Scott County, Tennessee
FNB Chronicles

This page was created 06 September 2008

The Thomas Family of Scott County, Tennessee
(Compiled By Louise Carson)

(page 9)

peers." (Information from Wm. H. Terry story by his son, Wm. A. Terry, Scott County Tennessee And Its Families).

ALVIN TERRY was well educated, having attended schools of Scott County, Livingston, and Friendsville. A merchant, a teacher, a businessman in the mining business, a contractor with his brothers, a director of First Trust and Savings Bank, a member of the Oneida School Board, the Oneida City Board, and one of the founders of the Oneida Water Company. His son WILLIAM CLAUDE TERRY Sr. was a veteran of WW I, served three terms as mayor of the town of Oneida, and original stockholder of the First Trust and Savings Bank, and was president of the bank at his death. His sons, GEORGE ALVIN and WM. CLAUDE, Jr. (grandsons of ALVIN) both served in the U.S. Army; GEORGE ALVIN reported at age 18 at Fort Knox for active duty. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and spent the year of 1946 in Germany in the Occupational Forces. He later served one term as Tennessee State Representative and three terms in the State Senate. His brother, WILLIAM CLAUDE Jr. entered the U.S. Army in 1951 and served until 1953 as a Lieutenant in the Transportation Corps. His daughter JANE's husband, RALPH HOFFMAN, served in both WW II and Korea, the 92nd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force in England and Europe during WW II. Among his numerous awards, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters. In Korea, he was in the Strategic Air Command.

The youngest son of ALVIN, LUKE EDWARD TERRY, served in WW II, and was a B-24 pilot in the European theater and a prisoner of war. After the war, he received a degree in law from Georgetown University and is practicing law in Martinsburg. He also served in the House of Delegates in the state of West Virginia.

WILLIAM ABNER served as County Court Clerk from 1917-26. Eight years later be was elected County Judge. He served until 1942. When he was 76 years old he became Election Commissioner. He also served as a Notary Public. His eldest son, CHESTER, served in what was to be the First National Bank for many years. He was president from 1943 until his retirement in 1959. He also served as director from 1929 until his death in 1967. Both of his daughters have been teachers in the public schools of Tennessee from their early years until retirement. The first husband of ADRIENNE, oldest daughter of CHESTER, Lieutenant WARNER HARRISON, lost his life in action in World War II.

The fifth daughter of ABNER THOMAS was RUTHA (RUTHIE, as she was called). Born in 1834, she was the second wife of HENRY DUNCAN (1823). By his first wife, CATHERINE THOMPSON (sister of LEWIS THOMPSON), he had six children: MARION (1848), EMANUEL (1850), JOSHUA (1852), LAVI (1854), REBECCA (1859), and EWELL (1860). CATHERINE died when EWELL was a small child and HENRY married RUTHA THOMAS. HENRY and RUTHIE had one child: AARON, born August 29,1869. AARON died in a mining accident on September 14, 1908. He was. buried in the Paint Rock, later called The Peaceful Rose Garden.

AARON was married to MARY MURPHY. Their children were: CORA (1890), who married JERRY CONNERS; EARNEST E. (1892), who died as a young child. (He is buried in the same cemetery where his father and RUTHIE DUNCAN are buried). She died sometime after 1908. At that time she was living in the home of her step-son, EWELL DUNCAN). The third child of AARON was EVERETT, who married LINA BELLE ELLIS. The fourth was ALVA MAY, who married CARL WILSON. Their daughter is LOIS WILSON BLANKENSHIP.

The daughter of CORA and granddaughter of AARON and MARY MURPHY DUNCAN, was REBA CONNERS, who married JOHNNY BEETS. MARY MURPHY DUNCAN lived to be 101 years old. She is buried at the Marcum Cemetery, as is REBA and JOHNNY BEETS.

Three of RUTHIE's step-sons had connections with the THOMAS daughters and their children. EWELL DUNCAN married JANE TERRY, daughter of RUTHA's sister JANE, who married MILTON TERRY. (See story of fourth daughter of ABNER). Another niece of RUTHIE, JANE CECIL, married EMANUEL DUNCAN. (See story of third daughter of ABNER). And the third stepson of RUTHIE married her youngest sister, MARTHA. That story to follow.

EWELL and JANE TERRY DUNCAN had eight children: FLORENCE (1886-1968); JOHN MILTON (1889-1976); WILLIAM EZRA (1890-1941); DELLA (1891); SYLVESTER (1896-1973); MILFORD ELMER (1900-1991); and LONNIE LEE (1902). LONNIE LEE married LIZA JANE YANCEY. Their children are MARINE HALL, DELONE KEETON, RAYLEEN TERRY, HAROLD DEAN DUNCAN, HUBERT DUNCAN and GENEEDA SEXTON. (This information on Rutha Thomas and the Duncans was given to me by Delone Duncan Keeton).

The sixth daughter of ABNER was REBECCA, born 1836, married to ELIJAH SPRADLIN. They lived along the Kentucky-Tennessee state line, according to JOHN MARION TERRY's research. They are not found in Scott County's census or marriage records. However, there are several other SPRADLIN marriages found in Scott County's records of 1860: ELIZABETH SPRADLIN to THOMAS STEPHENS (1860); PLEASANT SPRADLIN to NANCY COFFEE (1861); MALINDA SPRADLIN to JAMES D. TROXEL (1863); ANDERSON SPRADLIN to SYNTHIA STEPHENS (1865); M.J. SPRADLIN to RICHARD SLAVEN (1867); and WILLIAM SPRADLIN to SUSAN WINCHESTER (1867). These could have been brothers and sisters of ELIJAH SPRADLIN (some of them are listed as born in Wayne County, Ky.). There are ten SPRADLIN marriages in Scott County from 1883 to 1897. These could very well be children of REBECCA and ELIJAH, or grandchildren. They probably lived just over the line in Wayne County.  [according to Rosie Stephens Sinkhorn, Elijah and Rebecca Thomas Spradlin moved to Whitley County, KY just across the state line.]

