Discovering the Death of John B. Thomas, husband of Mary Ann Haley of Mississippi

This is the start of a new series on this blog. I have so many records of my grandparent’s southern ancestors and will highlight them as I answer genealogical research questions. Even though some of these records are not of people in my grandmother’s line (thus they are not all her southern ancestors), placing these small proofs or research reports here keeps them together in one place.

Question: When did John Thomas, husband of Mary Ann Haley, of Rankin Co, Mississippi, die?

Background.
Mary Ann Haley married John B. Thomas on 23 October 1834 in Rankin County, Mississippi.[1]  She is the daughter of Thomas Haley and his wife, Elizabeth, though this has not yet been proven here. Thomas & Elizabeth Haley are my 4x-great-grandparents, my maternal grandfather’s 2x-great-grandparents. 

John Thomas did not appear in the Simpson County household headed by Mary Ann Thomas in 1850. The children living with her were:
  • Craft H, age 14, 
  • Elizabeth A, age 11, 
  • John B, age 8, 
  • Sara A. V., age 4, and 
  • Isabella, age 8 months [2] 

If John and Mary Ann married in 1834, these children likely belonged to John and Mary Ann. If Isabella, who is eight months old is John’s daughter, then he may have died no earlier than 17 months previously.

Research
The full-text search capability at FamilySearch Labs offers the answer. We’ll use the estate records of William C. Thomas, deceased, with John B. Thomas as administrator. First, let’s create a timeline of actions taken by John B. Thomas in the Rankin County court.

1848, July 25. John B. Thomas petitioned to the court that William B. Thomas, died on 20 July, leaving no will. William had considerable real and personal estate, including 21 slaves, a stock of horses, cattle, hogs, and sheep, farming equipment, and some debts, worth about $13,000. He left no widow.  John B. was the eldest child, and other heirs included:
  • Elizabeth (wife of Isaiah Halcomb) of Arkansas 
  • Mary (wife of Redvine Pearce/Pierce) of Rankin County 
  • Stephen Thomas of Hinds County 
  • Eliza (wife of Alvin Cook) of Hinds County 
  • William Thomas of Rankin County 
  • Sarah (wife of Preston Smith) and 
  • Nathan & Julia Thomas, minors. [3]
1848, July 25. John B Thomas, Hemon Dear, Benjamin Thomas & Redwine Pierce were held in bond for $20,000. [4]

1848, Sept 25. John B. Thomas submitted an inventory of the estate of William C. Thomas. [5]

1848, Nov 27. John B. Thomas and Thomas J. Haley were held in bond for $2000. [6] Thomas J. Haley was Mary Ann’s brother. 

1848, Dec 4. John B. Thomas distributed the slaves to the heirs. [7]

1849, Jan 8. John B. Thomas sold real estate belonging to William C. Thomas. [8]

1849, Nov 26. Stephen Thomas petitioned the court to take over the administration of the estate of William C. Thomas due to the death of John B. Thomas sometime in October 1849. Stephen was now the oldest son. [9]
So, Mary Ann Thomas’ husband, John B. Thomas died in October 1849 probably in Rankin County. That is why she was residing on her own in 1850.

1850, Jan 10. Later, Stephen died on 10 January 1850. His brother, William Thomas, petitioned the court on 28 January to administer the estate of William C. Thomas as the only surviving son. [10]  However, it seemed that Thomas J. Haley, administrator of John B. Thomas’ estate, also settled the estate of William C. Thomas. 

Conclusion
From the probate records found in Rankin County, Mississippi, the answer to the question of when John Thomas, husband of Mary Ann Haley Thomas, died has been answered. He died in October 1849. He was the administrator of his father, William C. Thomas’ estate as the oldest child and named all the heirs. The unfortunate deaths of John and his brother, Stephen, add information that might not have otherwise been known in an era without death records. Also, John B. Thomas was meticulous in naming the heirs, including the husbands of his sisters. This was due to the husbands having rights to their wives’ property. 

Later, because of John’s death, his wife and children are named as heirs to his share, thus connects them to their parents.

-----------------
1.  Rankin Co, Mississippi, marriages, v. 1, p. 83, John Thomas and Mary Ann Haley, 1834, viewed, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9BJ-CR3); IGN 007723822, image 53 of 487; circuit clerk, Brandon, Mississippi.
2.  1850 US census, Simpson Co, Mississippi, p. 314b (stamped), family 390, Mary A. Thomas household. 
3.  Rankin Co, Mississippi, Record of Petitions, v. B, p. 16, William C. Thomas estate, 1848, viewed, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89QX-S9NM-3); IGN 005841928, image 161 of 497.
4.  Rankin Co, Mississippi, Bond Book & Wills, v. 1, p. 485, bond of John B Thomas administrator, 25 July 1848, viewed FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89QX-VC1T); IGN 005842413, image 210 of 345.
5.  Rankin Co, Mississippi, Inventories & Appraisement, v. B, p. 73-75, William C. Thomas, estate, 1848, viewed, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89QX-S9S5-1), IGN 005841926, image 44 of 345
6.  Rankin Co, Mississippi, Bond Book & Wills, v. 1, p. 502, bond of John B Thomas administrator, 1848, viewed FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99QX-VCPN); IGN 005842413, image 219 of 345.
7.  Rankin Co, Mississippi, Inventories & Appraisement, v. B, p. 81-84, distribution of slaves, William C. Thomas, estate, 1849, viewed, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89QX-S93S-7), IGN 005841926, image 48 of 345.
8.  Rankin Co, Mississippi, Inventories & Appraisement, v. B, p. 80-81, sale of real estate, William C. Thomas, estate, 1849, viewed, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89QX-S93S-7), IGN 005841926, image 48 of 345.
9.  Rankin Co, Mississippi, Record of Petitions, v. B, p. 103-104, Stephen Thomas petition for administration, William C. Thomas estate, Nov 1849, viewed, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9QX-S9J5-Y), IGN 005841928, image 205 of 497
10.  Rankin Co, Mississippi, Record of Petitions, v. B, p. 104-105, William Thomas petition for administration, William C. Thomas estate, Jan 1850, viewed, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89QX-S9FD-Y), IGN 005841928, image 206 of 497.

Copyright © 2025 by Lisa S. Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family, All rights reserved.

Comments

  1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyJanuary 8, 2025 at 7:26 AM

    I love this idea. It's a great example of working through the evidence, piece by piece. Looking forward to more of these.

    ReplyDelete

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