Henry and Rachel Moon Thornbrough Family
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| Henry Thornbrough born Lancaster Co, Pa died 4/24/1804 Jefferson Co, Tn |
Rachel Moon born 1/10/1733/4 died after 1804 |
| Married: 7/12/1758 New Garden Monthly Meeting, Rowan Co, NC
Children: Margaret Thornbrough born 6/25/1759 Rowan Co, NC; married George Haworth Hannah Thornbrough born 10/15/1760 Rowan Co, NC; married Jesse Baldwin Walter H. Thornbrough born 11/15/1762 Rowan Co, NC; married Mary Baldwin, sister of Jesse Mary Thornbrough born 12/19/1764, Rowan Co, NC; married Philip Hoggatt Rachel Thornbrough born 12/5/1766, Rowan Co, NC; married Samuel Ruble Jane Thornbrough born 12/23/1768, Rowan Co, NC Ann Thornbrough born 10/8/1770 Guilford Co, NC; mou John Beals Henry Thornbrough born 5/26/1773 Guilford Co, NC; married Ann Maulsby Louratha Thornbrough born 7/14/1775 Guilford Co, NC; married Robert Pierce, Sr. Charity Thornbrough born 5/27/1778 Guilford Co, NC; married Robert Pierce, Jr. Sophia Thornbrough born 12/3/1780 Guilford Co, NC; married (1)Joseph Williams (2)Obed Barnard Richard Thornbrough born 9/9/1783 Guilford Co, NC; married (1)Elenor Maulsby (2)Margaret "Peggy" Chase |
Henry Thornbrough�s Will as SourceAll the children except Jane (probably deceased) are mentioned in Henry's will (transcribed at the bottom of the page). Another child, Jonathan, is sometimes attributed to Henry. This is "my orphan boy Jonathan" mentioned in Henry's will. Jonathan kept the Thornbrough name throughout his life and we do have a small amount of information on him.One of the witnesses of Henry's will was Abraham Woodward, the subject of this web site. This lends credence to the theory that Henry Thornbrough was the brother of Hannah Thornbrough Woodward. Thornbrough and Moon FamiliesThe Thornbrough and Moon families originated in Pennsylvania and then were neighbors in Frederick County, Virginia. Rachel Moon's uncles Jacob and John Moon are mentioned as having land grants adjacent to Walter and Thomas Thornbrough in Virginia. Both of Rachel Moon's parents died before 1750 in Virginia. The Thornbroughs and Moons were members of Hopewell Monthly Meeting in Virginia. Many of the Hopewell records are missing but we know from the land records and certificates to North Carolina meetings where they were located. Note that Guilford County, North Carolina, was formed from Rowan County in 1770 accounting for the change in birth locations for the children.Both Walter and Margaret Thornbrough signed the marriage certificate of Henry and Rachel at New Garden Monthly Meeting in North Carolina in 7/12/1758. Other witnesses included Thomas Brown, Richard Moon, Nathan Dicks, Samuel Brown, Abraham Cook, Margaret Brown, Ann Hunt, Ruth Dicks, Hannah Dicks, and Sarah Hunt. Henry & Rachel's children are documented at Deep River Monthly Meeting. They lived near Deep River and their records were transferred when the meeting was set up in 1778. Deep River Meeting House was located in the western part of present day Guilford County about 12 miles from Greensboro (see Guilford Map for location of the meeting house and approximate location of Henry's land). Henry and Rachel Moon Thornbrough moved to the Western Waters on the Holston River in Tennessee along with many of their Quaker neighbors including Abraham and Hannah Thornbrough Woodward. Certificates were received for the Thornbrough family from Springfield Monthly Meeting at Westfield on 4/21/1792. Westfield was the receiving meeting for those moving to the Holston River area until Lost Creek Meeting was set up on 5/20/1797. On October 18th 1796 Henry Thornbrough (Thornbury) had land surveyed to him in Greene County, North Carolina (later Jefferson County, Tennessee). The description of the land is posted on our land page. At a meeting held 9/23/1797 Henry and Rachel were chosen to serve as Elders of Lost Creek Monthly Meeting, along with John & Sarah Mills. More on Children of Henry and Rachel Moon ThornbroughWe have been fortunate to hear from several descendants of Henry and Rachel and have worked with them in obtaining much information on their children which has not yet been posted on this page.Jesse and Hannah Thornbrough Baldwin and Walter and Mary Baldwin