There is an interesting coincidence in the story of WHITMILL STEPHENS (Scott County Tennessee And Its Families). The story goes that a girl named DORA SPRADLIN married JACKSON STEPHENS, a son of [the son of Alvin Stephens who was the son of Whitmill Stephens, according to Rosie Stephens Sinkhorn] WHITMILL STEPHENS, who does show in Scott County records. And DORA was a daughter of ABNER WILEY SPRADLIN. Now it is reasonable that ABNER WILEY SPRADLIN was a son of REBECCA THOMAS and husband ELIJAH SPRADLIN, since REBECCA THOMAS, who married ELIJAH SPRADLIN, had a father named ABNER, and a brother named ABNER WYLIE. This DORA SPRADLIN also had a sister named REBECCA SPRADLIN. The story says that ABNER WILEY SPRADLIN married RACHEL KING, and he was killed in a fence dispute by his brother-in-law.  [according to Rosie Stephens Sinkhorn, Abner Wylie Spradlin was killed over a fence dispute his wife's sister's husband Eli Spradliin who served time for this but on the way back from the funeral they found the cow laying the fence rails down with her horns]  ABNER WYLIE SPRADLIN and RACHEL KING are shown in the Scott County marriage records as marrying on July 23, 1880.

Also interesting in this regard, and another coincidence, is the story of JOHN MOUNCE by LELAND S. SMITH. JOHN MOUNCE married RACHEL WADE in 1791 in Madison County, Ky. In 1810 he patented land on the Kentucky-Tennessee border then part of Wayne County, Kentucky. Seven heirs of JOHN MOUNCE are listed in a (1839) property transfer to his oldest daughter ELIZABETH, who had married JAMES SPRADLIN in 1809. Among the heirs listed is their son, WILLIAM SPRADLIN, who married ELLY WATTERS (daughter of ELIJAH WATTERS and wife NANCY). It is reasonable to assume that they had a son named ELIJAH SPRADLIN. More research is needed to prove these theories.

In the Scott County census for 1900, there are two families by the name of SPRADLIN, born in Kentucky and living in the Grave Hill section of Scott County, ELI, born 1855; and JOHN, born 1875. These could be a son and grandson of REBECCA and ELIJAH. There is another family of MILLARD SPRADLIN, born in Tennessee, with a seven year old son named "Lisha", short for ELIJAH.

Notes The JOHN MOUNCE story came from Scott County Tennessee And Its Families. The WHITMILL STEPHENS story was by EDWARD STEPHENS.

The seventh daughter of ABNER THOMAS was NANCY, born about 1840. She was the second wife of HAMILTON BROWN. His first wife was SALLY PHILLIPS.

The children of HAMILTON and his first wife were: PHEBIA; HARRISON; NANCY; ELVIRA; ELLENDER; EMELINE; POLLY; DELPHIA; JOHN W.; ANDREW; MARTHA; and ELIZABETH, called Elizzie. ELIZA was born in 1868. She was married to JOHN MARION TERRY (her story of JANE THOMAS, fourth daughter of ABNER). Their children were: DARIUS, EDNA, DOROTHY, MAUDE, BENTON, LELA, RUTH, JOHN, CALDWELL and WILLIAM. Their home and farm was located where the first housing project was built in Oneida.

HAMILTON BROWN and his second wife, NANCY THOMAS, were married September 12,1875. They had one child. I do not find them in the 1880 census. However, in the 1900 census, NANCY BROWN, age 62, is listed living with her son, MICHAEL BROWN, age 22. HAMILTON BROWN is listed in the 1850 census, 20 years old, making him born in 1830.

In the May Term of Court, 1850, HAMILTON BROWN, THOMAS PHILLIPS, were ordered, along with MARTIN TERRY, ALVIN LITTON, EDWARD STEPHENS, ALEY HATFIELD, JAMES CARSON, JAMES ANDERSON and JAMES CHAMBERS (overseer), to build a road (second class) between the Bark Springs and the meeting house at the head of Buffalo Creek and to keep the same in repair.

The January 1854 term of court orders that HAMILTON BROWN be appointed overseer of a third class road, from the state line at Slaven Ford of Bear Creek, thence by J.B. BROWN, thence to the Rysden Cabin, thence to intersect the Morgan road at the Widow Smith's.

The eighth daughter of ABNER THOMAS was MARTHA. She was born about 1842 and married JOSHUA DUNCAN, born 1851. He was the son of HENRY DUNCAN and his first wife, CATHERINE THOMPSON. CATHERINE was a sister of Dr. M.E. THOMPSON. They were married January 13, 1871. MARTHA and JOSHUA DUNCAN, ages 37 and 27, are listed in the 1880 census living on the same farm with his father, HENRY DUNCAN and his second wife, RUTHA, who is a sister to MARTHA. Their children are WM. A. (1872); NANCY C. (1874); SARAH J. (1875); and KISSIAH A(1880). PRISCILLA and ABNER were born after 1880.

The 1900 census shows PRISCILLA's birth date as 1882. PRISCILLA and KISSIAH are still at home. NANCY is a servant in the home of EWELL STANLEY. ABNER, born 1886, has married NETTIE JEFFERS.

PRISCILLA married HUBERT PHILLIPS.

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