A Tale of Three Sources: Weighing the Evidence for Rodden Thompson

 Weighing a County Biography, a Pension Record, and DNA Evidence

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There is a certain point in family history research where the question becomes simple… but the answer does not. For me, that question is this: Are Blackburn Thompson and Lucretia Lawson the parents of my great-great grandfather, Rodden (or Roden) Thompson?

At first glance, the answer seems within reach. There are records. There are names. There are even connections across multiple sources. But when those sources are examined closely, they do not align perfectly. Instead, they present three competing perspectives that must be weighed carefully.

The County Biography (A Son’s Statement… Through Another Voice)

A biographical sketch of Andrew J. Thompson, a proven son of Blackburn Thompson and Lucretia Lawson, states that he was one of ten children. This is important. 

Andrew J. Thompson was a biological son. He would have had direct knowledge of his family structure. Of the three sources considered here, this is the closest to the family itself.

However, his statement comes to us through an 1889 county history. That introduces a limitation we cannot resolve:

• Was Andrew quoted directly?
• Was his statement summarized by the author?
• Did the editor condense or alter the wording?

We simply do not know. So while this source strongly suggests that Blackburn and Lucretia had ten children, it remains a second-hand publication of a first-hand claim.

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The Pension Record (Detailed… but Based on Memory)

A War of 1812 pension record for Blackburn Thompson includes an affidavit from Zachariah and Nancy Lewallen, dated 12 February 1873 in Madison County, Arkansas.

In that affidavit, they list the children of Blackburn and Lucretia as: 

    *A.G. Thompson,
    *Harmon Thompson, 

    *B.M. Thompson, 

    *Milly Thompson, 

    *Annie Thompson,

    *Sarah Thompson, 

    *Lucretia Thompson, 

    *Nancy Thompson, and 

    *Martha Thompson.

This is a valuable list… but it comes with clear boundaries. The Lewallens state that they knew the family from about 1838 to 1855 in Campbell County, Tennessee. They also specify that these were the children “whom we have known.” That phrasing matters.

Their testimony is:

    *Based on personal acquaintance

    *Limited to a specific time period

    *Given approximately 18 years after that acquaintance ended

This is not a complete family record. It is a memory-based account of the children they personally knew. It is also notable that they list nine children… while the county biography states there were ten.

DNA Connections (Modern Evidence… with Limits)

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The third piece of evidence comes from DNA. There are genetic connections between descendants of Rodden Thompson and descendants of individuals identified as children of Blackburn and Lucretia.

This suggests that:

• Rodden is connected to this family line
• The connection is biological, not just circumstantial

However, DNA has its own limitations:

• It does not specify exact relationships on its own
• It cannot identify parents without supporting documentation
• It works best when combined with traditional records

DNA supports a connection… but it does not independently prove that Blackburn and Lucretia were Rodden’s parents.

What the Evidence Actually Supports

When these three sources are considered together, several things become clear:

• Blackburn Thompson and Lucretia Lawson had a family with multiple children.
• Andrew J. Thompson (their son) stated there were ten children.
• The Lewallen affidavit identifies nine children known to them between about 1838 and 1855.
• DNA evidence supports a biological connection between Rodden Thompson and this family.

What is not proven:

• That Rodden Thompson is explicitly named in any record as their son
• That the list of children in either source is complete
• That all children of Blackburn and Lucretia are currently identified

A Working Conclusion

At this stage, the evidence suggests that Rodden Thompson could belong to this family.

His birth (1813, Tennessee) places him in the correct time and location. His later presence in Arkansas aligns with the migration pattern of Blackburn and Lucretia’s known children. DNA evidence supports a biological connection. But no single record directly names him as their son. For that reason, this remains a supported but unproven hypothesis.

Why This Matters

It would be easy to take one of these sources… especially the county biography or the pension affidavit… and treat it as complete. But doing so risks building a conclusion on incomplete or filtered information.

Instead, this case is a reminder:

• A number (like “ten children”) is not proof on its own
• A list of names is not necessarily complete
• Memory, publication, and interpretation all shape the records we use

Good genealogy does not choose the easiest answer. It follows the evidence… even when the answer remains just out of reach.

Sources:

Northwest Arkansas Historical Association. History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1889. (Biographical sketch of Andrew J. Thompson).

