Sarah was born to John Dedmon and Emily H. Smith Cavender in 1840 or '41 in Union County, Georgia. In the first US Census where she appears, she is listed as Rebecca, 8 years old.
She married James Thomason in July of 1859, in Lumpkin County, GA. James was a blacksmith and worked in this capacity for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Her sister Emily married James' brother Hiram in 1867, and in late 1868 or early '69, both families moved to East Tennessee and settled in what would soon become Hamblen County.
Sarah had given birth to 4 children while still in Georgia, and they had 6 more children after moving to Tennessee. Their first child, sadly, passed away at a very young age. It must have been difficult to bury your firstborn and then move out of state.
Hiram and Emily also lost a child, 4-year-old Emley, in 1877. They buried her in the cemetery next to the Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church on Silver City Road in Hamblen County. In about 1888, Hiram and Emily moved their family to Missouri, as had many of the Thomasons from Georgia. But James and Sarah remained in Tennessee. James operated his own blacksmith shop on or near Silver City Road, in the Slop Creek / Shinbone Road area.
James passed away in October of 1889. They buried him high up on a hill above the homeplace. Then Sarah's youngest child, 8-year-old George Washington Conway, died 9 months later, and she buried him alongside his father.
Sarah's sister Emily died in 1895, a few days after giving birth to her 13th child at age 44. Hiram remarried to another of the Cavender sisters, Mary Melissa, in 1900. He is buried beside his two wives in Frisco Cemetery in Canadian County, Oklahoma.
Sadness came upon the family again, as Sarah lost another son, again the youngest of her living children: Wade died in 1905 at age 25.
Sarah spent her remaining years living with her son, Thomas Luther. In 1912, she applied for a Widow's Pension from the State of Tennessee. On the application, she stated they were very poor and she had no money and no property. Her application was denied because they could not verify on muster rolls that James was present in his unit for a significant amount of time.
Sarah passed away in 1921, and was buried up on that hilltop beside her husband and young son. James and Sarah had 39 grand-children, and many of their descendants still live in and around Hamblen County today.
Bio © Carole Thomason, 2016
She married James Thomason in July of 1859, in Lumpkin County, GA. James was a blacksmith and worked in this capacity for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Her sister Emily married James' brother Hiram in 1867, and in late 1868 or early '69, both families moved to East Tennessee and settled in what would soon become Hamblen County.
Sarah had given birth to 4 children while still in Georgia, and they had 6 more children after moving to Tennessee. Their first child, sadly, passed away at a very young age. It must have been difficult to bury your firstborn and then move out of state.
Hiram and Emily also lost a child, 4-year-old Emley, in 1877. They buried her in the cemetery next to the Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church on Silver City Road in Hamblen County. In about 1888, Hiram and Emily moved their family to Missouri, as had many of the Thomasons from Georgia. But James and Sarah remained in Tennessee. James operated his own blacksmith shop on or near Silver City Road, in the Slop Creek / Shinbone Road area.
James passed away in October of 1889. They buried him high up on a hill above the homeplace. Then Sarah's youngest child, 8-year-old George Washington Conway, died 9 months later, and she buried him alongside his father.
Sarah's sister Emily died in 1895, a few days after giving birth to her 13th child at age 44. Hiram remarried to another of the Cavender sisters, Mary Melissa, in 1900. He is buried beside his two wives in Frisco Cemetery in Canadian County, Oklahoma.
Sadness came upon the family again, as Sarah lost another son, again the youngest of her living children: Wade died in 1905 at age 25.
Sarah spent her remaining years living with her son, Thomas Luther. In 1912, she applied for a Widow's Pension from the State of Tennessee. On the application, she stated they were very poor and she had no money and no property. Her application was denied because they could not verify on muster rolls that James was present in his unit for a significant amount of time.
Sarah passed away in 1921, and was buried up on that hilltop beside her husband and young son. James and Sarah had 39 grand-children, and many of their descendants still live in and around Hamblen County today.
Bio © Carole Thomason, 2016
Sarah was born to John Dedmon and Emily H. Smith Cavender in 1840 or '41 in Union County, Georgia. In the first US Census where she appears, she is listed as Rebecca, 8 years old.
She married James Thomason in July of 1859, in Lumpkin County, GA. James was a blacksmith and worked in this capacity for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Her sister Emily married James' brother Hiram in 1867, and in late 1868 or early '69, both families moved to East Tennessee and settled in what would soon become Hamblen County.
