Andrew Thomas of North Carolina

How I label things here: Proven means a record I have seen supports it. DNA-supported means shared matches point to it but I have no record that names the relationship. Hypothesis is my best working idea and is not settled. Ruled out means I tested it and it failed.

The story so far

Andrew Thomas (about 1797 to 1860) is my fourth great-grandfather in my Murray/Thomas family tree. He lived in Chatham and Orange Counties, North Carolina, and he married a woman recorded as Sarah or Sallie. Her maiden name is blank in my tree. His parents are unknown, and my tree lists them only as "Mr. Thomas."

The 1822 bond question

A bastardy bond from Chatham County in 1822 names an Andrew Thomas. I do not yet know whether he is my Andrew. This is the central question on this page, and I am treating it as unproven either way.

North Carolina county courts of that period could require the putative father of an illegitimate child to post a bond to support the child. The bonds and related court papers are a record type genealogists often overlook, and they can give a name, a date, and a place that no other record does. They can also name a different man with the same name, which is the risk here. Andrew Thomas is a common combination, and the county may have had more than one.

How I am testing the identification

1. Age. A man born about 1797 would be about 25 in 1822. I need records that place my Andrew in Chatham County that year, such as tax lists, deeds, or the 1820 and 1830 censuses.
2. Neighbors and bondsmen. The people who signed as security often turn up elsewhere with the same man. I will check whether they appear near my Andrew in later records.
3. Court minutes. The bond is only one piece of the court record. The minutes may show what happened to the case.
4. Y-DNA. My tree notes a Y-DNA result of R-Z156 on his profile. A Y-DNA project for the Thomas surname could show which Thomas lines match, and whether the match fits a Chatham or Orange County family.
5. Wife's identity. Finding Sarah's maiden name would open a second line of research through her family, her neighbors, and her relatives.

What I am not claiming

I am not claiming that the Andrew Thomas of the 1822 bond is my ancestor. I am not claiming a father for him. Until a record connects the two, I list the bond as a lead.

Researching North Carolina from Ohio

This site focuses on Ohio, but many Ohio families have North Carolina roots. My Ohio records overview explains the record types I look for in any state, and the same method applies: start with the last place the family is documented and work backward one record at a time.