Thomas' father, Moses, was born December 9, 1759, in Jamestown, Virginia and died June 1, 1837, in Covington County, Mississippi. He was a revolutionary War soldier serving under Lt. James Picket in 1782 in South Carolina. Katherine Watts Hornsby was born to John Watts and Judith Rawls c1770 in South Carolina and died after 1835 in Covington County, Mississippi.
Thomas' siblings include:
The Reubin Hornsby family is known for settling an area aptly named "Hornsby's Bend" near Austin, Travis County, Texas. They were early settlers in Texas. However, Thomas appears to have stayed longer in Mississippi than his siblings did. He is tried to these other men by many deed and other records.
According to the death certificate of one of Thomas' daughters, his wife (her mother) was Beth Helton. Because both the Simpson and Covington County, Mississippi, courthouses sustained losses of their early records due to the civil war, we may never know when and where they married. Beth was born in South Carolina (some researchers show Georgia) and was said to be born around 1820. According to the 1840 census she was born between 1810 and 1820. A year of 1810 or so would be necessary in order for her to be the mother of their oldest daughter born in 1826. Beth died before the 1850 census.
Thomas appeared on the 1837 Simpson County, Mississippi, state census.
Mississippi Land Records show:
This is how Thomas Hornsby appeared on the 1840 census of Simpson County, Mississippi, living near several Helton families. This is known to be the Thomas M Hornsby who was the son of Moses Hornsby.
Thomas' entry fixes his year of birth between 1800 and 1810 and that of his wife between 1810 and 1820. They have a total of six daughters at this point. Later they would have a son and perhaps another daughter.
All of these Heltons appear on the 1841 Mississippi State census on the same page with M D Hornsby. I looked at each page and did not find Thomas Hornsby on the 1841 census. Was he already in Texas?
The known children of Thomas and Beth are:
Some Early Travis County Records / Abstracted & Compiled By: Miss Jane Sumner
Texas locations for Thomas M Hornsby:
So, we know that Thomas had a daughter named Juliana or July Ann who married Alpheus P Rice. This marriage occured c1844 probably after the family moved to the Williamson County, Texas area. In Williamson County deeds can be found September 14, 1847, from Thomas Hornsby to his daughter, July Ann Rice, a tract of land lying and being in Milam County on the head waters of Brushy Creek being the headright of Moses S Hornsby. It was witnessed by Reuben Hornsby Jr and William C Reager.
Thomas and family appreared on the 1850 census of Milan and Williamson District, Williamson County, Texas (neighboring Burnet County)as follows:
It appears that Thomas has been widowed and that 4 of his 6 daughters from the 1840 census are married or deceased. The only discrepancy is the age of Diana Hornsby. She should have been 13 years old. Her place of birth is correct, the name of her father is correct. Diana in later years always claimed that her father was born in Mississippi and her mother in South Carolina. I do not consider that this excludes this Thomas Hornsby from being Diana's father as this Thomas Hornsby had moved to Texas from Mississippi and I find people often do not know where their parents were born with any amount of accuracy. Also, Hornsby family researchers show Thomas' place of birth as Mississippi (born aft 1798 or c1799). I believe this information was an assumption. One three different census' he gave his age consistent with 1804/1805 and place of birth as Georgia.
Other evidence to support this as Diana Hornsby Pyeatt is found in the neighoring families to Thomas M Hornsby. He is literally surrounded by family that are closly connected to William Dudley Pyeatt's family: Abner Gregg, Charles Harris, Fielding Dawson, and Harmon Smelser were all family that moved to Texas with the Pyeatts from Missouri. On the 1860 census, these family are all living in San Saba County, Texas, near the Pyeatts. As further evidence, there was no other Diana Hornsby in all of the US in 1850 (the only census she would have been named before her marriage).
Also living near Thomas Hornsby are three of his daughters, Mary Thomas, and her husband John J Thomas. She is age 17 born Mississippi and they do not yet have any children. Also nearby is his daughter, Juliana Hornsby Rice, and her husband Alpheus P Rice. 'July Ana' is age 19 born Mississippi. Their children are: Permelia age 5, William age 2 and Mary J age 7/12. Also, nextdoor to him was his newlywed daughter, Fancy Hornsby Barr, with her husband, John Barr.
Thomas M Hornsby made a land patent (certificate #187) for John Wood on 24 Oct 1851 for 640 acres in Milam District of Somervell County, Texas.
I found Thomas living with his daughter, Mary Hornsby Thomas, on the 1860 census in Western District, Trinity County, Texas, Sumpter PO as follows:
Of note is that M Duke Hornsby (Thomas' brother) was one of the first commissioners of the newly reorganized Trinity County, Texas, in February of 1850. Is that how Thomas ended up there? Thomas' daughter, Julia Rice, was with her family which now included 7 children in Grimes County, Texas. Daughter Diana was living in Missouri. I have not located Fancy Hornsby Barr or John Barr.
