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Jan, There was a man named Ron Baker whose posts you can find on the internet. Some people "took offense" at some of his theories, and he was the one who did not agree with that one Baker/Thompson marriage that you mentioned. If you have reviewed the various message board posts from a few years ago, you probably have seen some of this. I never did much independent research on all of that, but Ron had researched the issue for many years, as had an older woman that he had once known. I don't know that either "side," however, could definitely prove their case beyond a "shadow of a doubt in a court of law," but I always thought that Ron had done an excellent job with his research and analysis. I do not believe that Ron is still active on the varous message boards.
It is interesting to note that Reverend John Thom(p)son's son John Thompson (he eventually went by John Thompson, Senior) had a grandson or great-grandson, as I recall, who was also named John Thompson and who married a Margaret Davidson out in Campbell Co., VA in 1796. Just so you know, that was NOT my Davidson family. There were at least three unrelated Davidson families in the Bedford/Campbell Co., VA area in the late-1700s (one of which was a branch of my family that was headed by an Edward Davidson who died in Campbell Co., VA about 1794). These three Davidson/Davison families are represented on the Davidson/Davison/Davisson DNA website at www.davidsongenes.org by "Family 10" (my family), "Family 7" and a third family that was headed by an Alexander Davidson (no DNA donor at this time claims to be from this man...but we have one donor who MIGHT be from him, based on some clues). It appears that the Margaret Davidson who married John Thompson in 1796 was the known daughter of Alexander Davidson (who was married to an Elizabeth...very POSSIBLY Elizabeth Steele).
Note: The above John Thompson, Sr. in Campbell Co., VA married Margaret Phair...but some posts on the internet mistakenly show that he was the one who married Margaret Davidson in 1796.
I have always wondered if Rev. John Thom(p)son was related to the Mathew Thompson who died in Augusta Co., VA about 1753 (Mathew was married to a Martah Unknown), and/or to the William Thompson who lived in the Beverly Manor area in Augusta/Rockbridge (William died around 1781, and he was married to a Jane/Jean Unknown). William Thompson provided the land for Tinkling Springs church, and Rev. John Thompson was apparently instrumental in convincing the "English authorities" to allow this "non-Anglican" church to be built and attended by the citizens of that area. I understand that Rev. John Thompson also preached there from time to time. As you probably know, one of the Reverend's daughters married a John Finley, and a John Finley was a witness or executor on the will of this William Thompson (though I have no proof that this was the SAME man with that name). Mathew Thompson's family also married into a Davidson family on a couple of occasions, but again, that was not my Davidson family (though that Davidson family had various "connections" to my "William Davidson and Martha Baker branch" of my Davidson family in the Botetourt and Rockbridge Co., VA area). The last that I checked, there was no DNA donor in the Thompson DNA project who claims to be from either Rev. John Thom(p)son or the above William Thompson....though there ARE a couple of donors out of the above Mathew Thompson family.
Another interesting fact concerning the descendants of William Davidson and Martha Baker involves one of those five grandsons of Reverend Andrew Baker Davidson who was named Captain Greenlee Davidson (son of James Dorman Davidson, a well-known lawyer and orator in the Rockbridge area). Greenlee Davidson headed the recruitment office in Richmond, VA for Governor John Letcher at the beginning of the War Between the States. Later, Greenlee Davidson was an officer in what was commonly referred to as "Letcher's Artillery." This group consisted largely of ex-prisoners and other "misfits," but they turned-out to be loyal and fierce fighters for the Confederacy. Captain Greenlee Davidson was killed in battle at Chancellorsville (1863, if I recall correctly). Governor Letcher named one of his own sons Greenlee Davidson Letcher, and I can only assume that the Governor was very fond of his former Confederate officer Captain Greenlee Davidson. Governor Letcher was himself a Davidson and a Thompson descendant, but that was one of those OTHER Davidson families (i.e., not my Davidson family). The Governor was a son of a William Houston Letcher (who was himself a Davidson descendant) and an Elizabeth Davidson, and this Elizabeth Davidson was a daughter of a John Davidson (again, not my family) and his wife Mary Thompson (who was a descendant of the above-referenced Mathew Thompson, per my research...this John and Mary (Thompson) Davidson married in the Botetourt/Rockbridge Co., VA area in 1787).
Governor Letcher was also a Giles descendant (there was an earlier Giles Letcher in his family). Per my research, it is very POSSIBLE that the William Davidson who married Martha Baker was a son of the David Davidson who died in Buckingham Co., VA around 1798. This David Davidson (born circa-1715) was married to a Mary Giles...though it is not clear that she was his first and only wife (and hence, she MAY not have been the mother of William Davidson...but no proof either way). Anyway, it is at least POSSIBLE that Captian Greenlee Davidson was a distant relative of Governor John Letcher, via the "Giles side" of their respective families. Comments?
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