James Thomas & Elizabeth Pruden

4- great – grandparents of R A Holloman III

James Thomas bef 1764 – 1824 | his parents
& 1787 Elizabeth Pruden ca 1766 – 1836 | her parents
of Gates and Bertie County, NC

---

This is my working hypothesis – the way I see it as of this moment!!

---

James Thomas appears on the 1784 tax list in Gates as a free poll.
On 24 Mar 1784 Samuel Thomas took out a marriage bond in Gates Co, NC to marry Mary Harrell. James Thomas made his mark as his bondsman.

James Thomas on 8 Mar 1787 took out a marriage bond in Gates Co, NC to marry Elizabeth Pruden. Bondsman Luke Langston, Wit: Wm. Baker.

May 15 1786 Deed of Sale Samuel Thomas to James Thomas proved by the oath of William Harriss etc. Gates Co Ct Records.

1786 State Census of NC – Gates Co
Samuel Thomas Sr 2 m 21/60 3 m -21 or 60+ 3 f
Samuel Thomas Jr 1 m 21/60 2 f

US Census 1790 Gates Co
James Thomas 1 m 16+ 2 m -16 1 f
Samuel Thomas 2 m 16+ 1 m -16 2 f

US Census 1800 Gates Co
James Thomas 2 0/10 1 26/45 2 f 0/10 1 f 16/25 1 f 26/45

About 1805 James Thomas sold his land in Gates County and moved to Bertie County.

US Census 1810 Bertie Co
Jas Thomas 2 0/10 1 10/15 1 16/25 1 45+ 1 f 0/10 2 10/15 1 16/25 1 26/45

US Census 1820 Bertie Co
James Thomas 1m 0/10 1 m 10/15 1m 26/45 2 f 0/10 2f 10/15 1 f 16/25 1f 26/45
Beazeley Thomas 2 0/10 1 10/16 1 26/45 2 f 0/10 1 f 45+

US Census 1830 Bertie Co
Nathaniel Thomas 1 m 20/30 1 f 60/70
Josiah Thomas 1 m 10/15 2 m 20/30 1m 50/60 1 f 15/20 1 f 40/50
John Thomas 1 m 20/30 1 f 0/5 1 f 20/30
Joseph Thomas 1 m 30/40 1 f 15/20 1 f 20/30 1 f 30/40 1 f 60/70
Isaih Thomas 2 m 0/5 1m 30/40 1 f 0/5 1 f 5/10 2 f 20/30
US Census 1830 Hertford Co
Abraham Thomas 1 m 0/5 1m 20/30 1f 0/5 1 f 5/10 1 f 20/30

one “James Thomas [of Bertie County] was a private in the Revolutionary War, entering the army in May, 1781 and serving until its close.” but it was not this man.

Known Children of James Thomas and Elizabeth Pruden:
1. Abraham Thomas 26 Nov 1799 – 13 April 1879

married ca 1823 Nancy Mitchell 2 Sept 1807 – 1867
dau of John Mitchell and Winnifred Saunders and sister of James S.
2. Mary Thomas ca 1800 – 2 Mar 1848
married ca 1821 James Saunders Mitchell ca 1800 – 1869
brother of Nancy
3. Nathaniel Thomas dec bef 1842
in the Hertford Ct minutes he was also called Wm in one entry
a. James W Thomas ca 1834 –
Abraham Thomas made guardian to James W and Emma Thomas orphans of Wm Thomas
b. Emily [Emma] Thomas

---

Abraham Thomas 1799 – 1879 | his parents
& ca 1823 Nancy Mitchell 1807 – 1867 | her parents
of Thomas’s Bridge, Hertford Co NC

---

This is my working hypothesis – the way I see it as of this moment!!

---

26 Nov 1799 Abraham Thomas was born in Gates Co NC the son of James Thomas and Elizabeth Pruden.

Abraham Thomas

Abraham Thomas and his wife Nancy were both buried in the old Thomas cemetery near their home near Thomas’s bridge in Hertford County.

home built 1785 for Jacob Battle and his bride Penelope Langley Edwards
located near Rocky Mt vic. in Edgecombe Co, NC
“A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina”

The Thomas’s built a home similar in style to the above near the Ahoskie Swamp –
the same swamp that ran by the Jones’ Hole

Children of Abraham Thomas and Nancy Mitchell:
1. Mary Henrietta Thomas 1824 -1897

