Joanna Thompson (1772-1834) My 4th Great Grandmother on my Father’s Side

Joanna Thompson McGehee's headstone - thanks to
Clem McNure who posted this photo on the Find-a-Grave
website

Joanna Thompson was born on April 28^th 1772, probably in South Carolina. I don’t know a great deal about her life but want to post her story now because finding her Last Will provided the clues I needed to identify the father of Joanna Gaines and a whole new branch of our family tree that includes several other Gaines, Waller and McGehee ancestors.

When Joanna was 17 she married Benjamin Waller who was a second generation resident of South Carolina. Previously the Waller family had been in Virginia until Benjamin’s father, John Waller moved the family to South Carolina.

Joanna and Benjamin had six children – she was pregnant with the youngest when Benjamin signed his Last Will. Their first child was a daughter born in 1789. She was named Elizabeth Thompson Waller after her mother but went by “Betsy”. Next was another daughter, Matilda born in 1794 and three years later, my 3^rd great grandmother Hulda Waller was born.

The next three children were all sons. John Harvey, named after his grandfather, was born in 1798, Guilford born in 1800, and the youngest, Benjamin F. Waller was named after his father. From the records I’ve found it appears that all of the children were born in South Carolina – probably in Abbeville, which was originally known as the Ninety Sixth District. Abbeville County is in the northwest corner of South Carolina. 

Abbeville County, South Carolina is in the northwest
corner of the state

Benjamin Waller Sr. signed his will on March 1^st, 1804 and died shortly thereafter, leaving 32 year old Joanna with six young children. Fortunately, Benjamin was a wealthy man at the time of his death. On the 1800 census he owned 13 slaves and other property. In his will he left a total of 15 slaves to his wife and children. He also left his wife “two good feather beds and furniture, a cupboard and furniture (except his glasses), two iron pots – one small and one large, a Dutch oven and pot hooks, and one pair of fire dog tongs and shovel”. Everything else was to be sold and divided equally between his wife and children. He named Elizabeth as their guardian, unless she remarried in which case one of his executors would become their guardian. His executors included James Watson, Nathan Lipscomb and Abraham Marshall.

Interestingly, shortly after Benjamin’s death Joanna married Stephen Watson, the brother of James Watson – one of the three executors. Stephen was a cotton farmer in Abbeville. This marriage did not last long because Stephen died. He signed his Last Will on February 9, 1807 and was dead by March 10th when his estate was sold. His will stipulated that his estate was to be dived equally between his wife Joanna and his daughter Peggy Watson.

One of the documents in Stephen's probate packet was an Estate Account Balance. It was prepared by Stephen's brother William Watson and friend John McGehee. The value of the estate was $2171. It named Joanna and Charles McGehee as Peggy's guardian. This document was dated March 16, 1812, so Joanna had married for a third time to Charles McGehee.

Charles was born in Virginia in 1769. He was also an associate of her first husband Benjamin. I know this because Charles is mentioned repeatedly on the probate documents left with Benjamin’s Last Will. There are multiple entries in the Estate Accounts showing payments to Charles “for the Boarding and Cloathing (sic) of B. Waller’s sons” for the years 1811 and 1812. These accounts also show that Charles paid the estate of Benjamin Waller for the use of Clay during the years 1811 and 1812. Clay was probably one of Benjamin’s slaves.

Cotton Day late 1800 in downtown Abbeville where cotton and cotton seed
were sold. Joanna and her husbands probably grew cotton on their land.

Charles and Joanna had three daughters. Almena McGehee was born on January 10, 1810, Nancy McGehee, birth date unknown, and Joanna who died as a young child in 1828.  Charles died January 29, 1816, so it was another relatively short marriage that lasted about five or six years.

After Charles' death Joanna remained in Abbeville. She appeared on the 1820 census and was listed as the head of the household. There were 6 other white persons living in her home. Names, other than the head of household, were not recorded until the 1850 census. Prior to 1850 the census only showed the number of males and females by age brackets. Given the information shown on the census the others living with her were likely her five youngest children.  In addition, Joanna had 7 male and 7 female slaves to help with the farm and household. In 1820 Joanna was 48 years old and was living near to her son John H. Waller and her son-in-law Hiram Gaines.

1820 Abbeville Census showing Joanna, her son John H. Waller and her son-in-law Hiram Gaines

Over the years Joanna celebrated the marriages of her children - Matilda in 1816, Hulda in 1818, Almena in 1827, and Nancy sometime before 1830.

Joanna prepared her last will and testament on July 13, 1828. She named hers sons-in-law Seaborn O. Sullivan, husband on Nancy Sullivan and William B. Brooks, husband of Almena as her executors. She left money to her three grandchildren Joanna and Margaret Gaines and Guilford Waller. The balance of her estate was to be divided equally between her two youngest living daughters Nancy and Almena.

Joanna also suffered the deaths of three children during her lifetime. Her youngest, Joanna died when she was 46, Hulda and John, from her first marriage died when Joanna was 57 and 58, also her son-in-law Hiram Gaines died in 1829 – five years before Joanne died on August 27, 1834.

The Bill of Sale included in her probate packet, that I found at the Abbeville County Court building, itemized the items sold as part of her estate after her death. Those items included seven slaves including a man named Fielding ($450), three boys, Elijah ($600), Robert and Gabriel each ($500), one woman, Chloe ($400) and two girls ($450) and Mary ($325).

This is the Last Will and Testament of Joanna McGehee

Her estate also included 1 Bay Mare, 1 Sorrell horse, 1 Bay Horse, a pair of mules, 25 sheep, 20 head of cattle, and 46 hogs, plus 3 stacks of fodder, some corn and wheat. Two parcels of land were sold – one 95 acre parcel and one 140 acre parcel. Farm implements included a lot of hoes, a plow and harrow, a cutting box and knife, harnesses and bridles, a road wagon, a grind stone, and 2 axes.

Household items included a lot of crockery and teaspoons, 1 walnut desk, a dining table, sideboard, mantle clock, glass castors, tea board and glass pitcher, a set of Windsor chairs, a lot of furniture and curtains, a large walnut chest, 3 sets of beds and bedding, a looking glass, wash bowl and pitcher, a square table, a book desk and books plus a few items I could not decipher.

Joanna is buried with her third husband, Charles McGehee in the McGehee Family Cemetery in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Joanna's signature from her husband Charles McGehee's
probate documents

Sources for this post include: 1790, 1800, 1810 and 1820 censuses; Stephen Watson, Joanna and Charles McGehee's wills and probate documents, Benjamin Waller's Last Will, Abbeville marriage records by Larry Pursley, and the Find-a-Grave website.