Thomas Gordon (7th Great Grandfather)

Thomas Gordon 

1745-May 7, 1803

THOMAS GORDON The only child of Jane Stewart and Alexander Gordon, originally of the Huntley Gordons of Scotland, her husband. BORN: 1740 PLACE: Newry, Downs County, Ulster, North Ireland MARRIED: 1770 to Sarah Wilson DEATH: 7 May 1803 PLACE: Pinnacle, Stokes County, North Carolina BURIAL: May 1803 PLACE: Pinnacle, Stokes County, North Carolina CHILDREN: John Gordon, 1754, Albermarle County, Virginia Mary Gordon, 1782 Samuel Gordon, 4 June 1785 Elizabeth Gordon, 1786 Matthew Gordon, before 1790 David Gordon, 19 May 1794 William Gordon (twin), 16 November 1799 Thomas Gordon (twin), 16 November 1799

Burial

After 7 May 1803Family Farm, in Stewarts Creek, Surry, North Carolina, United States on the old road heading from Mt. Airy to Dobson and White Plains. Both he & his wife were killed by lighting on the same day and buried in one grave on their property.

LIFE SKETCH

LIFE SKETCH: A descendant of the Huntley Branch of Gordons of Scotland, Thomas was born in the County of Downs, near Newry (Ulster) North Ireland, about the year 1740. He was the only child of Scotch-Irish parentage who came originally from Scotland, his father being a descendant of the Huntley Gordons. In 1750, at the age of five, young Thomas Gordon came to America with his mother, Jane Stewart Gordon and established their home in the northeastern edge of Albermarle County, Virginia, near the town of Gordonsville. Here he grew to manhood and resided for more that three decades. Soon after the death of his beloved mother, a woman of great courage and indomitable will power, he met his future wife, Miss Sarah Wilson and in 1770 they were married. To this union were born seven children. Thomas Gordon was a soldier in the revolutionary war. The patriotic response of Thomas Gordon to the Declaration of Independence was made on 11 May 1777. He left his young wife, Sarah Gordon, and five year old son, John, at his home in Albermarle County, Virginia, and voluntarily enlisted in the Grayson 16th Virginia Continental Regiment for a period of three years. Colonel Wm. Grayson of Prince William County, Virginia, who in later years became United States Senator for Virginia, organized the regiment. Thomas Gordon was assigned as a private soldier to the company commanded by Captain Cleon Moore, where he served two years. He participated in the battles of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, and Germantown on October 4, 1777 and fought under personal direction of General Washington. The winter of 1777-1778 was passed at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Here the regiment was given military instruction and training under General Baron von Steuben. On June 28, 1778, the battle Monmouth in New Jersey was fought with temperatures 98 degrees in the shade. It was here General Washington suspended Major General Charles Lee from command of the troops in battle and taking charge, saved the day, forcing a retreat of the troops of Lord Cornwallis. In this battle the Grayson Regiment played an important part and Colonel Grayson was highly commended for valorous conduct in action. Washington's army spent the winter of 1778-1779 at Camp Middlebrook in the Somerset County, New Jersey. On April 22, 1779 the Grayson and Gist Virginia Continental Regiment were united and Colonel Nathaniel Gist was made its commander, Colonel Grayson being assigned to other important duties. Thomas Gordon was transferred to the company in the "Gist Regiment" captioned by Strother Jones. The records of the War Department of the United States Government showed that the name Thomas Gordon last appeared upon payroll of Captain Strother Jones' company during the month of November of 1779. Prisoner of War: The tradition of Thomas Gordon, Jr.'s family is to the effect that Private Thomas Gordon and 14 other Continental Soldiers were captured by the British and held for some time as prisoners of war until rescued by the mounted American Forces. During this imprisonment their wrists were bound by green hickory withes which, when they hardened and dried upon their hands, cut deep wounds leaving scars as permanent reminders of their painful sufferings inflicted by the British Soldiers. Soon after the close of the Revolutionary War, Thomas Gordon, with his family, joined the tide of immigration and with the Herring Creed and Davis families. They located in Surry County, North Carolina, along Stewart's Creek, between Mount Airy and White Plains. This certificate is based upon information furnished by the War Department of the United States Army, under date of April 18, 1840, in a letter from Major General E. S. Adams, the adjunct general, addressed to Charles Ulysses Gordon, Esquire, Chicago, Illinois. It is further substantiated by tradition handed down by the Thomas Gordon Jr. family of St. Joseph, Missouri, gathered through the efforts of Mrs. Ethel Hagins Gordon of the Daughters of the American Revolution. From an original certificate, copied by Ollie Faulkner.

