Descendents and Ancestry of Thomas Brooks

The latter half of the eighteenth century in Virginia was a time of great change for Virginians, as well as the rest of the United States. A nation was created and our ancestors were a part of this exciting time .

Culpeper County was created from Orange County in 1749. It lies in the rolling areas of Piedmont Virginia, within the forks of the Rappahannock River and in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains.    This is where the family history begins with Thomas Brooks [1] and Jane Hord, his wife.

Sometime in the late seventeen hundreds, Thomas Brooks married Jane Hord, daughter of James Hord and Mary Miller Hord. residents of Culpeper County. It is assumed that they resided in Culpeper County, as their son, Thomas Brooks was born in Culpeper County.

Early Families of Eastern and Southeastern Kentucky, page 326, which is part of the information of the Hord family in Kentucky contains the following:
James 3 Hord [Thomas 2, John !], born January 22, 1736 married Susan Miller, daughter of Simon Miller of
Culpeper County...................His will was proved in Culpeper County December 14, 1804, mentions issue:
James, JANE HORD who married THOMAS BROOKS, Frances Hord, married _______Slaughter, Ann Hord
married James Withers.

Nothing more is known about this Thomas Brooks or his wife, Jane Hord; except that Thomas was the father of
five sons and was deceased after September 1807 and before June 1813. Based on a lawsuit filed by James Hord
against the estate of his father in law, We assume that Jane Hord was born in the 1750�s, possibly 1755/556. Her
mother, Mary Miller Hord was about 69 years old in August of 1806. Again, an assumption that Thomas Brooks
would be in the same age group.   [See Hord Lawsuit Appendix]. [See portions of Markham vs Markham in Hord
Suit].
The format of numbering is used frequently in books of genealogical descent. Each person is given a number as
a child within a family groups except for the first ancestor. In this case, the first Thomas Brooks was not
numbered; the numbering starts with his sons. Number 100, our ancestor is the only one followed throughout.

FIRST GENERATION:
Thomas Brooks of Culpeper County, Virginia was born circa 1755/60 and died   after 1807 and before June of
1813.   He married Jane Hord.   He was the father of at least five children, all sons. It is not known if there were
any daughters or other children. An extensive search of records in Culpeper, Caroline, Fauquier, Orange and
Spotsylvania Counties failed to reveal any probate records, land records or marriage records. Due to the lack of
official records after many years of searching, we have determined that Thomas and Jane may have resided on
property owned by her father, James Hord. Culpeper tax lists for 1800 show a Thomas Brooks with four titheable
age males. If this is the correct Thomas, two of his sons have left home or may be too young to be listed as
titheable. There were many Thomas Brooks� in Virginia in this period of time, including one in the adjoined
county of Fauquier, however, none have proven to be the right Thomas Brooks.    The children of Thomas Brooks
are listed in the following order due to this same listing in an advertisement regarding the same lawsuit
referenced above.
100. Thomas Brooks- our Callaway County, Missouri ancestor
101. Robert Brooks- was in Woodford County, Kentucky 1813: re Power of Attorney to Thomas.
102. James Brooks - nothing more known. May have been in war of 1812, not listed in Power of Attorney
                         A James Brooks married Celia Withers and died prior to 1819. Probate in Woodford Co. No
                          proof that this is the same brother.
103. William Brooks - same Power of Attorney as Robert and Alexander 23 August 1813.
104. Alexander Brooks- lived Woodford County, Kentucky, married Nancy Darnaby.    See separate
                         section for Alexander & family.

                All five brothers seem to have been in Woodford County in the early 1800�s.

100. Thomas Brooks [2] was born in Culpeper County, Virginia Thursday, June 21, 1781 and died on
Wednesday, January 2nd, 1850 in Callaway County, Missouri, aged 68 years, 6 months and 12 days. Mortality
Schedule for Callaway County listed Thomas as a farmer with cause of death as fever with a duration of forty five
days. He and Elizabeth, his wife, are buried in the Brooks Cemetery on their farm.

He lead a varied life in his younger years; in his eighteenth year, he was a carpenter at Mt. Vernon, home of
George Washington and was given a commendation for being a good workman, signed by George Washington.

