Further Investigation Needed
Researching one’s genealogy is like eating peanuts; it’s difficult knowing when to stop. As part of this venture, we came across a few notable individuals and wonder if they are distant relatives of the Wilson-Thompson Families? How far removed are we from their backgrounds and their history? How far back would we need to go to ascertain our relation to them, if at all; a hundred years, hundred and fifty years; two hundred years, more? Do we have or share common ancestors?
Here are a few individuals for which further investigation might be worthwhile; there are others for sure. Each of the following were descendants of the Scots-Irish communities of the small six-county area of Northern Ireland—the same six-county area from which the Wilsons, the Thompsons, the McGraudys emigrated.
Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the US from 1913-1921. Wilson (1856-1924), born in Staunton VA, was of Scottish and Ulster-Scot heritage. He was the son of a Presbyterian minister. He graduated from Princeton, became Governor of New Jersey, and then President of US. He was a Noble Peace Prize winner in 1919. His paternal grandparents emigrated to US from Strabane, Tyrone Co, Northern Ireland in 1807. His maternal grandparents were from Paisley, Renfrewshire Scotland.
Charles Thompson (1729-1824) was chosen to be the Secretary of the Continental Congress at its first meeting. He served for the next fifteen years as Secretary for the First and Second Continental Congress and then for the Confederation Congress. He was born to Ulster-Scot parents in Maghera, County of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. He lived in New Castle Delaware, then in New London Chester Co PA, and then in Lower Merion Township PA. He is buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. He designed the Great Seal of the US. Charles was married and had twin girls; sadly both died in infancy. He had two or three brothers.
William Thompson (1736-1781) was a soldier from Pennsylvania who served as a Colonel and later Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He was born in Northen Ireland and emigrated to Carlisle PA. He married Catherine Ross in Lancaster, and lived in York PA. His unit was known as Thompson’s Pennsylvania Rifle Battalion or the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. William was captured by the British in 1776. Catherine Ross was sister to George Ross, signer of Declaration of Independence. William was the Justice of Peace for Cumberland County, and was later elected to Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Word file: W-T Family Further Investigation Needed
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More Research Needed
As we build this website, a few additional questions arose for which further research is desired. Hopefully, a family researcher will join us in uncovering more about our wonderful family's history. Here are three such questions...
1. In what year did the family move from Scotland to N/Ireland? The common belief is that it was early 1700s. Hugh Thompson and Elizabeth McGraudy were married in 1719 in N/Ireland so they moved from Scotland before that, but when? There is some evidence from Bandon's book The Plantation of Ulster that Thompsons and Wilsons were in N/Ireland as early as 1617.
2. On which ship, from which N/Ireland port, and on what date did our ancestors travel to the American Colonies? Evidence shows they arrived during the 1735-1740 timeframe from Northern Ireland, but can we get more definitive information?
3. William Neely, son-in-law of Robert and Hanna Thompson, and husband to their daughter Elizabeth, was Captain of 7th Company, 1st battalion, Bucks County PA and fought with Washington's Continental Army at the Battle of Long Island (Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights) in late August 1776. The army retreated through New Jersey and over to Pennsylvania during the night and fled to safer grounds in Pennsylvania. The army stayed at the Thompson-Neely Farmstead for 10 days prior to the Battle of Trenton. Why did Washington choose that location? Did Neely have any influence on Washington's decision to encamp at his father-in-law's farm? Did he suggest that the army stay at the Thompson-Neely Farmstead?