Death of Thomas and Sarah Gordon

( As related by Isaac Martin Gordon in the Gordon Family Genealogy and Brief History for Statesville, North Carolina 1910 and taken from "Ancestral File," database for Thomas Gordon.) "A very sad bereavement visited the children in this house one summer day, for both their parents were at the same moment taken from them. It occurred during a severe storm late in the afternoon, while the children were all together in the kitchen and had gone to bathe their feet preparatory to retiring for the night. Conforming to the custom of the day, the kitchen and dining room comprised a building entirely separate and distinct, and some distance from the main building commonly called the 'Big House.' The father was resting on a trundle bed that had been pulled from under a larger one for some of the children, and the mother was busily engaged in 'spooling' a piece of cloth as was necessary in those days when the good women spun and wove about all the cloth used to clothe the family, a bolt of lightning struck the home in which the parents were located, tearing a hole through the roof and instantly killing both parents. The young people heard a terrific peal of thunder, but knew nothing of the results until the storm had passed, when they were horrified to find their father and mother lying dead, the faithful mother with the thread still clutched in her fingers and holding a pair of scissors around the handles of which she had used to allow the thread to pass to save her hands from its friction."

His Service in the Revolutionary War

(As copied from the application of his decedent Burton Adams to Sons of the American Revolution.) the patriotic response of Thomas Gordon to the declaration of independence was made on may 11, 1777, when he left his young wife Sarah gordon and five year old son john at his home in albernarle county, Virginia, and voluntarily enlisted in the grayson 16th virginia continental regiment for a period of three years. Thomas Gordon was assigned as a private soldier to the company commanded by captain cleon moore, where he served two years, he participated in the battles of brandywine on september 11, 1777, and germantown on October 4, 1777, fighting under personal direction of general washington. The winter of 1777-1778 was passed at valley forge, pennsylvania. Here the reigment was given military instruction and training under general baron von steuben. With general washington's army he spent the winter of 1778-1779 at camp middlebrook in somerset county, new jersey. Thomas gordon was transferred to the company in the 1st regiment captained by stether jones. The records of the war department of the united states show that the name of thomas gordon last appeared upon the payroll of captain stether jones company during the month of november 1779. The tradition of the thomas gordon junior family is to the effect that private thomas gordon and fourteen other continental soldiers, were captured by the british and held for some time as prisioners of war until rescued by the mounted american forces. During this imprisonment their wrists were bound by green hickory writhes which, when they hardened and dried upon their hands, cut deep wounds leaving scars as permanent reminders of their painful sufferings inflicted by the british soldiers.

