Richard (~1780-~1860) — m. Elizabeth Burns on 23 Aug 1806; m. Malinda Barnes on 22 Mar 1811
Elijah (25 Nov 1786-19 Aug 1860) — m. Elizabeth “Betsey” Terrell on 3 May 1813
Michael Thompson (~1788-1851) — m. Martha Corbet on 1 Feb 1815
John Thompson, Jr. (~1791-1873) — m. Polly R. Corbett on 20 Sep 1815
Mary Ann “Polly” (~1792-1884) — m. James Corbet on 31 Oct 1815
Elizabeth (~1795-1849) — m. James McCuistion III on 26 Jan 1819
Joseph (~1796-19 Jun 1872) — m. Catharine McGuire on 22 Apr 1822; m. Marena Davis in 1832
Lavina C. (~1803-19 Feb 1884) — m. Charles Andrew Goforth on 17 Jun 1823
Collins (~1807-????)
Martha Louisa () — m. Jameson
John was born in King & Queen County in colonial Virginia, reportedly the eldest of eleven children to Samuel Gresham (25 Apr 1743-1810) and Hannah Farmer (????). His father Samuel appeared in the 1782 tax rolls for King & Queen County, and in the 1787 tax rolls for Lincoln County, Kentucky, where he died about 1810. John went by his middle name, possibly as Tom or Tommy, and his last name was sometimes spelled Gresham or other variants.
Katie was the daughter of Frederick Vaughn and an unknown mother.
Thompson and Katie probably married about 1785, location unclear but probably North Carolina. The list of dates for their children above is shaky.
Their son Joseph was reportedly born in Crab Orchard, Cumberland County, Tennessee, between Knoxville and Nashville. That seems unlikely, since it’s about 90 miles west of Jefferson County, where the 1830 census listed the household of Thompson Grisham as a couple in their 60s.
The 1840 census listed the “Thomson Grissom” family of Jefferson County as a couple in their 70s, along with an unnamed woman in her 20s. They were two doors away from the household of son-in-law James Corbet – maybe the young woman was a grand-daughter, there to help out.
Thompson reportedly died in Chestnut Grove, Jefferson County, Tennessee about 1841. There’s no record of Katie after that.
Richard was born in North Carolina. He married Elizabeth Burns (~1780-1810) in 1806 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Their children (dates questionable):
Thomas Daniel (1800-10 Mar 1876) — m. Julia Ann Parham on 14 Feb 1826; m. Mary Marshall Critcher on 10 Aug 1847
John Elvis (1805-15 Nov 1912) — m. Mary Perkinson on 26 Dec 1836
James Richard (1806-185x) — m. Emily Rucker in Mar 1829
Hilliard Jackson (1810-~1858) — m. Mary “Polly” Mitchell on 8 May 1838
After Elizabeth’s death, Richard in 1811 married Malinda Barnes (~1786-185x). Their children:
Ellen (~1817-????)
Margaret “Peggy” (~1820-????) — m. Carter Young on 27 Sep 1838
Richard, Jr. (~1822-4 Apr 1865) — m. Eliza J. Bower on 3 Sep 1844
William (~1822-????)
Calaway (May 1825-~1905) — m. ??? in 184x; m. Margaret Capp on 4 Mar 1868
Benjamin (1828-????)
Malinda (7 May 1832-20 Apr 1866) — m. Benjamin Franklin Schriber on 31 Jul 1849
Nancy (~1833-????)
Rhoda A. (~1837-~1869) — m. John Robinson Seaborn on 12 Jan 1865
Rebecca Jane (7 Jul 1847-11 Sep 1918) — m. Michael Capp on 11 Feb 1869
The family was living in Bradley County, Tennessee in the 1850 census, with the six youngest children still at home, plus a 14-year-old named Elizabeth Barns, presumably some kin to Malinda. Malinda died during the 1850s, and Richard died about 1860. Burial locations are unknown.
Elijah fought in the War of 1812, either before or after he married Elizabeth “Betsey” Terrell (1796-1850) in 1813. They moved to McMinn County, Tennessee, and had a reported nine children:
Thomas R. (1816-1881) — m. Elizabeth Witt about 1835
James Wiley (1820-????) — prob. m. Mary S. Woods on 16 Nov 1864
John M. (22 May 1821-4 Apr 1856) — m. Nancy McRary
Richard Elijah “Elijah” (1822-?1872?) — m. Luann Browder on 20 Sep 1842
Jane ()
Elizabeth (1830-????) — m. Robert McRary on 2 Sep 1852
Mary Ann “Polly” (11 Nov 1834-23 Jun 1884) — m. Samuel Farless on 6 Jan 1851
Joseph (1836-????)
Martin Van Buren (2 Jun 1840-2 Oct 1916) — m. Mary Catherine Eaton in 1859
Betsey died in 1850. Elijah died in 1860. He’s buried with Betsey in Sullins Cemetery, Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee.