When I view this record for Thomas Hornsby it actually looks like "Horsy" or "Horesy":
Van Zandt County, Texas Abstracts
Bryant, Howard to Hornsby, Thomas 01/18/1861 160 acres
http://www.rootsweb.com/~txvanzan/abstractac.htm
Thomas M Hornsby is said to have died in Austin, Travis County, Texas, April 20,1862 and is buried in the Hornsby Bend Cemetery, Travis County, Texas.
By the 1870 census, Thomas' daughter, Phannel Hornsby Barr McKim, had been widowed for the second time and appeared with her three Barr children (teenagers) and her two McKim children in Trinity County, Texas. Mary and husband with their nine children ages 7 months to 19 years, appear in Beat 2, Austin, Travis County, Texas.
By the 1880 census, Thomas' daughter, Phannel Hornsby Barr McKim, as "Francis" appears in San Jacinto County, Texas, with a step-daughter, Sarah Ann McKim, born c1855 TX; step-son, James McKim, born c1858 TX; daughters Mary J and Rosanna McKim; daughter Josephine Barr; son William J Barr and grandsons John J Barr and Daniel Barr. Both Josephine and William are listed as single. Phannel was still in San Jacinto County living with her son, William, and other family members on the 1900 census. If I could find her death certificate, I could verify the name of Thomas' wife.
BRIEF HISTORY OF HORNSBY FAMILY
Reuben Hornsby, eldest son of Moses and Katherine Watts Hornsby, was born January 7, 1793, near Rome, Georgia. He married Sarah Morrison, born July 27, 1796, on December 1, 1815, near Jackson, Mississippi. They lived in Mississippi for several years.
The family sailed from Vicksburg, Mississippi, on the steamer “Pocohontas” on January 2, 1830; landed in Texas at the mouth of the Brazos River on February 5, 1830. They received permission from Mr. Asa Mitchell to build a small picket house on his land, and stayed there for several weeks. Reuben Hornsby went first to Matagorda Bay, but decided not to stay there. He returned to his family in the hut on the Brazos, then left on horseback from there to explore the land up the Colorado River. At Stephen F. Austin’s colony at San Felipe he was joined by Austin and five other men: Webber, Walters, Barker, Duty, and Wilbarger. These surveyors worked the land around Austin’s Upper Colony, exploring, surveying, and scouting.
Reuben Hornsby returned to the coast for his family and moved first to Mina (Bastrop) where another son, Thomas Francisco, was born In 1830. Reuben and his companions continued up the Colorado basin. It is said that when Reuben saw the tract of land in a large horseshoe-shaped bend of the river he put down his gun and said, “This suits me just fine.”
In July 1832, he moved his family to the tract of land, which was granted him by the Mexican State of Coahuila and Texas, and which consisted of a league (4,427 acres) and a labor (177.1 acres). He received title to this land October 16, 1832. His daughter Sarah Ann, first Anglo child born in the present Travis County, was born here in 1832.
Reuben and his sons and later some of his brothers, immediately cleared land, planted crops, built log cabins, and began their new lives as pioneers in Texas. They took part in several Indian skirmishes; they were in the battles at Pecan Bayou and at Plum Creek; joined the Texas Rangers and the Army of Texas.
Reuben Hornsby served on the first jury in the present Travis County, planted the first corn raised here, and assisted Edwin Waller in surveying the City of Austin. He also helped survey and build the first roads.
http://www.hornsbybend.com/THROUGH%20THE%20YEARS_dir/THROUGH%20THE%20YEARS_3.htm
Hornsby Cemetery, Travis County, TX includes Elizabeth (no dates) and John (no dates) children of Thomas M Hornsby ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/travis/cemetery/hornsby.txt
Thomas' grandparents were:
Leonard H. Hornsby b: 1699, Lincolnshire Co, England d: 12 Apr 1779, Camden Dist, later Fairfield Co, SC) m: Elizabeth I ? b: c1719 Jamestown, James City Co, VA d: 21 Jan 1801 Bascomville, SC
Notes for MOSES L. HORNSBY:
Was recorded in Leonard Hornsby's bible records. The records was listed as being owned by the late Mrs Claude B. Jordan, Bascomville, Chester Co. South Carolina. He is also listed in the 1820 census records of Covington Co. Mississippi.
Married Katherine Watts daughter of John Watts and Judith Rawls.
Moses l. Hornsby served in the Revolution War while living in South Carolina as a member of the militia during the year 1782 under Lt. James Picket.
He received a land grant of 202.5 acres of land in the state of Georgia on 23 July 1806 in the Creek Nation Indian Territory.
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