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Descendants of Alexander Thompson

Generation No. 2

2. WILLIAM A.² THOMPSON (ALEXANDER¹) was born October 28, 1816 in Blount Co., Tennessee¹, and died March 2, 1888 in Crawford Co., IL (Seceder Cemetary)². He married MARGARET (PEGGY) WALLACE January 31, 1839 in Crawford Co., IL³, daughter of BENJAMIN WALLACE and RACHEL NEAL.

Notes for WILLIAM A. THOMPSON:
Source: In a chart prepared by Mae Daron, it shows William A. Thompson as the 1st post master of Flat Rock, IL. In a copy of the "Flat Rock, IL Bicentennial Postal Card Album" it shows he became the 3rd postmaster on 2-19-1872. According to the following letter, William A. was the post master for his neighborhood before it was moved to Flat Rock. William's home was located one/fourth mile west of Route 1, west of the Village of
Flat Rock, where the lane is visible today, and some of the ruins of the house (per Alma Laser and her father, Everett Daron, who drove back to the area in 1977). This is referred to as the old Thompson homestead.

The following was a letter probably written by William T. Thompson or a brother or sister, a grandchild of William A. Thompson.

"The paternal grandfather of William Newton Thompson was Alexander Thompson who was a native of Pennsylvania. He married Elizabeth Neal and they lived for several years in his native state. It was there that their 8 children were born. William A., father of William Newton, being one of them.

"In 1831 the family moved to Indiana. William A. was at that time fifteen years of age, and it was in the schools of Indiana that he received his education.

"After the death of his wife, Alexander came to lived with some of his children who had made homes in Crawford Co., Illinois.

"The maternal grandfather of William Newton Thompson was Benjamin Wallace who came from Ohio in 1838 and entered land in Crawford Co., IL, where he lived the rest of his life. He married Rachel Neal.

"Both grandfathers were of Scotch descent. Their wives, Elizabeth and Rachel Neal, the records show were natives of Blount Co., Tennessee. Before their ancestors left their native Ireland, the name was called O'Neal but after they came to America, the "O" was dropped.

"Few ready made things could be bought in those days. Families had to make their own clothing, furniture, etc. They would shear the sheep, take the wool to Vincennes, IN; and have it corded and make it into yarn with their spinning wheels. Rachel Jane told of walking back and forth on rough boards of the bare floor until her feet would bleed while running the spinning wheel. Her mother would weave the yarn into cloth on her loom. She used it to make their clothing, even suits for her sons. She dyed the cloth herself and wove blue and white, red and white bed covers with attractive patterns.

"The Thompson homestead was built on a hill which sloped gently down for many rods to a valley where there was a pond with calamis growing around its edges and a spring at one side. Water was carried from this spring to do the weekly wash for this large family. Rachel Jane would fill three buckets, balance one on her head, take one in each hand and then climb the hill with them.

"It was marvelous how they ever managed to obtain so many different kinds of vegetables, herbs, flowers, berries, and fruit trees. They seemed to grow and flourish in those days without all the spraying and dusting that has to be down now.

"Just inside the garden gate was a big bed of fragrant pinks, because Peggy was a great lover of flowers.

"William A. Thompson was a cobbler. One room of his house was a shop where he made low topped shoes.

"the house was one and a half stories. On the lower floor was a large living and bedroom combined and a large kitchen with a big four-poster bed in one corner. Across the south side of these rooms was a long porch with a small room at the west end which was the shoe shop. The top half story was used for beds and storage area. There were no stoves in these homes. The living room and the kitchen each had a large fireplace.

"Instead of expensive mattresses now in use, they had muslin straw ticks filled high with fresh straw after each summer's threshing. On the top of these they used feather beds. Each family liked to have a few geese. Every mother was much concerned to have down enough to make a feather bed to give her daughter when she married the swain on the next hill.

"I have seen my grandmother, Margaret (Peggy) Thompson, put a splint bottomed chair up by the fireplace, fill a clay pipe with home grown tobacco, reach down into the fireplace for a little live coal with which to light it, and smoke in silent contentment.

"Women in those days considered themselves old, before they reached the age of 50. They would have been considered very daring if they had worn bright-colors like young people. Church buildings were far apart and travel was slow in two horse farm wagons over almost impassable roads. Church services often lasted all day. Some old ladies would wear black sun bonnets and Sunday aprons to church.

"William A. Thompson was the 1st Postmaster of the neighborhood in which he lived. He named the office "Flat Rock" because there was a large flat rock which was a landmark near his home. The mail came to Lawrenceville, IL and was brought to the office which was his home. The post office was later moved to where Flat Rock is now.

More About WILLIAM A. THOMPSON:
Event 1: 1836, came to Crawford Co.,
Occupation: Cobbler, post master
Personality/Intrst: played fiddle
Residence: West of now Flat Rock,IL
Comment 1: Republican

Children of WILLIAM THOMPSON and MARGARET WALLACE are:

ELIZABETH³ THOMPSON, b. April 12, 1840, Crawford Co., IL⁴; m. JOHN CUNNINGHAM, December 19, 1861, Crawford Co., IL⁵.

ii.

JOSEPH THOMPSON, b. April 21, 1841, Crawford Co., IL⁶; m. MARY (NANCY) ANN MAXWELL, November 6, 1860, Crawford Co., IL⁷.

More About JOSEPH THOMPSON:
Event 1: ⁸

iii.

ALEXANDER THOMPSON, b. October 27, 1842, Crawford Co., IL⁹; m. SARAH A. TAYLOR, April 25, 1867, Crawford Co., IL¹⁰.

More About ALEXANDER THOMPSON:
Event 1: ¹¹
Event 2: ¹²

iv.

RACHEL JANE THOMPSON, b. April 1, 1846, Crawford Co., IL¹³; d. June 12, 1931, Crawford Co., IL¹⁴; m. JAMES (JOHN) WILLIAM JONES, April 11, 1866, Crawford Co., IL¹⁵.

WILLIAM NEWTON THOMPSON, b. September 6, 1846, Crawford Co., IL; d. December 4, 1920, Crawford Co., IL (Jones Cemetary).

vi.

JOHN C. THOMPSON, b. September 21, 1848, Crawford Co., IL; d. March 1, 1907, Crawford Co., IL (Good Hope Cemetary).

vii.

JAMES RILEY THOMPSON, b. February 18, 1850, Crawford Co., IL; d. 1901, Crawford Co., IL (Beckwith Cemetary).

viii.

GEORGE A. THOMPSON, b. November 29, 1852, Crawford Co., IL¹⁶; d. February 19, 1853, Crawford Co., IL¹⁷.

ix.

CYRUS BRUCE THOMPSON, b. June 6, 1855, Crawford Co., IL¹⁸; m. SARAH WEGER.

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