War of 1812 Pension File for Blackburn Thompson, W.O. #8311, W.C. #6314; affidavit of Zachariah and Nancy Lewallen, 12 February 1873, Madison County, Arkansas; Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Autosomal DNA results and match analysis from AncestryDNA, including shared matches and descendant clustering among individuals connected to the Blackburn Thompson family.

Place Names

Last updated on 2/12/2019

Arkansas

Thompson:  Thompson was a small community that consisted of a store, a post office, a railroad stop, a tie yard, and a full community center.  It was located near a ford on the White River in Northwest Arkansas.  The White River was probably a creek at this location.  Supposedly the town got it's name from Lewis W. Thompson who built the store in 1884.  The town no longer existed after the Second World War.

Sources:  History of the Thompson Townsite, Madison County Musings, Winter 1998 & Boston Mountains Still Echo Sounds of Vanished Hamlets, Northwest Arkansas Times, 26 Oct. 1975.

Missouri

Nevada: Nevada is the county seat of Vernon County, on the main line of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway and on the Lexington Southern and the Nevada & Minden divisions of the Missouri Pacific Railway, 107 miles south of Kansas City and 280 miles west of St. Louis.  It lies in the heart of an exceedingly rich agricultural, stock and fruit region, and overlies extensive beds of bituminous coal.   Source:  The Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, Vol. IV, 1901

Vada: Roy Peterson lived in Vada, Missouri when he met Bertha Lawson.  Vada is a small community in Texas County, Missouri.  According to Texas County Place Names, 1928-1945, a post office was located there from 1918 to 1929 and Vada is a shortened form of Nevada Jackson, the postmaster's daughter. 

Thompson, Arkansas: A Vanished Hamlet of Northwest Arkansas

Nestled in the shoestring valley of the White River in Northwest Arkansas lies the forgotten town of Thompson, a small but vibrant community that once thrived as a hub of trade, justice, and rural life. Although Thompson no longer exists as a populated place, its history echoes through the lives of its settlers and the remnants of its once-bustling town center.

A Community Takes Root

Thompson was established in 1884 when Lewis Washington Thompson built the first store near a ford on the White River. The store quickly became the nucleus of the town, giving rise to a post office, a railroad stop, and a tie yard that supported the local economy. Thompson’s location near the St. Paul Railroad, which extended southeast from Fayetteville, played a pivotal role in its development.

The town's first settlers, including Mortimer Creech, Enos Robbins, and Ebenezer Harred, arrived before the Civil War. However, Thompson only became a community in the late 19th century when the railroad connected the area to larger markets.

The General Store: A Hub of Activity

The Thompson Store, c. 1880s.

(Image Source: Madison County Musings, Winter 1998)

The general store, originally built by Lewis Thompson, was much more than a place to buy goods. It served as a post office, a trading center, and even a courtroom where local justices of the peace presided over cases. Notable figures like John Knox Pool, who later purchased the store in 1890, managed it successfully, turning it into a focal point of the community.

Pool, known for his business acumen, created a market for local goods like railroad ties, cedar posts, livestock, and crops. He was a key figure in the town's prosperity, contributing to its reputation as a "clean community," free from the violence and lawlessness often depicted in rural tales of the South.

Education and Governance

By the mid-1870s, a school was established in Thompson, providing education to children from surrounding farms. Teachers like Clinton “Mack” Robertson, who taught during World War I, left a legacy of dedication to rural education. The school eventually consolidated in 1943, marking the end of an era for the town’s younger residents.

Justice in Thompson was pragmatic and community-centered. Records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries show cases ranging from disputes over livestock to more serious offenses. Local justices like T. Hall and Henry Lollar maintained order with humor and fairness, reflecting the values of a close-knit rural society.

Decline and Transformation

The decline of Thompson began as the Great Depression and changing transportation needs led to the railroad’s demise. By 1937, the tracks were dismantled, and the tie yard and post office ceased operations. The town gradually faded, leaving behind only memories and the occasional mention of "Thompson Switch" or "Thompson Cut."

Today, little remains of the original townsite. The foundation of the store is hidden beneath underbrush, and the graves of early settlers, once marked by fieldstones, have been lost to time. Yet, the legacy of Thompson lives on in historical records, family stories, and the quiet landscape of Madison County.

Sources and Acknowledgments

1. Madison County Musings, Winter 1998, Madison County Historical and Genealogical Society.
2. "Boston Mountains Still Echo Sounds of Vanished Hamlets," Northwest Arkansas Times, October 26, 1975, by John L. Smith.
3. Gloria Sisk, Madison County Remembrances of the Past.