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Rufus Joseph "R J" Thompson (1865-1917)
Rufus Joseph (RJ) Thompson was born in Lowndes County, Georgia, between 1864 and 1866, the son of William M and Mildred Jane (Unknown) Thompson. The family of William M Thompson lived in Clinch County, Georgia before 1850.1 The Thompson family was located in Echols County and then Lowndes County, Georgia, in 1850 and 1860. Rufus is first seen in the census records in 1870, when the family lived in Hillsborough County, Florida. This age is listed as 5, and having been born in Georgia. The family returned to Lowndes County, Georgia by the 1880 census, but father William M Thompson is deceased.
The 12 children of William and Mildred Thompson are as follows:
On September 7, 1892 2, R. J. Thompson married Mattie Lee Corbitt, in Clinch County, Georgia. Nothing is known of the early years of the marriage, until 1900, when they appear in the census in Jakin, Early County, Georgia. A copy of this marriage certificate is in my possession.
In the 1900 Census, Mattie and Rufus (RJ) are shown with children Lillian, age 5, Harris, age 4 and William, age 1. Rufus is listed as “RJ”, age 26, born January, 1874, in Georgia. Both of RJs parents are listed with a South Carolina birthplace. Both William M and Mildred Thompson were born in South Carolina, according to every census record in which they are found. Rufus’ occupation is listed as “overseer – hay cutting”. Mattie is shown as age 23, born in February, 1877, which conflicts with later census dates, tombstone and her death certificate. Mattie shows to be born in Georgia. Both parents are listed with Georgia birth, although (we know that) her father, Monroe Corbitt, was born in Hamilton County, TN. Mattie states that 3 of 3 children are living. Both state they have been married for 7 years, which is consistent with a marriage date of 1892.
In the 1910 Census, Mattie and RJ are with children Cora L, age 16, Harris L, age 14, W Bryant, age 12, Henry J, age 9 and Rufus J, Jr, age 2. The census-taker misspelled Rufus as Ruphus in both names. Mattie is shown in the 1910 census as age 32 and Rufus as 43. Neither age is consistent with previous censuses or later records. The entire family is shown as born in Georgia, with both parents born in Georgia. For Rufus, this is different than what was stated in the 1900 census. Mattie states in 1910 that 5 of 7 children are alive. Because of the answer to the same question in 1900, we know that the two deceased children were born between 1900 and 1910. Information provided by family members3, says that the two children were boys, “Tom Mackey” and “Simlester”. Both died of causes unknown. In 1910, RJ is listed as an “overseer in a brickyard”. Family members3 have informed me that RJ worked for the “Bivens-Thomson Brickyard”. Mattie and Rufus state in the census question that they have been married for 18 years, which is consistent with the marriage date of 1892.
On June 5, 1917, children Harris Lee and William Bryant Thompson registered for the World War I draft. Both Harris and William list their mother as a dependent. This causes speculation that RJ died before this date.
In the 1920 Census, Mattie is widowed. She is living with children Harris, age 24, Henry, age 19, Rufus, age 13, Edward, age 9, and Evelyn, age 5. The addition of Edward and Evelyn means that Mattie had a total of 9 children, 7 of which were living in 1920. Because of Evelyn’s birth about 1915, we can speculate that RJ died between mid-1914 and June 5, 1917.
Because RJ died before 1919, when Georgia began requiring reporting and recording of deaths, no state records exist. RJ’s tombstone cannot be found in any of the indexes available. His wife Mattie is buried in Jakin City Cemetery, in Early County. Even though she married Dred Hayes in 1922, Mattie’s tombstone gives her name as Mattie Lee Corbitt, “wife of RJ Thompson”. To me, this suggests a strong bond between RJ and Mattie and also may indicate the he is buried in the same cemetery. The death date on Mattie’s tombstone is wrong by exactly one year, according to the death certificate. The tombstone also says “Granny”, wife of RJ Thompson. This suggests to me that the tombstone was installed a while after her death, by one of her children or grandchildren, who had an interest in remembering their father/grandfather, and/or to discount her marriage to Dred Hayes.
One family source3 (Mattie Evelyn Thompson) recalls a story that the family “spent time in Texas”. They left Texas because “Indians killed their neighbors and a pet deer”. It is not clear from this story whether the Texas reference is regarding the Corbitt or the Thompson family. This source states that after leaving Texas, the family came to Willacoochee, GA and eventually ended up in Jakin. Because Mattie’s sister Ola Mae Corbitt was born in Texas, we assume that the Corbitt family is the one having moved to Texas. There is no evidence of the Thompson family in Texas.
Information provided by Mattie Evelyn Thompson3, regarding early family history should be treated with some degree of skepticism. Evelyn was between 0-2 years old when her father passed away. Some degree of embellishment would be expected and possibly even confusion between histories of the Thompson and Corbitt families. For instance, Evelyn recalled that her grandfather Corbitt lived to be 102 years old. We actually have documents showing that Monroe Corbitt died at the age of 82 in Atkinson County, Georgia.
The unanswered questions about Rufus remain: 1. What was the cause of death, at age 49, and where is he buried? 2. What history can we find for his parents?
James Donald Thompson, Jr. Great grandson
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