Sarah had given birth to 4 children while still in Georgia, and they had 6 more children after moving to Tennessee. Their first child, sadly, passed away at a very young age. It must have been difficult to bury your firstborn and then move out of state.
Hiram and Emily also lost a child, 4-year-old Emley, in 1877. They buried her in the cemetery next to the Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church on Silver City Road in Hamblen County. In about 1888, Hiram and Emily moved their family to Missouri, as had many of the Thomasons from Georgia. But James and Sarah remained in Tennessee. James operated his own blacksmith shop on or near Silver City Road, in the Slop Creek / Shinbone Road area.
James passed away in October of 1889. They buried him high up on a hill above the homeplace. Then Sarah's youngest child, 8-year-old George Washington Conway, died 9 months later, and she buried him alongside his father.
Sarah's sister Emily died in 1895, a few days after giving birth to her 13th child at age 44. Hiram remarried to another of the Cavender sisters, Mary Melissa, in 1900. He is buried beside his two wives in Frisco Cemetery in Canadian County, Oklahoma.
Sadness came upon the family again, as Sarah lost another son, again the youngest of her living children: Wade died in 1905 at age 25.
Sarah spent her remaining years living with her son, Thomas Luther. In 1912, she applied for a Widow's Pension from the State of Tennessee. On the application, she stated they were very poor and she had no money and no property. Her application was denied because they could not verify on muster rolls that James was present in his unit for a significant amount of time.
Sarah passed away in 1921, and was buried up on that hilltop beside her husband and young son. James and Sarah had 39 grand-children, and many of their descendants still live in and around Hamblen County today.
Bio © Carole Thomason, 2016
She married James Thomason in July of 1859, in Lumpkin County, GA. James was a blacksmith and worked in this capacity for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Her sister Emily married James' brother Hiram in 1867, and in late 1868 or early '69, both families moved to East Tennessee and settled in what would soon become Hamblen County.
Sarah had given birth to 4 children while still in Georgia, and they had 6 more children after moving to Tennessee. Their first child, sadly, passed away at a very young age. It must have been difficult to bury your firstborn and then move out of state.
Hiram and Emily also lost a child, 4-year-old Emley, in 1877. They buried her in the cemetery next to the Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church on Silver City Road in Hamblen County. In about 1888, Hiram and Emily moved their family to Missouri, as had many of the Thomasons from Georgia. But James and Sarah remained in Tennessee. James operated his own blacksmith shop on or near Silver City Road, in the Slop Creek / Shinbone Road area.
James passed away in October of 1889. They buried him high up on a hill above the homeplace. Then Sarah's youngest child, 8-year-old George Washington Conway, died 9 months later, and she buried him alongside his father.
Sarah's sister Emily died in 1895, a few days after giving birth to her 13th child at age 44. Hiram remarried to another of the Cavender sisters, Mary Melissa, in 1900. He is buried beside his two wives in Frisco Cemetery in Canadian County, Oklahoma.
Sadness came upon the family again, as Sarah lost another son, again the youngest of her living children: Wade died in 1905 at age 25.
Sarah spent her remaining years living with her son, Thomas Luther. In 1912, she applied for a Widow's Pension from the State of Tennessee. On the application, she stated they were very poor and she had no money and no property. Her application was denied because they could not verify on muster rolls that James was present in his unit for a significant amount of time.
Sarah passed away in 1921, and was buried up on that hilltop beside her husband and young son. James and Sarah had 39 grand-children, and many of their descendants still live in and around Hamblen County today.
Bio © Carole Thomason, 2016
Family Members
Siblings
Children
-
Emily Huse Thomason
1860–1861
-
![]()
John James Thomason
1863–1948
-
![]()
Henry David Thomason
1865–1945
-
![]()
Susan Thomason Howington
1867–1937
-
![]()
Young Pinkney Thomason
1869–1942
-
![]()
Joseph Dedmon Thomason
1871–1934
-
![]()
Thomas Luther Thomason
1874–1942
-
![]()
Jacob Lafayette Thomason
1877–1960
-
![]()
Wade Napoleon Thomason
1879–1905
-
![]()
George Washington Conway Thomason
1882–1890
Flowers
Advertisement
