Re: Rev War Soldier--Thomas Crumbliss
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In reply to:
Re: Rev War Soldier--Thomas Crumbliss
William Crumby 8/02/09
Hi just a follow-up,
The Fanny Bogardis mentioned a couple of messages ago has been deemed incorrect - although you are right to quote it because it was in the DAR records. But, I came across a lady a few years ago who did the digging on that record and found out it was added in the early 1900s when the DAR wasn't being very strict about what was submitted for membership. It has since been deemed innacurate. Thomas Crumbliss indeed was married to Elizabeth Estes, daughter of Elijah Estes. These records are now correct in the DAR archive, or so I've been told. The lady who corrected it was already a DAR member under Tandy Senter, a son-in-law of Thomas (he married Thomas' daughter Alice). She made it a mission to correct the record. But I haven't confirmed myself that the Fanny Bogardis record has been removed.
Some more tidbits on Thomas' movements. Elisha/Elijah Estes and Thomas (listed as Hugh in these records), as well as Elizabeth herself are mentioned multiple times in land transaction records with the Mullican family through the 1780s & 1790s in Greenville Co. & Laurens Co. area (Greenville & Laurens Co., etc.). A quick keyword search of Crumbliss/Crumbless & Mullican will bring up these references for you to see. Someone from the Mullican family married another one of Elisha Estes' daughters.
Since we discovered the Thomas Crumley record at the National Archives (not to be confused with another Thomas Crumley who served in North Carolina and settled in Georgia after the War), more questions were raised. It is our mission to chart Thomas' movements toward Roane County. At this point, we only have his movements as a soldier in the 11th VA. But, we are now researching what happened to the 11th VA after the reorganization of the Virginia troop organization in 1778 & 1779. There was a lot of tumult until everything settled in late 1779 (as in December) when the consolidated 11th VA (now the 7th then 5th VA) were assigned to the Southern Department to help Benjamin Lincoln stave off the British at Charleston. Things get hazy here but we're still researching. No clue where Thomas is now assigned, but there seemed to have been three main Detachments at this point: 1st, 2nd, & 3rd. The 1st & 2nd went immediately to Charleston (led by Parker & Woodford - a Colonel William Davies is thrown in there as well). These 2 groups were captured at Charleston in May 1780. The 3rd Detachment was led by Abraham Buford who showed up far too late to help with Charleston - but ended up being the big victim at the Waxhaw Massacre. No clue at this point which Detachment if any Thomas was a part of, but he signed up for 3 years and these groups would have been where his regiment was reassigned.
Lending further credence to the idea that he did indeed go South with one of these 3 Detachments is the fact that about 5 months after Charleston, King's Mountain happened - and he's said to have been there as well. In the Mullican land records with Elijah Estes & Hugh (Thomas) Crumbliss, he is hanging around what originally was the Ninety-Six District. James Williams was the leader for the Ninety-Six District crew at King's Mountain. These are all educated leads, but at this point unproven. Fortunately, I'm making a trip back to Washington next week (for a personal endeavor) and might have a few hours to spare digging through the National Archives again! Maybe I'll find something intruiging. If so, I'll post it!