Thomas Bouldin Jr. of Grassy Creek

Thomas was a name frequently used by the Bouldin family, this will be about Thomas Bouldin who lived from about 1770 to 1845 and lived on Grassy Creek in Henry County, Virginia.  There are a couple situations in this family where you can be misled by the records.

There is a family cemetery located by Grassy Creek, near 58. This cemetery contains mostly field stones, but does have several engraved headstones. Thomas has a headstone provided for his military service in the War of 1812 ⁽¹⁾“United States Headstone Applications for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1949”, database with images, FamilySearch. His father also has a military headstone, provided for his service in the Revolutionary War ⁽²⁾ “United States Headstone Applications for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1949”, database with images, FamilySearch. Both of these headstones were requested by Mrs. John Barksdale in 1935. The third engraved headstone was for J. H. Bouldin and Mary A. Bouldin. They were married, and were both grandchildren of Thomas Bouldin (1770-1845).

The early census records for Henry County did not survive, but Thomas can be seen in the 1820 ⁽³⁾“United States Census, 1820”, database with images, FamilySearch, 1830 ⁽⁴⁾“United States Census, 1830,” database with images, FamilySearch and 1840 ⁽⁵⁾“United States Census, 1840,” database with images, FamilySearch census, and his wife is in the 1850 census with their son, Thomas ⁽⁶⁾“United States Census, 1850,” database with images, FamilySearch. There are a number of chancery cases related to the family which provide a great deal of information. The first issue surrounded the estate of his son, Thomas C Bouldin, and the second involved the estate of his daughter, Sydney Bouldin. These issues spanned multiple decades and chancery cases, totaling over 1,100 pages.

When Thomas Bouldin Jr. died intestate, his estate was sold and the proceeds divided amongst his eight children. His widow’s dower portion of the estate was a 390 acre tract of land on Marrowbone creek and Grassy creek. Their son Thomas C Bouldin purchased the interest from all of his siblings except Letty, entitling him to 7/8s of the dower when their mother died. There were three additional tracts of land that were sold as part of Thomas Bouldin Jr’s estate. These three were purchased by his children, Sally, Sydney and Letty. ⁽⁷⁾Henry County Chancery Case 1852-003, Thomas C Bouldin v. Heir(s) of Thomas Bouldin ⁽⁸⁾Henry County Chancery Case 1887-003, Frederick H Bouldin Etc v. William Payne & Wife Etc

Thomas Bouldin Jr was born about 1770 and died in 1845.  His headstone lists 1840, but the chancery case from 1860 states “Thomas Bouldin departed this life intestate, sometime in the year 1845” and “Sale of the property of Thomas Bouldin decd by David Mays & Thos C Bouldin adm at Peter Watkins store on the 5th day of July 1845.”   Thomas married Armine Cox in Stokes County, NC in 1800⁽⁹⁾ “North Carolina Marriages, 1759-1979,” database, FamilySearch.  They had the following children:

