian and one of the early members of a Presbyterian Meeting House established before 1753 at the headwaters of the 2nd Creek in Anson County (later became Rowan County in 1753). The congregation became Cathey's Meeting House and later the Thyatira Presbyterian Church. It is the oldest Presbyterian congregation west of the Yadkin River. It is located near the town of Mill Bridge on Cathey's Creek, which is near Sills Creek and Back Creek where Thomas lived. After his death, his living children remained with the church until 1805 when there was a split in the congregation between revivalists and anti-revivalists. Thirty families and five church elders, including Thomas Gillespie, Jr. left the church to form the revivalist
Back Creek Presbyterian Church. The Thyatira church included a slave gallery for slaves to participate in services.
Additional land acquisitions
Thomas entered claims for grants of additional land in Tennessee from 1778 to 1784 that was issued between 1782 and 1788. There is no evidence that Thomas Gillespie, Sr. took up residence in Tennessee on any of these lands. However, his sons, Isaac, George, Thomas (Jr.), and David, took up residence in Williamson County in the early 1800s on the 5,000 acres that he obtained for his military service. Thomas may have sold this additional land in Washington and Green Counties. Washington County, North Carolina became
Washington County, Tennessee
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,001. Its county seat is Jonesborough. The county's largest city and a regional educational, medical and commercial center is ...
in 1796.
Greene County was formed in 1783 from Washington County, North Carolina and became part of Tennessee in 1796. The following list shows the location of the 1,333 acres of land that Thomas Gillespie acquired in Greene and Washington Counties:
[, NARA Series M68, Roll 1, page 86, number 2893, Thomas Gillespie, 4,000 acres on the north side of Flat Creek, Middle District of Tennessee, 1788]
Death
Thomas Gillespie died on December 15, 1796 in Rowan County, North Carolina and is buried in the same tomb with his wife Naomi in the Thyatira Presbyterian Church Cemetery on Cathey's Creek in Mill Bridge, Rowan County, North Carolina. On the tombstone is carved the date Dec 12th, 1796; however, church records shows the date as the 15th, which was a Friday. The ages confirm that Thomas was born in 1719 and Naomi in 1727.
[, ][ North Carolina Journal, Halifax, North Carolina, 09 January 1797][, Vol. G, images 5, 6 7 of 570; Rowan County courthouse, North Carolina, Will written on November 15, 1796]
An obituary appeared shortly after his death in the North Carolina Journal on January 9, 1797. It is quoted in a book by Lingle about the history of the Thyatira Church. It read as follows:
:"Died at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the 15th. of December 1796, Mrs. Naomi Gillespie aged 69; at 10 o'clock the same evening, Mr. Thomas Gillespie aged 76. They were the first settlers in Rowan County on the West-Side of the Yadkin River, and lived in the strictest bond of matrimonial friendship for the space of 55 years. Their descendants amount to 63, of whom six sons carried them to their place of interment, where they were deposited in the same coffin. The history of North Carolina has perhaps never furnished a similar instance since its first settlement."
Will
Seven of his eight sons were living at the time of his death: Isaac, George, Thomas, Alexander, David, John, and Robert. James had predeceased him. Both his daughters, Martha and Lydia, were still alive at the time of his death. His sons, Thomas Gillespie, Jr. and Robert Gillespie, were named executors of Thomas Gillespie, Sr.'s will written on November 15, 1796 (the year before he died). When he wrote the will in 1796, Naomi was still living. He bequeathed the following to his wife and children in his will:
* His wife, Naomi Gillespie, was to get the choice of five rooms in his house and all that part of the cleared land on the west side between his two sons, Alexander and Robert Gillespie. She was also to receive her bed and furniture, one black horse, her dresser and kitchen furniture, the female slaves Liza and Fan, and two cows and calves during her natural lifetime. The slave Liza was to be the property of his sons Thomas, David and Isaac after she died.
* Martha Allison (widow) inherited one silver dollar.
* George Gillespie inherited one silver dollar.
* Thomas Gillespie, Jr. inherited 1,000 acres of land on Flat Creek, Duck River and one silver dollar.
* Isaac Gillespie inherited 600 acres of land on Flat Creek, Duck River
* John Gillespie inherited 660 acres of land on Flat Creek, Duck River, as well as Thomas's clothes, saddle and young black mare.
* David Gillespie inherited 400 acres of land on Flat Creek, Duck River
* Alexander inherited Thomas's plantation on Sills Creek, where he was living at the time of his death, as well as 600 acres on Flat Creek, Duck River. He also inherited a slave boy named Peter and a female slave named Violet.
* Robert Gillespie inherited 278 acres of land by the name of Baily Place and 600 acres of land on Flat Creek, Duck River. He also inherited a Thomas's male slave named Dick, and a female slave named Phoebe.
* James Gillespie's son Thomas, George Gillespie's sons Thomas and Jacob, Thomas Allison, Thomas Knox, and Issac Gillespie's son Thomas Gillespie inherited jointly 1,000 acres of land in Greene County, on the Duck River. The title was to be made by James Kerr, Esq. of Iredell County.
DNA
There are several descendants of Thomas Gillespie that have tested for DNA in his son George and Issac's families. The Y-DNA
haplogroup
A haplotype is a group of alleles in an organism that are inherited together from a single parent, and a haplogroup (haploid from the el, ἁπλοῦς, ''haploûs'', "onefold, simple" and en, group) is a group of similar haplotypes that share ...
for these descendants is I2b 126 137 L369 (I-M223).
[, rows 71–77 of FTDNA Gillespie yDNA Test Results]
References
Citations
Additional sources
*
*
*
Old Link*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, Thomas
1719 births
1797 deaths
American planters
American slave owners
North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution
People from Augusta County, Virginia
People from Rowan County, North Carolina