ThornbroughTwo of Henry and Rachel's children, Hannah and Walter, married Jesse Baldwin and Mary Baldwin, siblings of Ann Baldwin Millikan, mother of Henry's niece, Elizabeth Millikan Woodward. We have sufficient information on the descendants of Walter H. and Mary Baldwin Thornbrough to post them on a page of their own when time permits. They had children: Henry; Charity; Elizabeth; William, Jacob; Sarah; Dempsey; Jesse; John; Kinsey; and Walter. This family later went to Indiana with Henry, Jr., and family (see below). Walter's two daughters, Charity and Elizabeth, married sons of Aaron and Charity Mendenhall Mills and a little of their history is continued there.Robert and Louratha Thornbrough Pierce and Robert (Jr) and Charity Thornbrough PierceHenry and Rachel's daughter Louratha married Robert Pierce, Sr., on 11/25/1801 at Lost Creek Monthly Meeting. Her sister Charity married Robert Pierce, Jr., son of Robert, Sr., by a prior marriage, on 2/4/1801 at Lost Creek Monthly Meeting. Robert Pierce, Sr., was the son of George and Lydia Pierce of Knox County, Tennessee. A descendant, Debbie Blakely, has extensive records of the Pierce family. She posted both Robert Pierce wills on Rootsweb: Robert, Sr. and Robert, Jr.. The will of Robert Pierce, Sr., is interesting as a demonstration of how wills were written to protect the rights of second wives so they would not lose their home. We have yet to determine whether any of the children mentioned were children of Louratha. Charity was first wife of Robert, Jr., and all the children mentioned in the will belong to her. The children are documented at Lost Creek MM: Henry (11/7/1801); George Washington (12/7/1803); Robert W. (8/29/1805); Rachel (2/2/1809); David (12/16/1810); Jonathan (4/6/1812); Aaron (9/14/1814).Samuel and Rachel Thornbrough RubleLois Brower is a descendant of this family and has posted her information at Lois� Genealogy Site. We have other connections with the Ruble family and have some additional information as well.Henry and Ann Maulsby ThornbroughHenry and Rachel's sons Henry, Jr. and Walter and their families went to Indiana and are well documented there. Henry, Jr. and family were granted a certificate to New Garden Monthly Meeting in Wayne County, Indiana on 10/30/1819 from Lost Creek, and Walter and family followed on 3/25/1820. Some of their descendants later worked with William Wade Hinshaw in Indiana on his monumental work on Quaker genealogy. We will eventually add pages for both Henry, Jr. and Walter. We have received a huge file on Henry Thornbrough, Jr. and family from Yvonne Thornburgh Neumann, a descendant, so are adding much information to our files. Henry and Ann had a daughter Rachel who we believe was the one who married Robert Bond, son of Jesse and Phebe Commons Bond (to be verified).John and Ann Thornbrough BealsAnn Thornbrough married John Beals out of unity (outside the Quaker religion) so we do not have the benefit of Quaker records for them. John Beals was the son of William and Rachel Green Beals and was born about 1772 in North Carolina. Ann died 2/11/1858 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. They had at least one son, John, Jr. born about 1797 in Tennessee and we have a small amount of information on his family.Sophia Thornbrough Williams BarnardSophia Thornbrough married Joseph Williams on 10/24/1799 According to Early East Tennessee Marriages. Sophia was dismissed for her marriage contrary to discipline but was received by request back at Lost Creek Monthly Meeting on 9/29/1810. Sons Henry, Mathew and Joseph Williams were received at request of their mother Sophia on 10/27/1810 at Lost Creek Monthly Meeting. Sophia then received a certificate from Lost Creek Monthly Meeting to New Garden Monthly Meeting in Indiana on 10/30/1819 and her sons accompanied her to Wayne County, Indiana. Sophia married Obed Barnard on 8/23/1827 in Wayne County, Indiana. She died 6/2/1862 in Wayne County, Indiana.Son Henry Williams, born 1800, married Nancy Biggs on 8/13/1826. We have not researched their children. Henry died 9/2/1877 and is buried in West River Friends Graveyard, Wayne County, Indiana. His wife died 1/1879 in Wayne County. Son Mathew Williams was born about 1802 and died about 