1. Sally Bouldin was born in Henry County, VA about 1800.  She died in Horsepasture on April 2, 1891 ⁽¹⁰⁾Death Records Indexing Project, Library of Virginia.  She married John Cobler in Henry County on January 8, 1827 ⁽¹¹⁾“Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940,” database, FamilySearch.  John and Sally purchased a tract of land from Thomas Bouldin Jr’s estate.  The land was located on Grassy Creek and was roughly 230 acres.  After John died in 1866, the land was sold but Sally retained about 75 acres as her dower.  They had ten children grow to adulthood, three of which were sons that served in the civil war, including one that died in service.
2. Jane Bouldin was born about 1800.  She married Marine Duvall in Henry County on February 22, 1823 ⁽¹²⁾“Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940,” database, FamilySearch.  By the 1850 census, they had moved to Tennessee, having one child listed as born in Virginia, three listed as born in North Carolina and their youngest listed as born in Tennessee.  Based on the ages of their two youngest children in the 1850 census, they moved to Tennessee sometime between 1838 and 1843 ⁽¹³⁾“United States Census, 1850,” database with images, FamilySearch.
3. Martha E Bouldin was born about 1804 and died in Henry County in 1868.  I have not seen anything that outright states Martha was never married, but I also have not seen any sign of a husband.  There’s no marriage record, her last name is Bouldin throughout her life, her will doesn’t mention a husband and the numerous chancery cases she is involved in do not mention a husband.  There are some records for her children that typically list the parents, and they only list their mother.  This is not the Martha/Patsy Royster who marred Joseph Bouldin ⁽¹⁴⁾“Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940,” database, FamilySearch.  Joseph Bouldin’s will states “that the said testator left no widow or child.”  Martha had four children grow to adulthood and her only son died as a prisoner of war during the civil war.
4. Letitia Ann Bouldin was born about 1805 in Henry County and died in Henry County on May 11, 1894 ⁽¹⁵⁾Death Records Indexing Project, Library of Virginia.  She married William Payne in Henry County on February 24, 1830 ⁽¹⁶⁾“Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940,” database, FamilySearch.  They purchased a tract of land from Thomas Bouldin Jr’s estate and also received 1/8 of Armine Bouldin’s dower after Armine died.  They had nine children, both of their sons served in the civil war, including one that died in service.
5. Mildred Bouldin was born about 1806 and died between 1860 and 1880.  She married Gatewood Quarles.   In 1850, they were living in Alabama and all of their children had Tennessee listed as their birth place ⁽¹⁷⁾“United States Census, 1850,” database with images, FamilySearch.  Gatewood Quarles is listed as widowed in the 1880 census, where  he was listed as living in Arkansas ⁽¹⁸⁾“United States Census, 1880,” database with images, FamilySearch.
6. Thomas C Bouldin was born about 1808 and died about 1859.  “That a certain Thomas C Bouldin departed this life intestate, and without ever having been married.”   ⁽¹⁹⁾Henry County Chancery Case 1852-003, Thomas C Bouldin v. Heir(s) of Thomas Bouldin, ⁽²⁰⁾Henry County Chancery Case 1887-003, Frederick H Bouldin Etc v. William Payne & Wife Etc  There is an articles of agreement dated January 15, 1846, between Thomas C Bouldin and his mother, recorded in the Henry County courthouse.  Armon Buildin gives all of her property to Thomas who binds himself to provide for and support Armon during her natural lifetime.  It also states that if “Thomas C Bouldin gets married, that he shall be allowed to reside with his family in the house with his mother.”  He is likely the same Thomas C Bouldin listed in the book, Henry County Overseers of Poor 1778 thru 1902 plus Bastardy Bonds and Indentures, which says “10-10-1842  Overseers of the poor vs Thomas C Bouldin in a case of Basterdy – the deft appeared in discharge of his recognizance and no person appearing to prosecute was discharged.”  There was another Thomas C Bouldin in Henry County in the early 1800s.  He married Anna Scales in 1808 and died sometime prior to his father, Joseph Bouldin, who died in 1823.
7. Sydney Bouldin was born about 1813 and died about April 1857 in Henry County.  She had a single child, John H Bouldin, who was born out of wedlock.  She married George Fuller in 1847 but they had no children.  She purchased a tract of land from Thomas Bouldin Jr’s estate, containing about 290 acres on Grassy Creek.  There are multiple chancery cases dealing with a dispute between her son and her widower over this tract of land.  John claimed to be her only heir.  George claimed that the land was his, as her husband, since the bond came due after they were married in 1847.  The land eventually went to her son. ⁽²¹⁾Henry County Chancery Case 1853-004, Martha E Bouldin Etc v. David Mays Admr Etc ⁽²²⁾Henry County Chancery Case 1858-037, Martha E Bouldin Etc v. Admr of Thomas Bouldin Etc ⁽²³⁾Henry County Chancery Case 1859-003, John H Bouldin v. George Fuller
8. Frederick H Bouldin was born in Henry County, VA in about 1813 and died in Henry County on November 22, 1880 ⁽²⁴⁾Death Records Indexing Project, Library of Virginia.  He married Mildred P Rea on January 20, 1834 in Henry County ⁽²⁵⁾“Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940,” database, FamilySearch.  They owned about 260 acres of land which had belonged to his wife’s father, David Rea.  There was a chancery case dealing with Mildred’s dower when the land was sold after Frederick died ⁽²⁶⁾Henry County Chancery Case 1884-027, Mildred H Bouldin v. S M Doyle Etc.  They had eight children grow to adulthood, including their first son who served in the civil war.

Please get in touch with me if you have any additional information regarding this family or any questions.  Thomas Bouldin Jr is my 5th great-grandfather in five different branches of my family tree – through his daughters Sally and Martha, twice each, and his son Frederick.