Mary H Thomas Jones

married 3 Feb 1842 Howell M Jones 6 Aug 1819 – 15 July 1865
a. James Thomas Jones 14 Nov 1842-3 June 1864 killed in the war
b. Elizabeth A Jones 3 Mar 1844-9 Oct 1870
married 29 Dec 1864 Adoniram Judson Cobb 1833- 1 Nov 1907
i. James Jones Cobb 12 Apr 1866-1 May 1908 Windsor NC
married 12 June 1889 Janie Cherry 1869- 30 Apr 1951
daughter of Theophilos Cherry & Christine Outlaw
1. Bruce Lloyd Cobb 7 July 1890 – 29 June 1965 dsp
2. Theophilos Cherry Cobb 2 Jan 1894 – 7 Jan 1962
married 5 Aug 1916 Kathleen Gardner 17 Feb 1893 – 24 May 1967
3. Adoniram Judson Cobb 16 March 1897 –
married 11 May 1935 Hazel W Wilson
c. Nancy Walton Jones 6 Mar 1846-27 July 1938
married 1st Zephaniah Askew 1842-1869
married 2nd Charles N Pruden 1842-1923
i. Pattie Roberta Pruden 1873-1964 Richmond VA
married 1893 Hyman Tillar Waters 1868-1958
ii. Annie Ward Pruden 1877-1944 Powellsville NC
married James William Rayner 1874-1932
iii. Nannie Walton Pruden 1879 – ? Petersburg VA
married 1910 Samuel Robinson 1861-1924
iv. Charles Howell Pruden 2 Oct 1881 – ? Windsor NC
married Maggie Freeman 1880-1970
v. John Lewis Pruden 22 July 1884- ? Lawrenceville VA
married 1908 Gertrude Hall 1885 – ?
vi. Bessie Jones Pruden 21 Nov 1887 – ? Conway NC
married 1908 Horace Carlton Mitchell 1884 – ?
d. Martha S (Pattie) Jones 10 Aug 1848-Jan 1872
married Charles N Pruden 1842-1923
i. Mary Eveline Pruden 13 May 1871-1962 Cofield NC
married 20 Jan 1892 William Elbert Jordan 11 Feb 1867-1946
e. William Franklin Jones 31 July 1851-17 Jan 1920
married 1872 Louise Marcella Pruden 1854-1898
i. Bettie Morgan Jones 22 Nov 1873 – 1943 Franklin Co, NC
married 1st 1892 Charles Williams Cannady 1860-1899
1. John Clyde Cannady 1894 – ?
2. Imogene Pruden Cannady 1895-1978
married Nelson Macpherson Ferebee Jr. 1887-1965
married 2nd 1901 Nathaniel Macon Cannady 1865- 1937
3. William Hockaday Cannady 1903 – ?
married Julia Dean Sneed (4 ch.)
4. Jones Macon Cannady Sr. 1906-2000 (7 ch.)
married Tempie Cornelia Mitchiner 1907-1989
5. Elizabeth Jane Cannady 1907 – ?
6. Charles Burton Cannady 1909-1975
married Elizabeth Ellington (2 ch.)
ii. Lewis Pruden Jones 5 Sept 1875 – 17 Jan 1877
iii. Sally King Jones 16 April 1877 – 1956 Franklin Co. NC
married 1902 Thomas Lawton Cannady 1852 – 1943
1. Louise Pruden Cannady 1903-1968
married Robert Gregory Lanier 1909- ?
2. Thomas Lawton Cannady Jr. 1905-1982 (2 ch.)
married Edna Mae Fisher 1907-1998
3. John Fulghum Cannady 1910-1997 (1 son)
married Dellzelle Lee Alford Grissom 1915-1982
iv. Emma Jones 23 Sept 1879 – ? Oceanview VA
married 1897 Thomas Franklin Savage 1872- ?
v. Josie Jones 10 Mar 1882 – June 1910 dsp
vi. Lucille Jones 18 August 1885 – ? Rocky Mt NC
married 1917 Dr. Richard Harrison. Speight
vii. Mary Henrietta Jones 19 Aug 1887 – ? Rocky Mt NC
married 1912 John H Daniel
viii. William Franklin Jones II 10 Mar 1890 Rocky Mt NC
married 1913 Katherine Garland
1. Garland Jones
2. Kathryn Jones
3. Joseph Daniel Jones 1919-1998
married 1st Nancy Glenn
married 2nd Barbara Hendley died 1994
a. Francis Jones
f. Howell Abram Jones 3 Feb 1853-16 Dec 1917 never married
g. John Moore Jones 2 Mar 1855-3 Sept 1934
married 10 March 1884 Julia Daniel 17 Jan 1858 – 1 Sept 1900
i. Lewis Daniel Jones 30 Oct 1884-18 Aug 1914 Edgecombe Co
ii. Mary Gregory 1886-1946
married 1908 Andrew Thomas Perry 1882-1932
iii. Annie Moore Jones 9 Feb 1889 – ? Westfield NJ
married 1911 Robert Ralph Seila 1888-1968
iv. James Decalb Jones 1891-1968 Southhill VA