By 1812 he was in Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky, where he enlisted in the War of 1812, and was given a
commission as a Lieutenant by Governor Shelby of Kentucky. His brothers, Alexander and James [ or persons by
the same name, enlisted on the same date and Regiment] in Woodford County. �Roll of Captain Virgil
McCracken�s Company, First Rifle Regiment, Kentucky Militia.�   August 15, 1812- Alexander Brooks, Private;
James Brooks, Private; Thomas Brooks, Lieutenant.
Governor Shelby issued a proclamation in response to an appeal for help from Governor Edwards, Illinois
Territory. The above referenced Company was part of an army of about twenty five hundred men in mounted
militia regiments, that marched from Louisville to Vincennes, nearly all of whom were expert marksmen.   Food
and fodder were scarce and they returned to Fort Harrison. and another force was formed. The second army set
out on the 25th of November, 1812 to march to Vincennes. Dillon�s History of Indiana quotes Pierre LaPlante of
Vincennes as saying: �We suffered much, but I pitied most of the poor Kentuckians. They were almost naked and
barefoot-only their linen hunting shirts, the ground covered with snow and the Wabash freezing up.�

A detailed record of Thomas Brooks and his participation in the War of 1812 has not been located. Due to the
time period of his enlistment, it is logical that he was among the twenty five hundred men that   started for or went
to Vincennes . His commission and date of enlisted is a matter of record in an official list of soldiers in the War
of 1812. from Kentucky .

Thomas was in Versailles, Kentucky in July of 1815 when he purchased   a lot in the town of Versailles. The deed
indicated there appurtenances on the lot, presumably a house.   On this same day, he was served with a notice of
depositions being taken at certain homes, on specified dates in Kentucky , pertinent to the lawsuit pending in
Virginia. [Hord vs Miller/Richards]

How long he remained in Kentucky is unknown, however, he was in St. Charles County, Territory of Missouri in
1817 according to the Territorial Census taken in 1817. This census listed him in Femme Osage Township with
two slaves, aged 16 to 45 years old. He entered land in the Saint Louis land office on several occasions; in all he
took up through the land office and private purchase, some thirteen hundred acres in present day Callaway County.
Due to the formation of Montgomery and Callaway Counties. he is not shown on the 1818 Territorial census.
There is also an original land claim in neighboring Boone County, Missouri for a Thomas Brooks. The History of
Boone County, page 620, lists a Thomas Brooks and others coming into Boone County in 1817 and settling in the
neighborhood of Cedar Township. This land would be directly west of where he finally settled and lived with his
family.

Thomas made at least on trip back to Culpeper County, Virginia. He was in Woodford County, Kentucky in June
of 1821 where he sold the property purchased in 1815. [See Woodford Co. Deed Book H, page 463.] He was given
powers of attorney from his Slaughter cousins and three of his brothers , Alexander, William and James, all of
whom were in Woodford County, Kentucky; to tend to their affairs in Virginia; namely, the estate of their maternal
grandfather, James Hord. There are several dates on the filing of the original documents in Kentucky, but they
were filed with the Culpeper County Court in July of 1824.   The estate of their maternal grandfather was not
settled at that time.

During his trip to Virginia, Thomas married December 31, 1823 to Elizabeth Bullard who was born August 21,
1804 in Virginia and died August 10, 1858 in Callaway County, Missouri.   At the time of their marriage, she was
nineteen years old and Thomas was forty two years of age., twenty three years differences in their ages.
Elizabeth�s father was Charles Bullard and the name of her mother is unknown. [See Bullard Appendix].

Thomas brought his young bride into a wilderness to reside as Callaway County was still rough frontier country
with crude housing, log cabins or huts, no neighbors and few roads.   They were back in Missouri by December of
1824 when their first child was born. In all, they became the parents of nine sons and three daughters.

Supplies were to be obtained from the settlement of Cote San Dessein, established in 1812, in Callaway County,
located on the Missouri River, or some one hundred miles back down the Missouri River to St. Charles or St. Louis
. They possibly also went upriver where there were salt licks up river from Franklin, Missouri . This area is now
Booneslick State Park. Mills for the grinding of grains were not in existence   in Callaway County when Thomas
first came to Missouri. The first mill in Callaway County   was established in 1818 and ground corn only; due to
having only one set of buhrs.

By 1830, Thomas and Elizabeth had established their home and farm and were the parents of four sons.
According to county tax records they were taxed on 12 slaves valued at $2660.00; 13 horses with value of $390.00;
13 head of cattle valued at $71.00; 1 watch $5.00; and two mills with a valuation of $100.00 each , [probably one
each for corn and wheat], with a total valuation   of $4126.00. The tax on this real and personal property was
$10.815, which included taxation on 400 acres of land. They had already sold 200 acres of land to William Hall at
this time. Other lands were acquired after 1830.

