by Lyman Chalkley. 3 vols. John Thomas is listed as surveyor. Spartanburg neighbors are the Black family. John Thomas and John Black are listed as Justices 1777-1778.
About 60 miles southeast of Spartanburg is another site associated with Jane Black Thomas' courage: The National Park Service's Ninety Six Historic Site, where Jane's husband John and two of their sons, Abram and Robert, were imprisoned in the two-story brick jail in June of 1780. http://www.rootsweb.com/~scsparta/sparta_troops.htm When Jane went to visit her menfolk on July 11, she overheard two Tory women talking. One woman said to the other, "Tomorrow night the Loyalists intend to surprise the Rebels at Cedar Spring."
Jane's heart must have missed several beats upon hearing of the planned attack. Cedar Spring, a few miles from the Thomas home, was where her firstborn, John, had headquartered about 60 members of the reorganized Spartan Regiment. Several of her sons-in-law and various kin were at Cedar Spring with the Flying Camp--a name often applied to the Spartan Regiment because of its frequency of action and movement. The little, black-haired Irishwoman didn't wait around for confirmation of the overheard Tory gossip. She rushed to her horse and made a hasty departure from Ninety Six jail, heading northwest to warn the Spartans of the impending attack. She rode over 60 miles of rough, forbidding terrain during the night and through the following day, arriving at Cedar Spring with the timely warning. Then, as Jane rode on to her home, a plan was drawn up to entrap the Tories. The Spartans built up their campfires at dusk to burn brightly near improvised bedrolls. Then the men withdrew and hid themselves in the surrounding forest. They hadn't long to wait. Shortly after preparations were complete, 150 British and Tory soldiers cautiously advanced to surprise the "sleeping" Spartans. The soldiers suddenly found themselves attacked from the rear by the militia they had expected to surprise. "Thrown into confusion by this unexpected reception, defeat, overwhelming defeat, was the consequence to the loyalists. . .The victory thus easily achieved they owed to the spirit and courage of a woman!"
After the Revolutionary War's conclusion, Jane Black Thomas established yet another homestead in the western frontier. In 1785 she and John Thomas moved to the vicinity of Greenville, when Colonel Thomas was appointed commissioner of land locations for the new Greenville County. Here the couple resided and prospered until their deaths just six months apart in 1811.
Until the day of her death on April 16, 1811, this spunky "feminist" adamantly refused to drink tea, saying it was "the blood of the poor men who first fell in the war" (and two of her sons and two sons-in-law were among those slain in battle). Jane Black Thomas remained a "sincere and spirited whig" –a Patriot—to the very end of her 91 years.
Colonial and Revolutionary History of Upper South Carolina by J. B. O. Landrum p. 110 and 144 stories of Jane Thomas as above.
Dr. Landrum's HISTORY OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY, SC There is a chapter devoted to Col. John Thomas, of Revolutionary War fame. He was born in Wales and raised in Chester County, PA.
Thomas, John, Sr. b. 1720 d. post 1811 m. Jane Black. He served as Col of the Spartan Regiment of Militia during 1775 and 1776. He was taken prisoner and held fourteen months. Council of Safety, 7, VN 1775. South Carolina Roster of Patriots. p. 925. http://home.netcom.com/~fzsaund/thomas.html
Some Heroes of the American Revolution by J.D. Bailey -- Col. John Thomas has a chapter, as does Col. Joseph McJunkin, his son-in-law.
- Women of the American Revolution by Elizabeth Ellet -- Jane (Black) Thomas, wife of Col. John Thomas has a chapter in this book.
- A Coloring Book of Heroines of the American Revolution by Joel Canon (Illustrator), Alan Archambault -- Includes a picture and a page about Jane (Black) Thomas, our ancestor.
- Noble Deeds of American Women by Jesse Clement -- Jane (Black) Thomas is covered in two pages.
- Biographical Directory of the South Carolina House of Representatives, volume III, 1775-1790 by N Bailey -- Col. John Thomas Sr. and Col. John Thomas Jr. covered in a nice biographical sketch with references. Thanks to the McCown website for these references
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