Notes for Theophilus THORNE

Notes for Theophilus THORNE

Theophilus was most probably the son of William Thorn and Mary Taylor.
This must be the Theophilus who is mentioned in a abstract of Edgecombe
County, NC deed: DB12-206---William THORN, Beady POPE, WInifred
ROBERTSON, Theophilus THRON, Martin THORN, Taylor THORN, Mary POPE, and
Elizabeth THORN sold a tract of land jointly; the deed was also signed by
Hardy POPE, Wiley ROBERTSON, and Dempsey POPE, Jan 28, 1806. (Theophilus
did not sign this land sale. If our speculation is correct, he didn't
sign it because he had already moved to Spartanburg District, SC, where
he is found first in 1804).
This is most probably land that the eight brothers and sisters inherited
from their mother Mary Taylor. This is the same tract of land that Mary
inherited from her father, William Taylor. The two POPE men are probably
the husbands of Mary and Beady. These men were most probably brothers of
Jennie POPE.
We know that Theophilus was in Spartanburg District by the early 1800s.
He is mentioned in two land transactions as documented in Spartanburg
County/District South Carolina Deed Abstracts Books A-T, 1785-1827.
(1)Book P, p. 399-400, Feb. 27,1804--He is a witness to the sale of land
from George Poole to David Pope (Jennie's brother?). (2) Book Q,p.
109-110, Dec. 12, 1817---bought land from John McBee. Witnesses were
Elizabeth [likely his sister) and her husband, Whitney Hines.
The monument to Theophilus Thorne that was erected at Arrowood Church in
Chesnee, SC has a great deal of incorrect info on it. It was erected by
Jennie E. Smith, 1966, daughter of Frances Eugenia Thorne, (daughter of
William Taylor Thorne and Mary Berry Turner) and William McClellan Smith.
Apparently family legends were the source for much of the early
information. The monument states that Theophilus
lived from 1744-1847 and that he migrated from VA to SC soon after the
Revolutionary War.
*Interesting note: Some sources give the birth year of Martin Thorn, Sr.
as 1744. I have as 1735 in this chart. But, it is interesting that the
year 1744 is given for Martin and that family legend gives that year as
the birth year of Theophilus. Could family legend be confusing several
members of the direct line and combining them into incorrect data about
Theophilus?