They continued to live on this land until their deaths in 1850 and 1858 and both are buried in the Brooks Family
Cemetery just south of the house on the old portion of Highway 54, a few miles south of   Fulton, Callaway County,
Missouri. Some of their children are also buried there. [All wills, probate and land records for this family ,
including their children will be found in Appendix I. ]

All of their children were born in Missouri according to the Federal Census of Missouri . All lived to adulthood,
except for the youngest child, Sarah Catherine who died at the age of six years and is buried in the family burying
ground . Most of them were born, lived and died in Callaway County.

CHILDREN OF THOMAS BROOKS and ELIZABETH BULLARD:

200. Charles Thomas Brooks
201. Churchill Brooks, [Dr.]
202. Elkanah Brooks
203. Theophilus Brooks
204. Agatha Jane Brooks
205. Elizabeth Brooks
206. William Alexander Brooks
207. James Richard Brooks
208. George Robert Brooks
209. Lorenzo D. Brooks
210. Lafayette Brooks
211. Sarah Catherine Brooks

200. Charles Thomas Brooks was born the October 29, 1824 and died March 11, 1852 in Callaway County, age
27 years, 4 months and 11 days. He and his wife are buried in the family cemetery. He married November 2, 1843
to Isabella T. Fisher, daughter of Thomas Fisher and Isabella Humphries of Virginia. Isabella was born
November 22, 1824 and died January 20, 1858. Charles and Isabella were the parents of:
300. James R. P. Brooks
301. Churchill G. Brooks
302. Thomas R. Brooks
303. William T. Brooks

201. Churchill Brooks was born in January 16, 1825 and died November 6, 1901. His obituary appears in the
Fulton Telegraph and the Callaway Weekly Gazette. [See Appendix I] He married   June 12, 1851 in Callaway
County to Mary Ann Fisher, a daughter of James Fisher, originally from Virginia. She was born November 24,
1828 in Missouri and died at New Bloomfield July 4, 1884, aged   55 years, 7 months and 10 days. She is buried at
New Prospect Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery in New Bloomfield, Callaway County. He married the
second time August 23, 1889 to Ula Henderson at New Providence Cumberland Presbyterian Church near New
Bloomfield. Nothing more is known about the second wife. Federal Census for 1900 , Guthrie Township,
Callaway County shows Dr. Churchill Brooks , age 74, living with his daughter, Annie Selby.
Dr. Churchill Brooks received his medical training and education and was a regular graduate of McDowell
College in St. Louis, probably in 1850. His undergraduate work, if any, is not known; however, Westminster
College in Fulton published a list in the 1860�s of persons donating to help reduce their debt.
He represented St. Aubert�s Township at the Democratic Convention in 1860.
Churchill Brooks and Mary Ann Fisher were the parents of:
304. James T. Brooks
305. John C. Brooks
306. Edwin Fisher Brooks
307. Mary C. Brooks
308. Annie E. Brooks

202. Elkanah Brooks was born in 1828 Callaway County and died in August of 1871, in Audrain County,
Missouri. He married in Callaway County, June 1, 1848 to Emeline Holt, daughter of Hiram Holt, granddaughter
of Timothy Holt, Sr. She was born May 4, 1827 in Callaway County. her death is unknown and place of burial is
unknown for either of them.
They lived in Callaway County for a while after their marriage. 1850 Federal Census for Callaway County shows
them as being two places from his parents, with a value of real estate being $1600.00. Living next to them , was
his uncle Richard Bullard, younger brother of his mother. Living on the other side was her brother, Abner Holt.
Elkanah was among those from Callaway County who went to the Gold Rush in California. A family story told to
us years ago indicated that he became ill and another brother went after him..
They later moved to Audrain County, just north of the Callaway County line and very near his Uncle Richard
Bullard and his family. Salt River Township, Audrain County listed his real estate with a $5000.00 value and
personal property of $1500.00. [See Brooks appendix for probate].
Elkanah and Emeline were the parents of:
309. Catherine Brooks
310. George Leslie Brooks
311. Thomas A. Brooks
312. Maggie E. Brooks
313. Charles L. Brooks

203. Theophilus Brooks was born November 8, 1829 in Callaway County. He died July 10, 1864 and is buried in
the Brooks Cemetery on the home farm.
No records have been found to indicate that he ever married. He evidently lived on the farm until his death. He
participated in matters of the estates of both parents. The only other thing known about him is a matter of record
when he took the Oath of Allegiance to the U.S. of A., March 21, 1862.   At that time, his three brothers were part
of the Confederate Missouri Guard and they still had slaves on the farm. [See Brooks records, appendix I, # 210
Lafayette Brooks].

