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My Paternal Grandmother Descended From A Thigpen Family That Migrated to Louisiana From North Carolina in 1800s.

I just recently discovered that my paternal grandmother Mary Alice Gaines descends from a European American Washington Parish family.

I noticed that my paternal Aunt Carrie has 6 AncestryDNA relative matches that descend from European American Thigpen families that migrated to Louisiana from North Carolina.

4 of them are European Americans that descend from William Walter James Norwood who was born in 1800 in Oslow, North Carolina and died in Halletsville, Texas in 1887. His father was John Travis Thigpen who was born in 1766 in Oslow and died in Washington Parish in 1855. His mother was Sally Cobb who was born in Edgecombe, North Carolina and died in Washington Parish in 1850.  The European Americans are distant cousins.  Both rholderman and J. Gray share a 43 cM segment with Aunt Carrie. Both  I. Schwille and K. Dean share a 9 cM segment with Aunt Carrie.

2 of them are African American that descend from James Thigpen who was born in 1768 in Duplin, North Carolina and died in Washington Parish, Louisiana in 1855.  The African Americans are siblings. D. Agueze shares a 14 cM segment with Aunt Carrie.  L. Thigpen shares 13 cM segment with Aunt Carrie. 


Aunt Carrie has 2 European American MyHeritage DNA relative matches that descend from European American Thigpen families.

One of them K. Shropshire is a descendant of  James Thigpen (born in 1716 in Perquimans County and died in Dobbs County, North Carolina in 1780) and Elizabeth Lawrence (born 1720 in Bertie County, North Carolina and died in Dobbs County, North Carolina in 1778), and they were John Travis Thigpen's paternal grandparents.

The other one B. Rogers is a descendant of James Thigpen IV (born in 1710 in Perquimans County and died in 1779 in Pitt County, North Carolina) and Mary Penelope Hill (born in 1713 in Pitt County, North Carolina and died in 1786 in Pitt, North Carolina), and they were the paternal grandparents of the aforementioned James Thigpen who was born in 1768 in Duplin, North Carolina and died in Washington Parish, Louisiana in 1855.

James Thigpen (1716 -1780) and James Thigpen IV's' paternal gandparents were James Thigpen II who was born in 1664 and died in 1731 and Elizabeth Manwaring who was born in 1670 in Westmoreland County, Virginia and died in 1718. Both died in Perquimans County, North Carolina.


The following are Aunt Carrie's AncestryDNA match that matches Aunt Carrie's AncestryDNA matches that are descendants of William Walter James Norwood and are also her MyHeritage matches. All of them are European Americans.

They all match Aunt Carrie in the same location on Chromosome 8


R. Bechard - Chromosome 8 164984 – 12589179 28.3 cM  (has Louisianan roots)

three siblings

P. True - Chromosome 8 164984 – 11363950 23.7 cM

T. True - Chromosome 8 164984 – 11225168 23.1 cM 

M. True - Chromosome 8 164984 – 11363950 23.7 cM 


B. Rogers match Aunt Carrie

Chromosome 8  8651879 – 20377523  - 23.2 cM


I'd conclude that my paternal grandmother Mary Alice Gaines was a descendant of James Thigpen II and Elizabeth Manwaring.  

This was not an ancestral family of her maternal grandfather's European American father James P. Cross who was born on Orange Grove Plantation in Lafourche Parish and the son of English American Benjamin Cross who was born in Gates County, North Carolina and Anastasia Bourgeois who was a 3/4 Acadian woman born in Plattenville, Assumption Parish.  It has to be on the side of one of her enslaved African American great grandparents. Because she descended from one of the Washington Parish Thigpen families, then only her maternal grandmother Mary Johnson has the possibility of being a descendant of one of the Washington Parish families.  Grandma Mary's maternal grandfather James Cross' mother was born in Virginia.  Grandma Mary's paternal grandfather's parents Reuben Gaines and Celecie Horton were born in Virginia and Georgia respectively. Grandma Mary's paternal grandmother's parents Edward Riley and Dolly Jackson were born in South Carolina and Kentucky respectively. 


There were Washington Parish Thigpen families that owned slaves. 


James Thigpen II's parents were James Thigpen and Elyn Travis, and they were born in Ireland and died in Perquimans County, North Carolina.   They immigrated to the Carolinas from Ireland in 1653.

Elizabeth Manwaring's father was Stephen Manwaring who was born in England and immigrated to the Virginia Colony. He was an officer in Bacon's Rebellion, was pardoned in 1677, and had his property confiscated. 


There is a book about this newly discovered ancestral family of mine , The Thigpen Tribe by Alice Whitley Smith. 

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Thigpen_Tribe.html?id=lRJsHAAACAAJ


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