1849 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. He married Mary Boggs 2/2/1825. We have not researched his children. Son Joseph Williams was born 1805 and married Martha Roberts on 4/14/1825 in Wayne County, Indiana. Joseph Williams and family is found in the 1850 census in Wayne County, Indiana, and Sophia Barnet is living with them as is Elenor Thornburgh, age 11, born Indiana (granddaughter of Henry Thornbrough, Jr). Joseph and Martha had a son Thomas B. Williams born about 1828 in Wayne County. We do not know the name of his wife as it is unreadable in the census but he had two children, Erastus born about 1848 and Martha born about 1850 in Wayne County. Richard ThornbroughWe are indebted to Bill Scroggins for information on son Richard. Richard Thornbrough married Elenor Maulsby on 1 Nov 1803 and they had one child William Thornbrough born 3 June 1804. Elenor died 15 June 1804 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. We do not know Elenor's relationship, if any, with Ann Maulsby who married Henry Thornbrough, Jr. Richard then married Margaret "Peggy" Chase on 16 July 1804. They had children: Phebe Thornbrough, born May 1805, and married William Sellars 27 March 1827; Rachel Thornbrough, born Jan 1808, and married Charles Cate 7 Sep 1826; Polly Thornbrough, born Jun 1810, and married William Cate, 28 Jan 1830; Obed Thornbrough, born May 1812, and married Priscilla Mills 28 Jan 1830; and John C. Thornbrough, born May 1816 and died March 1838.Richard and Margaret are age 67, living with Obed Thornburg in 1850 census in Keokuk Co Iowa, Richland Township. Margaret died 15 July 1855 in Richland and Richard died 15 August 1873 in Richland. We have not followed up further on their children. Bill Scroggins ResearchWilliam Scroggins has researched the Thornbrough families for many years, including working with Charles Thornburg who wrote the "Discourse on the Thornburgs..." in 1979. Bill has sent us all his files and kind permission to use the information. It includes many wonderful things that we will add to pages as time permits. It includes a copy of a deed from Walter and Margaret Thornbrough to Henry which we posted on our land records page as mentioned above. Walter Thornbrough had land south of Jamestown on Richland Creek obtained in 1757. This is the land partially passed on to Henry in 1761. Richland Creek rises just north of the Guilford-Randolph County line and runs east to join Deep River. The Thornbrough land was near the colonial road that ran south from Jamestown.Will of Henry ThornbroughHenry Thornbrough wrote his will 3/23/1804:Know all men by these presants that I Henry Thornbrough of Jefferson County & State of Tennessee, being but weakly; but of sound mind & memory, and calling to mind the uncertainty of human life & knowing that it is appointed unto all men once to die, Do make and ordain this my last will & Testament in the manner and form following viz: First of all I recommend my soul to God that gave it; and my body to (be) buried at the discretion of my relations & Friends. And as touching such worldly Estate as it has pleased God to bless me with & after payment of my Just debts and funeral charges, I dispose thereof in the following manner: Imprimis I give and bequeath unto Rachel my dearly beloved wife all my land & all other property that I possess during her life or widowhood; & at her decease or marriage, I will that my son Richard have the land. & what is left of the other part of my Estate, I will that it be sold & be equally divided among my children namely Walter, Henry, Richard, Margaret, Hannah, Mary, Rachel, Ann, Louratha, Charity, Sophia and also my orphan Boy named Jonathan. I also constitute my two sons Walter & Henry to execute this my last will and Testament. I do ratify & confirm this & no other to be my last will & testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 23rd of the third month in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & four. Signed, Sealed, published, pronounced and Declared by the said Henry Thornbrough as his last Will and Testament, in the presence of us Nehemiah Ellis Abraham Woodward Robert Pierce /s/Henry Thornbrough (Seal) Updates: 3/24/2006 Added a link to Mary's Thornburgh Site |