Thomas Conner Denson (1793 - 1867)

Born 22 Feb 1793 in Anson County, North Carolina, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Ross) Denson — married about Mar 1812 in Anson County, North Carolina, USA

Descendants

Died 22 Aug 1867 at age 74 in Grapeland, Houston, Texas, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Cliff Herod [send private message]

Biography

Thomas Denson settled in the Republic of Texas before February 19, 1846.

Thomas was born in 1793. He imigrated to Mexico, region of Texas sometime before 1835.^[1]

He helped establish Houston County Texas, the first county created in the Republic of Texas^[2]

He passed away before 1867.

Sources

1. ↑ Land Grant Database", database with images, Texas General Land Office, (https://s3.glo.texas.gov/glo/history/archives/land-grants/LandGrantsWorklist.cfm, accessed: 30 Apr 2024), entry for Thomas C Denson, Texas, 1835.
2. ↑ *Aldrich, Armistead Albert,"The History of Houston County, Texas", San Antonio, TX, Southern Historical Press, Inc., 2021, ISBN 978-1-63914-014-5, pp 7-8.

• Unsourced family tree handed down to Cliff Herod.
• Family history passed down through the years.

Census Records:

• "United States Census, 1860", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXFN-YL1 : Fri Mar 08 15:33:02 UTC 2024), Entry for Thos Denson and Betty Denson, 1860.

Land Records:

• "Land Grant Database", database with images, Texas General Land Office, (https://s3.glo.texas.gov/glo/history/archives/land-grants/LandGrantsWorklist.cfm, accessed: 30 Apr 2024), entry for Thomas C Denson, Texas, 1835.
• "Land Grant Database", database with images, Texas General Land Office, (https://s3.glo.texas.gov/glo/history/archives/land-grants/LandGrantsWorklist.cfm, accessed: 30 Apr 2024), entry for Thomas Denson, Texas, 25 Aug 1853,
• "Land Grant Database", database with images, Texas General Land Office, (https://s3.glo.texas.gov/glo/history/archives/land-grants/LandGrantsWorklist.cfm, accessed: 30 Apr 2024), entry for Thomas Denson, Houston, TX, 18 Feb 1854, File # 000373.

Political Records:

• Aldrich, Armistead Albert,"The History of Houston County, Texas", San Antonio, TX, Southern Historical Press, Inc., 2021, ISBN 978-1-63914-014-5, pp 7-8.

Research Notes

Family lore vs fact:

1817 - Both Shadrach and Thomas sell their land in Anson, NC

1820 - No census data found for either

1823 - Thomas' son Joe is born in Washington, AL - No paper trail to support it, but Joe does claim he was born in AL on the census reports.  Thomas could be living with his cousin Nathaniel who purchased land there in 1821.

1825 - The Hayden Edwards colony was created - but was gone by 1827. Lore suggest he may have been attached to this group.

1825 - Thomas moves to TX.  There is no direct paper trail to support this.

1825 - Thomas' son Shadrach is born in TX?.  No birth records, however, there is an 1860 census showing a Shadrach Denson living in Houston, TX who claimed to be born in TX in 1825

1830? - Wise County land grant  --  The TX General Land Office shows a document but it's dated in the 1850s. I need help reading it.

1830 - Bond County IL -- U.S. Census lists a Shadrach & Thomas living there (family lore indicates they may have been involved in Daniel Parker's Baptist movement. They had a colony in Bond, IL and in 1833 moved to TX. No paper trail to support this theory.)

1833 - assume they followed Parker to Texas

1835 - Spanish document - I don't know what it is but a Thomas Denson signs it and it appears to be dated 1835 but I could see someone thinking 1825. But it does appear to confirm he was in Texas prior to the revolution.

? - A document is created where Shadrach attests he immigrated to TX in 1835 (he is awarded 1/3 of a league)

1837 - Shadrach & Thomas sign a petition to create Houston Co.

1840 - A Shadrach Denson buys land in Bond, IL (there m

1852 - Thomas is awared one league and one labor from the General Land of Office of TX.