Meek Family Tree

Thomas Gordon was a descendant of the Huntly branch of Gordon's of Scotland. He was born in 1745 in County of Down, near Newly (Ulster), Northern Ireland. In 1750, when Thomas was five years old, he and his mother, Jane Stewart Gordon, came to America and settled in the northeastern section of Albemarle County, Virginia, near Charlottesville and the town of Gordonsville, There he grew to manhood, and in 1770, he married Sarah Flynn of nearby Orange County, Virginia, who was born in 1750. Thomas served in the Revolutionary War. While still a resident of Virginia, and less than a year following the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Gordon on May 11, 1777 enlisted in the 16 Virginia Continental Regiment for service in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This Regiment was organized by Colonel William Grayson of Prince William County, Virginia, who later became a United States Senator from Virginia. Thomas Gordon was assigned as a private soldier to the Company commanded by Captain Cleon Moore of Fairfax County, Virginia. Under the direction General George Washington, Thomas Gordon fought, in Pennsylvania, in the battles of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, and Germantown on October 4, 1777, He spent the bitterly cold winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania where his regiment was given military instruction and training under General Baron Von Steuben. On June 28 1778, Thomas Gordon fought in the battle of Monmouth, in New Jersey, with the temperature a reported 96 degrees in the shade. The Grayson Regiment played an important part in this battle, and Colonel Grayson was commended for valor in action. General Washington's Army spent the winter of 1778-1779 at Camp Middlebrook in Somerset County, New Jersey. On April 22, 1779 the Grayson and Gist Virginia Continental Regiments ere united and Colonel Nathaniel Gist was made its commander, with Colonel Grayson being assigned to other duties. Thomas Gordon was transferred to the Company in the Gist Regiment that was headed by Captain Strother Jones. The records of the United States War Department show that Thomas Gordon last appeared on the payroll of the Jones Company in November, 1779. The Revolutionary War military service of Thomas Gordon lasted for two and a half years. At some point during his Revolutionary War service, Thomas Gordon and 14 Continental soldiers were captured by the British and held for some time as Prisoners of War until they were rescued by mounted American Forces. It is not known when the capture and rescue occurred. During their imprisonment, the wrists of the Continental soldiers were bound by green hickory withes, which when the hardened and dried, cut deep wounds, leaving scars as permanent reminders of their painful sufferings inflicted by the British soldiers. To this marriage were born seven children. About 1780, as the Revolutionary War neared its end, Thomas Gordon and family, moved to Surry County, North Carolina and established their residence near the west bank of what is now known as Stewart's Creek, near Mount Airy, in the White Plains community just north of Highway 601. They raised other children in Surry county and engaged in farming. In April, 1803, both Thomas Gordon and Sarah Gordon were killed when their home was struck by lightning. They were buried in a field near their home, in separate coffins in a common grave. In later years, their farm became a portion of the the farm properties of Eng and Chang Bunker, the famous Siamese twins.

Thomas, John, and Elizabeth Gordon

THOMAS, JOHN, AND ELIZABETH GORDON1 At the age of 5 years, Thomas Gordon immigrated (around 1750) from Ulster, North Ireland, with his mother (who was of Scottish-Irish extraction) to America. They settled around Gordonsville, Va. Thomas served in the Revolutionary War for a period of two to three years. Thomas married Sarah Flynn and they settled on a beautiful farm on the west side of Steward’s Creek a few miles from Mt. Airy, North Carolina. In April or May of 1803, Thomas was lying on a trundle bed and his wife Sarah was spooling cotton, when lightning struck and killed them both. Their children were in another building washing their feet when the accident occurred, and so they were not harmed. Thomas and Sarah were buried in separate coffins side by side in the same grave on the farm near the residence. They had six children. Their oldest son was named John. John Gordon married Barzilla Martin and they settled on what was known as the hollow road between Pilot Mountain and Pinnacle. This main highway was located about 2 miles southward of Pilot Mountain, North Carolina. John farmed and Operated a tavern to serve the passengers on the stage coaches. They accumulated much real estate and at the time of his death owned 12 slaves. The Gordons had three sons and nine daughters. One of their daughters, Elizabeth (called Betsie) married Enoch Stone Jr. Enoch Stone Jr. and his wife Betsie made their home southwest of the town of Pilot Mt. and south of Enoch’s father’s home. To them were born five boys and seven girls. Enoch Jr. was a farmer, and although he had the help of a Negro couple, taught his sons to work. They were staunch Primitive Baptists, and believed in family unity. Two of their sons were killed in the Civil War. Enoch Jr. and Betsie’s son, Calvin Gordon Stone, married 15 year old Jane Elizabeth King when he was 22 years of age. Their daughter Barzilla Stone married William A. King, Jane’s brother.