married 1913 Ruth Andrews 1893 – ?
v. Johnnie Valentine Jones 8 Aug 1893 – ? Southhill VA
married 1934 Mildred Moore 1905 – ?
vi. Claude Lee Jones 15 Oct 1895 – nfi Westfield NJ
vii. Sidney Thomas Jones 1898 – 1968 Rocky Mt NC
married 1924 Margaret Coley 1904 – ?
h. Helen Jones 3 Dec 1857-16 Feb 1858
i. Aurelia Jones 24 Nov 1858 – 19 Oct 1929
married 24 Oct 1877 John Thomas Bazemore 23 Dec 1846 – 25 Dec 1917
i. Laure E Bazemore 22 Oct 1878 – 9 July 1918 dsp
ii. Howell Abraham Bazemore 24 Oct 1879-13 July 1880
iii. Charles Thomas Bazemore 17 Oct 1880- 22 Sept 1950 dsp Cofield NC
iv. Elizabeth Bazemore 27 Nov 1881-8 July 1882
v. Helen Bazemore 12 Jan 1882 – 10 Dec 1885
vi. Nannie Jones Bazemore 23 July 1884 – 1948 Ahoskie NC
married 1908 Oscar Britton 23 Sept 1888 – 29 June 1953
vii. Hattie Belle Bazemore 28 Mar 1887-23 July 1859
married 1st Holtscheiter
married 2nd S W Farrell Morehead City NC
viii. John Thomas Bazemore II 1 Nov 1889 – 31 Jan 1975 dsp Cofield NC
ix. Pauline Jeffreys Bazemore 18 Oct 1891 – 17 Mar 1936 dsp Cofield NC
x. James Elbert Bazemore 31 May 1893 – 29 May 1966 Cofield NC
married 1924 Ruby Daughtery 1901 – 1990
xi. Mary Louise Bazemore 3 Mar 1896 – 27 Dec 1914 dsp
xii. Hugh Bazemore 21 Feb 1898 – 14 March 1977 Cofield NC
married 5 June 1925 Bertha Elmyra Willoughby
4 Oct 1902- 14 Dec 1987
xiii. William Shaw Bazemore 13 Jan 1902 – 24 June 1987
married 1938 Clarine Ellis 1912 –
j. Cornelius Jones 24 Nov 1858-21 Apr 1862
2. Martha A Thomas 1826 – 1913
married ca 1845 Rev. William P Britton 1821 – 1852
Baptist preacher – killed by his horse – near Bethlehem
a. Mary [Mollie] Ann Britton 1847 – aft 1910
married bef 28 Nov 1865 John A Slaughter 1833 – bef 1910
i. Joseph W Slaughter ca1866 –
married ca 1898 Ada ?
1. Henry Slaughter ca 1899 –
2. Mary Slaughter ca 1901 –
3. Clyde Slaughter ca 1905 –
4. Rosa Slaughter ca 1908 –
ii. Christiana Slaughter ca 1868 –
married ca 1888 Charles W Peele ca 1853 –
1. Mary J Peele ca 1893 –
2. Sallie Peele ca 1895 –
3. Charles W Peele ca 1898 –
4. older living child in 1910 –
iii. John T. Slaughter 1874/5 – single 1910
iv. Martha A Slaughter ca 1877 –
v. Charles Grey Slaughter
married Lillie Maude Sumner
vi. Russell P Slaughter
b. William Thomas Britton 1849 – Hertford Co, NC –
married [M R] Bettie ? 1850/3 –
i. William P Britton ca 1873 –
married ca 1905 Winnie S.
1. Robbin R. Britton ca 1909 –
ii. John T Britton ca 1875 -[ bef 1810 census] Lumberton, NC
was in the lumber business
married Eula Chitty 16 March 1883 – 18 Feb 1959
dau of John A Chitty and [Parthena] Penelope Vaughn
in Ahoskie, 1910 was a milliner, widow
1. John A Britton ca 1905 –
married Margaret Vann Copeland 1905 -1977
2. G C [George Chitty] Britton of Ahoskie
25 Oct 1902 Whiteville, NC – 30 Dec 61Perquimans Co, NC
married Mary Ethyl Moses 28 Nov 1902 Uvalda, GA –
a. Bill Moses Britton
married 26 Dec 1957 Helen E Moore**
3. John Q Thomas ca 1836 – merchant at Vanndale, Ark
emig to Arkansas when young
married Josephine Robertson of Memphis, TN
4. William B Thomas ca 1838 – dy aft 1850
5. Dr. Rascius P Thomas 2 Sept 1845 – 29 Oct 1916

married 1879 Mary Green Mitchell ca 1858 – 17 Feb 1928
of Franklin Co, NC Chowan grad. 1876

home built 1888
in 1916 the family installed a Delco system
They alone enjoyed electric lights in their home
until electricity was bought to the neighborhood in 1950.
The house featured French windows that opened into doors onto the porch
– my father recalled
them being open during parties when he was young.

