July 19, 2007
New Book Release. The book, Civil War Pension Records of Owsley County, KY Veterans, Volume I is now available!! Learn valuable genealogical information about your ancestors and about the early families of Owsley County, KY.
October 1, 2006
The DNA test results of the first Abraham Thomas participant are in and there was no match to our Marchant Thomas line. The next step is to have another Abraham Thomas descendant tested to make sure both participants are indeed from the same family. Then we'll have our 'proof positive' that Marchant and Abraham are from two different Thomas lines!
February 18, 2006
For those of us who have wondered if there is ANY connection between the Marchant Thomas line and the Abraham Thomas line, we have great news! A great great grandson of Abraham, through his youngest son, Joseph, ordered his DNA test kit in January, so it won't be long now till we find out if perhaps there was a connection between the two families way back. Of course if his test results don't match our Marchant line, then we will need to verify that he is truly a descendant of the Abraham line by getting another Abraham Thomas descendant to take the test.
October 2, 2005
New headstone pictures posted for the Gilbert section of the Griffith Cemetery.
In the marriage records section, we have added marriage records for Simeon Thomas and Sarah Mays and for Rachel Thomas and William Pruit.
November 6, 2004
New! Listing of the Griffith Cemetery, Owsley County, KY is now here.
August 2, 2004
Owsley County Pensioners Book — Remember the news item of Oct 29, 2003 that the Owsley County Historical Society was going to publish a book of transcribed pension records? Well, because the OCHS had so many projects going on at the same time, this one got put on hold - until now. And it has been given to me to compile the records into book form. SO - again we are asking for contributors and transcribers to help with this major undertaking.
If you have Pension Records of your ancestors from Owsley County KY and would like to have them included in the Owsley County Pensioners book, please contact me. OR if you would like to obtain a copy of your ancestor's pension record at the National Archives in Washington DC, I may be able to help you with that also.
It is going to take team work and determination to complete the project, and I am counting on all of my hard working Thomas 'Cousins' to get the job done!
June 28, 2004
New pictures posted:
William
Brewer and wife Henry
Thomas and wife
June 17, 2004
New pictures available on the site:
William
Sizemore Mary
Gabbard Lillie
Thomas John
Sizemore
James
Bowles Hugh
Sizemore Dora
Duff Ballard
Bowles
Henderson
Sizemore
April 19, 2004
The Thomas DNA Project got off the ground in October of 2003 and over 20 test results have been posted so far. My brother is going to be tested for our line (Marchant-Joseph-Elijah-Lewis) this month and we'll have the results in about 6 weeks. The testing process offered by Family Tree DNA involves gently rubbing the interior cheek areas with a small, sterile brush. The brush is then mailed to the lab for analysis. There is a discount for participating as part of a surname group ($169. + $2. shipping for the 25 marker test). The greater the number of participants, the greater the likelihood of a match with a previously unknown distant cousin.
Through DNA testing we are hoping to find a link to Marchant's parents. If there are any PROVEN male, Thomas-surnamed descendants of Hugh Thomas, b. 1663 MD or Daniel Benjamin Thomas, b. 1706 Westmoreland Co. VA, I would be greatly endebted to you if you would take the test. It will either verify or rule out any connection of Marchant Thomas to these families. Likewise with any male, Thomas-surnamed descendants of Abraham Thomas, b. 1770 VA. There is also speculation that James (b. 1739) or William Thomas (b. 1737 Westmoreland Co. VA) of the old 96th District of SC is Marchant's father so we could determine that from DNA testing of known descendants of that line. DNA testing will also eventually help us to find the country of origin.
Help spread the word and identify potential candidates for testing! If a candidate for testing is of limited means, perhaps several in a family can get together and share the expense.
We are looking forward, with great anticipation, to future revelations about family origins with the help of DNA testing!
January 7, 2004
Many thanks to some very hard working 'cousins' who took on the difficult task of transcribing some of the Thomas pension records for the upcoming publication by the Owsley County Historical Society. The poor grammar and spelling, and sometimes obsolete language, makes it a challenge to do word-for-word transcribing and I appreciate and admire their dedication and determination to get the job done well, and promptly!
Frances Asher Cearley (Elisha Thomas and Levi Thomas pensions), grt grt g/d of Elisha Thomas through daughter, Delona Jane, even took time during her Thanksgiving holiday with family to finish up the Levi Thomas pension and made the extra effort to format them as well. Thank you, Fran.
It also took great determination for Sue Ann Hornung Morrow (Simeon Thomas pension record), grt grt g/d of Baried/Biard Thomas, brother of Simeon, to complete the lengthy record of Simeon Thomas, working with sometimes very poor copies, even though she had to wear braces on both of her wrists at night to finish up the project! Thank you, dear cousin.
I appreciate both ladies being willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, and for working with my formatting as well. It is team work like this that makes the job easier for all of us. Please know that your help was very much appreciated by this busy researcher.
And a big THANK YOU to Cindy Parker, grt grt g/d of James M. Bowles, as well, for helping to transcribe his pension record. Cindy is a busy school teacher who used part of her much-needed winter break to work on the pension file. Thank you, Cindy.
October 29, 2003
The Owsley County KY Historical Society is putting together
a publication of Transcribed Pension Records of veterans of Owsley
County. If you have any Pension Records for your ancestors from
Owsley County and would like to have them included in this
publication, please contact Michelle Cole mcole@go-concepts.com, or contact me.
The deadline for the OCHS to receive the transcribed records
is January 31, 2004, so if you start transcribing your records now,
you should be able to finish in time.
Since I have hundreds of pages to transcribe, I am looking for a volunteer to transcribe the Pension Record of Simeon Thomas, son of Elisha (s/o Marchant). I will provide the entire pension file (82 pages) obtained from the National Archives in Washington, DC in exchange for the help. So if you're a descendant of Simeon Thomas and would like to have the information in his Pension record, now's the time to get it! You won't have to pay $27 for the first 15 pages and more for the whole record.