See the Corbet-Reed family page for Michael’s story.
See the Corbet-Reed family page for John’s story.
Polly has her own entry in the family tree.
Data for Elizabeth is listed under her husband, James McCuistion III, in the McCuistion-Scott family page.
Joseph married Catharine McGuire (20 Jul 1779-2 Mar 1832) from Pennsylvania in 1822. Their children:
Matilda Caroline (29 Apr 1823-28 Sep 1913) — m. George W. Newman in 1840; m.
Mary (26 Mar 1824-????)
Martha (28 Aug 1827-27 Apr 1867) — m. Alfred G. Thomas in 184x
Nancy (16 May 1829-13 May 1855)
Levina (19 Oct 1831-12 Jan 1863)
The family moved to Clark County, Illinois. Catharine died in 1832. Joseph promptly married again, to Marena Davis (13 Jan 1812-4 Feb 1833) from Kentucky. They had nine more children:
Elijah (1833-Feb 1860) — m. Catharine Corbin on 2 Nov 1851
Alonzo (1835-????)
Joseph (15 Apr 1839-25 Oct 1865) — m. Amanda Montgomery in 1864
Melissa (1842-????)
Eliza (1844-????)
Michael (22 Jan 1845-21 Nov 1919) — m. Margaret “Maggie” Dyer on 19 Jul 1874
John Goldman (2 May 1848-4 Feb 1935) — m. Sarah Margaret “Maggie” English on 7 Aug 1873
Alvira (1850-????)
Sarah Elizabeth (1853-May 1880) — m. Edwin R. Brown in 1869
Joseph died in 1872, and Marena in 1883. They’re buried in Forsythe Cemetery, Clark County, Illinois.
Lavina married Charles Andrew Goforth (1801-16 Mar 1859) in 1823 in Jefferson County. Known children:
William Marion (3 Dec 1823-10 Sep 1910) — m. Elizabeth A. Dodson on 6 Apr 1854; m. Martha Jane Strother on 15 Jul 1877
John T. (9 Jun 1825-10 Dec 1902) — m. Mary Ann McMasters in 1850
Martha Elizabeth (21 Sep 1832-13 Sep 1873) — m. Benjamin Franklin Clopton, Sr. about 1851
James Harvey (14 Oct 1833-3 May 1914) — m. Mary Ann E. Davidson on 7 Sep 1854
Susan Carolyn (Oct 1836-May 1903) — m. Hiram S. Samsel in 1857; m. John Shepherd Brooks in 1865
Charles Cornelius Tennessee (1839-31 Jan 1912)
Jasper Newton (Aug 1841-9 May 1920) — m. Nancy Kaziah Christian on 23 Feb 1873
Louisa Victoria (6 Dec 1843-23 Mar 1881) — m. John Folks on 10 Jan 1861
In the mid-1840s, the family moved to Dade County, Missouri. Charles died there in 1859. Lavina moved to California along with her married daughter Susan and family. By 1860, she was living at a boarding house in Bodega, Sonoma County, California. In the 1870 census, she was living with daughter Victoria and family in Bodega. She remained in Sonoma County until her death in 1884. She’s buried in Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County.
No information
https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/john-thompson-gresham_43375073 -- John & Katie
https://www.geni.com/people/John-Gresham/3920303890640126631 -- John
https://www.geni.com/people/Katie-Gresham/3920307414930024934 -- Katie
https://www.myheritage.com/names/polly_corbett -- Various Polly Corbets
https://www.myheritage.com/names/elizabeth_mccuistion -- Confuses Elijah’s sister with his wife
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNDD-TL2 -- 1813 wedding of Elijah
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8YN-LJX -- Ditto
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHP9-8VD -- 1830 census
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYL-BGB -- 1840 census
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYG-313 -- 1840 census, Elijah
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNDV-LMV -- 1842 wedding of Elijah’s son Richard Elijah
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27336220/mary-grisham -- 1845 grave of Elijah’s grand-daughter Mary
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDG-WT7 -- 1850 census, Elijah
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDZ4-B4V -- 1850 census, Lavina
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDG-WRY -- 1850 census, Elijah’s son Thomas
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDG-P6D -- 1850 census, Elijah’s son Richard Elijah
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/89959206/michael-grisham -- 1851 grave of Michael
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNDV-29K -- 1852 wedding of Elijah’s daughter Elizabeth
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6078141 -- 1860 grave of Elijah
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8TP-PX5 -- 1860 census, Elijah’s son Thomas
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8TP-P6D -- 1860 census, Elijah’s sons Richard Elijah and James
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6078141/elijah-grisham -- 1860 grave of Elijah
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNDV-65G -- 1864 wedding of poss. Elijah’s son James
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDDJ-7FW -- 1870 census, Elijah’s son Richard Elijah
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNXQ-VHX -- 1870 census, Lavina
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65251910/joseph-grisham -- 1872 grave of Joseph
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21765217/lavina-c-goforth -- 1884 grave of Lavina