No DAR/SAR record of Thomas Fornes and his alleged brothers, except in sources

Question

It is difficult to determine if I have placed the service records on the wrong generation of Thomas Fornes, but since Whitford describes brothers each serving, I think I have.

I have checked the Colonel Thomas Blount regiment (5th, I believe), and I do not see Thomas Fornes in any level of service. Maybe the payment vouchers can be examined and might explain the service.

Whitford's treatment in one article on Thomas Jr (husband of Jerusha King) and his brothers is short on detail... What appear to be brothers are in: 

• The North Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution. Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in The American Revolution: With an Appendix Containing a Collection of Miscellaneous Records. 1932, p. 423, 436, 1179. Baltimore, Maryland: Reprinted for Clearfield Company Inc, by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. (2000, 2003) for The North Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution.

Comments

Looks from this as though Jonathan and John may have been two different people. (Fornes excerpts from the citation.)

Thomas, Abishai. Account of pay to North Carolina troops in the Continental Army [Abstract]. Vol. 17. 1793, p. 210.

ABSTRACT OF THE ARMY ACCOUNTS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA LINE—Settled by the Commissioners at Halifax from the 1st September, 1784, to the 1st Feby., 1785, and at Warrenton in the year 1786, designating by whom the claims were receipted for respectively.

Amount

No.

Name and Rank

£

s.

d

By Whom Received

Remarks

1167

Jonathan Fornes

85

9

11

do

for J. Fornes.

1213

William Fornes

102

4

8

H. Montfort

for W. & J Fornes.

1214

John Fornes

56

18

8

Documenting the American South: Colonial and State Records of North Carolina (unc.edu)

accessed 9 Mar 2024

Copyright 2004 by the University Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, all rights reserved

Copyright / Usage Statement

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Found another Whitford article in which she states:
 

• The aforementioned Thomas FORNES (1750-1829) was evidently one of four FORNES brothers who served in the Continental Line during the Revolutionary War, and he was the only one who survived. The other brothers were John, Jonathan, and William.

I've adjusted the language on both generations of Fornes, but just found this article. It doesn't seem quite definitive as to how it is evident that these were all brothers of Thomas Fornes (1750-1829)... 

Meanwhile, I've placed FamilySearch shell profiles for the alleged brothers. No magic record matches have appeared, yet (nor on Ancestry)...

Lastly, I'm not sure in which category to place the generation of Thomas who appears to have served the New Bern/Craven County NC militia. On the other hand, it is interesting that the other presumptive brothers appear in the additional Abishai Thomas source that I've added that lists John, Jonathan and William as recipients, but not Thomas: these three Fornes men are in the book giving an "account of pay to NC troops in the Continental Army / Accounts of the NC Line" - so I could perhaps figure out how to categorize them, but Thomas, not so much.

Answer 1

I would check the deeds books wherever you think they might have lived. For example, at Craven:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-998M-TZ85?i=148&cat=321810

One to note is the 1838 one which is distributing all of Thomas' lands amongst his heirs (the last names that don't match would be spouses of the daughters), though the will explains those. Match land grants that were for military service to the Thomas in question, and then within his heirs, which can then prove the service. If the same man was given land as an heir to two different men surnames Fornes, at least one must have been a brother (likely both were brothers given the age of Thomas; his father would have been likely to old to have served).

Comments

I'll double-check the alignment of that settlement. That was on my to do list, to find Thomas Fornes "Sr's" probate, which was not(?) yet attached in FamilySearch, as I recall... I could be mistaken, though, as the putative brothers were all believed to have been lost to war.

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It is probably best if you just read all the estate files and wills for the family. For example, the Thomas who died in 183- (bef. 1838 deed, which is the best document for intestate heirs anyways), the paperwork that shows his wife was Jerusha is stuck in John's probate (son of Thomas):

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9Y8N-9NT?i=6&cc=1911121&cat=456868