NEELY THOMAS

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In 1870, Neely, age 20 is living at the home of Mary Thomas age 67. Times were hard and many people had to mortgage property in order to make ends meet. Dated --------------?, Neely and Mary Thomas mortgaged their property for supplies necessary in cultivating and raising a crop. There were other mortgages filed by Mary Thomas.

Dated 23 Jan 1875, Neely Thomas sold to James M. Kirkpatrick "all my right, title, and interest in the Estate of my mother_____ Thomas deceased" (53, Chester SC). The tract was described as 141 acres bounded by lands of Robert Coln, to the south by John Greer, to the west by Jasper Grant, and to the north by T. M. Given. Witnesses were W. A. Sanders and S. P. Hamilton. Three very important points can be established from this deed. First, W. A. Sanders is known to have paid out returns from the estate to Jane and her husband George A. Yarborough. This was handled by the Clerk of Court of Blount County AL. Next, the land traces back and is the same mentioned in David Thomas's 1844 last will and testament. And finally, Neely does not name his mother. It is important to note that Neely was born well after the death of David Thomas Sr.

Could Neely be the son of David's widowed second wife named Mary? She would have been roughly 47 years old at the believed birthdate of Neely Thomas. If this is true, would Neely be entitled to a share of David Thomas's estate as per his will? And why did Neely not mention his mother as "Mary" when he sold his share of the estate?

Another possibility is that Neely is the son of one of the older daughters listed in David Thomas's will. If she had died earlier, Neely would receive her equal share. This scenario would also explain why Neely did not provide his mother's name when he sold interest in the land.

Born 9 Apr 1849 d. 3 Sep 1927, Neely Thomas married Olive Carter b. 10 May 1840 d. 21 Jun 1929. They lived in Chester County through the 1880 census. In 1900, they are listed in York County. In the 1902 Census of Civil War Veterans, Neely Thomas is listed as serving in the S. C Reserves. He would have been very young. On the 1910 surveyors map of York County, the Neil Thomas home is located just over the county line from where David Thomas had once lived.

The children of Neely and Olive Thomas are:

A. Lula Cornelia Jane Carter b. 30 Nov 1870 d. 21 Jun 1929 married William Amzi Thomas. Note that William is the son of Robert B. Thomas. Carrying the Carter name, Lula is likely not the daughter of Neely Thomas. She was probably born well before Olive and Neely were married.
B. Ella Thomas b. 1 May 1876 died in FL, married William Clack.
C. Edward Thomas b. 9 Aug 1878, married Martha Rebecca Dixon b. 1 May 1883 d. 10 Oct 1841.
D. Arthur Mack b. 12 Nov 1883 d. 4 Apr 1957, married Tresser Sealey, daughter of Madison Sealey b. 1 Oct 1899 d. 28 Oct 1957.
E. Ethel Thomas b. 1894 d. 14 Feb 1975 Grandview, married first Ellis Starnes and second Dorce Allen.
F. Lona Thomas b. 1896, married Thomas J. Carter. Lona is the second wife of Thomas J. Carter.
G. Ross Thomas moved to TN
H. Guy Thomas moved to TN, married Suzie Hawkins.
I. Dussie Thomas married Arnold Clack and moved to FL.

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