a. William [Will] Abraham Thomas 1880 -18 Oct 1975 age 95 dsp

Miss Ruth wrote in 1975 re the farm- “The family food supply was grown on the farm with only sugar, tea, coffee, and white flour purchased. A steam pressure canner was used to preserve uncured meats. A potato house was built especially for storing potatoes with double walls insulated with cotton seed and sand.
Jersey milk cows from Jersey Island supplied milk for everyday use.
The sheep raised supplied wool for sale and for family blankets.
A cotton gin was operated on the plantation.” I remember Miss Ruth spreading sliced apples to dry in the sun on the roof of the back wing of the house.

b. Mary P Thomas 10 Oct 1883 – 09 February 1979 age 95 dsp
Chowan grad 1902
c. Robert Green Thomas 1887 – 11 Jan 1926 of pneumonia age 39
married Jan 1926 Jessie Vann 3 Oct 1901 – 7 Aug 1979
d. Ruth Mitchell Thomas 02 Dec 1897 – 04 January 1996 age 98 dsp

Ruth in pose for 1915 Chowan yearbook

Chowan grad 1917 dsp
Miss Ruth was proud of her chickens – in 1927-28 she provided eggs for Vann Hatchery in Murfreesboro and Todds Hatchery in Bertie County. She kept records that show in 1928 34,480 eggs were produced by her chickens.
[Miss Ruth, who was my Sunday School teacher, often invited me and my siblings to go home with them on Sundays after Sunday School and sometimes to spend the week at her home. We were allowed to slide down the banister of the stairs as a special treat. When we visited one day, she and Miss Mary had my children slide down the banister, also, because they remembered how much I had enjoyed doing so.]

My Uncle Cotton greeting Miss Ruth in 1961
[understand they were sweet on each other when younger –
Dr. Thomas didn’t approve of the idea of Ruth marrying a farmer]

Mr Will and Uncle Cotten

---

James Saunders Mitchell ca 1800 – 1869 | his parents
& Mary Thomas ca 1800 – 1848 | her parents
& 1851 Mrs. Frances Gilliam 1808 – 1888 | her parents
of Bertie Co NC

---

This is my working hypothesis – the way I see it as of this moment!!

---

James Saunders Mitchell married 1st Mary Thomas, the daughter of James Thomas and Elizabeth Pruden.
James was the legislator from Bertie in 1842.
Mary Thomas [Mitchell], died 1848.
James married 2nd 21 Oct 1851 the widow, Frances Gilliam,
who survived him.
James S Mitchell died at his home 6 Oct 1869.
both James S Mitchell and his wfe Mary Thomas are buried in the family cemetery at the Wash Mitchell place.

Children of Mary Thomas and James S Mitchell:
1. Rev. Dr. John Mitchell
grad Wake Forest 1852, then studied at Greenville, SC
in 1870 preacher at Murfreesboro, NC who lived on Campus at Chowan in Hope Cottage
so called because several of the spinsters at the college were hoping to live there as his wife.
2. Mary Elizabeth Winifred Mitchell ca 1823 –
married William Watson Mitchell ca 1811 – 1897
a. Mary Mitchell
married James L Mitchell of Winton died ca 1878
b. Sallie Mitchell ca 1843 –
married Lt. W P Taylor ca 1843 –
son of Maj. Hillery Taylor of Mill Neck
c. James S Mitchell ca 1847 – [22 student]
married Miss Owens
d. John P Mitchell ca 1849 – retail merchant
married Mary J Garriss ca 1859 –
e. Almirah H Mitchell ca 1851 – [19]
f. Pauline A Mitchell ca 1852 – [18]
married William Dorsey Holloman 11 Mar 1828 – 1879
married 2nd Clingman W. Mitchell of Aulander
g. Bettie Mitchell ca 1854 – [ 16]
married Thomas J Vann son of Jesse Vann
h. William J Mitchell ca 1858 – [12] near Ahoskie
married Sallie Vann daughter of John A Vann
3. William H Mitchell
4. James W Mitchell ca 1835 –