204. Agatha Jane Brooks was born on Saturday, September 3rd, 1831 in Callaway County and died on
Wednesday, June 18, 1862, aged 30 years, 9 months and 15 days.[Obit in Brooks appendix]. She was named for
her mother�s aunt and cousin, Agatha Benson Yancey and her daughter, Agatha who had died in 1827/1828.
Agatha Yancey had asked that a daughter be named for her daughter Agatha. See letter in Bullard appendix.]
Agatha Jane Brooks and Jefferson McMahan were married January 31, 1854 in Callaway County. They were the
parents of:
314. John T. McMahan
315. Sarah E. McMahan
316. George Wm. McMahan
Following Agatha�s death, Jeff McMahan married again   October 25, 1868 to Susan A. Bartley Samuels and had
at least two children by the second marriage.   Claudius McMahan and Minie O. [Nannie] who married Samuel
Huffmaster. Susan was the daughter of John and Winifred Bagby Bartley, both natives of West Virginia. She
married first to James S. Samuel on November 21. 1855.

205. Elizabeth Brooks was born in 1834 or 1835 in Callaway County. She married February 27, 1855 to Wade
H. Strickland. Their death dates or places are not known. The last record we have of them is a sale of property
in Callaway County in the mid-1860�s. Numbers 317 through 327 are being left for any children that might be
found later.

206. William Alexander Brooks born in the mid 1830�s, possibly 1835. In 1855, he received a bequest from his
deceased father�s estate, to be paid at age twenty. He is listed in the Callaway County Civil War Assessment List
as age 26, at New Bloomfield with a $30.00 assessment. He is not on the 1864 list. Nothing more is known about
him except he was living with his brother George on the 1880 census and listed as a farm hand.

207. James Richard Brooks was born May 10, 1837 and died July 30, 1904 in Callaway County.   He married in
Callaway County June 4, 1861 to Katherine Dozier, daughter of Thomas Dozier and Sarah Combs from
Kentucky. She was born April 2, 1844 and died October 23, 1908 in Callaway County. Both are buried at Dry
Fork Church Cemetery near Guthrie, Callaway County.   James Richard served in the War Between the States as a
Confederate Soldier. [See Brooks records for other information]. They were the parents of:

328. Elizabeth Brooks
329. Turner Lee Brooks
330. Martha {Matie} Brooks
331. William T. Brooks
332. Mary A. Brooks
333. Claiburne J. Brooks
334. Clara Brooks
335. Church Brooks

208. George Robert Brooks was born September 30, 1939 and died January 8, 1908 in Callaway County. He
married March 14, 1878 to Martha B. Mosley in Callaway County. She was born Feb. 12, 1861 and died the 15th
of November, 1910. [See appendix for probate, etc.]. They lived on the original home place and are buried in the
family cemetery. George and Martha were the parents of:

336. Carrie Belle Brooks b. Mar. 29, 1879   married O. G. Powell not traced
337. Mary Anna Brooks   b. Aug. 6, 1880 married W. W. Burton not traced
338. George T. Brooks b. Oct 29, 1881     d. Sept. 19, 1884
339. Infant daughter    b & d. June 19, 1882
340. Clarence Brooks   b. Feb 6, 1886, d. Jan 8 1889
341. Nannie Cora Brooks
342. Elizabeth Frances [Lizzie] Brooks married William Smith

209. Lorenzo D. Brooks was born 1841 or 1842 in Callaway County or 1832/33 acording to his death certificate, age 81 when he died. and died August 21, 1914 at the
Confederate Old Soldiers Home at Higginsville, Missouri. Buried at Higginsville. . He never married and made his home with his brother,
George Robert until April 30, 1908, after George�s death. [See Brooks appendix].

210. Lafayette Brooks was born in Callaway County in 1842 or 1843. He died October 21, 1884 in New
Bloomfield, Callaway County, Missouri. He never married . He is buried either in the Brooks Family Cemetery or
at New Bloomfield. If there is a gravestone , it has not been found. [See Brooks Appendix for family story
regarding Lafayette].

211. Sarah Catherine Brooks , the youngest child of Thomas and Elizabeth was the only child that did not live
to adulthood. She was born May 2, 1846 and died October 4, 1851. She is buried in the family cemetery.

Please note that this information has been used with permission from a copyrighted 1989 book on this Brooks Family. You may freely link to this page, but you MAY NOT copy it in any form, publish on another website page, or in paper form.
For more information on this family- please contact me.     E-MAIL