Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

Calling All Genea-Musings Fans!

It’s Saturday Night again —
time for some more Genealogy Fun!

Hey boys and girls, it’s time to play along once more.

Here is your assignment, should you choose to accept it (you are reading this, so I assume you really want to play along — cue the Mission Impossible music!):

1. Who is Number 100 in your ahnentafel list? Tell us about him.
   {If you don’t have a #100, choose another number.}
2. How do you descend from #100?

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My #100: John Thompson

Number 100 in my ahnentafel is John Thompson, one of my 4th great-grandfathers on my mother’s side. As part of this week’s challenge, I decided to feature him and share an “ABC Biography” created from my RootsMagic narrative report. I asked ChatGPT to turn that narrative into a readable, family-friendly biography, and the result is below.

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Biography of John Thompson (1797–1857)

Introduction

John Thompson’s life reflects the American frontier experience—beginning in Kentucky, moving into Indiana, and finally settling in Iowa. Over the course of his life, he trained as a blacksmith, farmed, bought and sold land, raised a large family, and adapted to the opportunities of a rapidly shifting early-19th-century America.

Early Life

John was born 4 March 1797 in Kentucky. Records from his teen years tell us that in 1810 he was apprenticed to George Brown in Ohio County, Kentucky. By 1811, he began another apprenticeship—this time with John Taylor—to learn the valuable frontier trade of blacksmithing.

Young Adult Years in Kentucky

Throughout the early 1820s, John’s name appears regularly on the Ohio County tax lists, marking him as a young man establishing his place in the community. The 1820 census lists a young couple in his household, which fits perfectly with his marriage that same year.

Marriage and Family

John married Sarah Iglehart on 1 February 1820 in Ohio County, Kentucky. Sarah, born in Maryland in 1800, was the daughter of Jacob Iglehart and Ann Beall. The couple raised a large family as they moved west, with children born in Kentucky, Indiana, and Iowa. Their children included:

• William T. Thompson (1820–1898), m. Polly Ann Evans
• Jacob Thompson (1822–1905), m. Rhoda Evans
• Benjamin Franklin Thompson (1824–1875), m. Catherine Black
• Levi I. Thompson (1826–1828)
• Martha Jane Thompson (1828–1848), m. Alexander Van Winkle
• Andrew J. Thompson (b. 1832)
• Mary Elizabeth Thompson (1834–1917), m. Henry Evans
• John L. “John Lou” Thompson (1836–1917), m. Martha Ingersoll
• Francis Marion Thompson (1838–1921), m. Martha Schooling
• Sarah Ellen Thompson (1841–1844)
• James Allen Thompson (1841–1868), m. Margaret Scott

Land, Work, and Frontier Movement

Indiana Years

Beginning in 1829, John and Sarah began purchasing land in Warrick County, Indiana. Over several years they accumulated multiple tracts—40, 50, and even 80 acres. Several of their children were born during their time in Indiana.

Move to Iowa

By 1844, the Thompsons had moved to Wapello County, Iowa, part of the wave of settlers arriving just before Iowa’s statehood in 1846. John appears as a 53-year-old farmer owning $2500 in real estate in the 1850 census. By 1856, he is listed as a merchant, suggesting he shifted careers later in life.

Final Years and Death

John died 14 August 1857 in Adams County, Iowa and is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Mount Etna. Sarah survived him by many years, appearing in the 1860 census with considerable real estate, and died in 1877 (or possibly 1884, depending on the source). She is buried beside him.

Historical Notes

• John was born during the nation’s early post-Revolutionary years, when Kentucky was still a developing frontier.
• His westward movement—from Kentucky to Indiana to Iowa—mirrors the broader patterns of American migration.
• His blacksmith training gave him a crucial frontier skill.
• His Indiana land purchases align with federal policies opening western territories for settlement.
• The family arrived in Iowa just as it transitioned from territory to state.

Conclusion

John Thompson lived a classic early American frontier life—building skills, raising a family, acquiring and selling land, and continually moving toward new opportunities. His story fits beautifully into the broader narrative of American expansion and settlement.

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How I Descend From John Thompson

My RootsMagic software makes this wonderfully easy by generating a relationship diagram. Below is a descendancy chart tracing John Thompson down to my mother, showing exactly how I descend from my ahnentafel #100.

Conclusion

Tracing my ahnentafel back to number 100 turned out to be a fun reminder of just how many stories sit quietly in our family trees waiting to be rediscovered. John Thompson’s life—stretching across Kentucky, Indiana, and Iowa—captures the spirit of the American frontier and gives me a deeper appreciation for the choices and challenges that shaped our family long before my time. I enjoyed digging into his story for this week’s challenge, and I’m grateful for the way these SNGF prompts encourage us to look beyond names and dates to the real people behind them. I’m already looking forward to seeing who others found in their own trees!