Betty Thomas, daughter of John Thomas, Sr. and Molly (Clark) Thomas, was born on December 26, 1770, but the birth location was never noted in written Quaker records. We now know Betty's birth evidently occurred in Anson County in the Province of North Carolina, because her Quaker parents were living near Hailey's Ferry east of the Great Pee Dee River from around the 1750s until 1782 when they moved to Guilford County, North Carolina. John and Molly Thomas would have been married in Anson County, Province of North Carolina before their first child, Isaac, was born there in 1767.

In the 1990s, a retired educator Trent Strickland, proved Pee Dee Meeting had incorrectly been located in South Carolina for over 168 years! Betty's maternal grandfather, Francis Clark, Jr., was one of the trustees who donated land for a meeting house and graveyard for what was called Pee Dee Preparative Meeting - located south of what is now known as Cordova, Richmond County, North Carolina. [SOURCE: "The Forgotten Quaker Meeting of Richmond County, N.C." per Internet Archive.org]

 An 1827 book called "History of Wayne county, Indiana, from its first settlement to the present time : with numerous biographical and family sketches" shows the name as Mary Thomas as wife of Moses Mendenhall. The author, Andrew Young, did not list children of John & Molly who had died. A sister of Betty born in 1733 was named Mary and looks like the author dropped down a line on a written family tree to accidently substitute Mary for Betty.

Quaker marriage records show Moses Mendenhall and Betty Thomas were married on January 13, 1790 in the New Garden Meeting House of Guilford County, North Carolina where the bride lived. [Source: New Garden Monthly Meeting Minutes, Vol III, 1783-1800. Actual page 233 & image 289 per Ancestry]

On June 26, 1790, this New Garden Monthly Meeting granted Betty Mendenhall a certificate to nearby Springfield Monthly Meeting, also in Guilford County, where her husband was a member.

The legal will of Moses Mendenhall was signed on September 12, 1804 in Guilford County, NC and refers to "Betty his beloved wife". After the 1805 death of her husband, Betty requested a membership certificate on December 6, 1806 from Springfield Monthly Meeting for herself and her children to Piney Grove Monthly Meeting in Marlboro Co., South Carolina where her parents were living at a distance of around 120 miles. The removal was approved one month later on January 3, 1807 by Springfield MM. Actual Piney Grove minutes have been badly smudged and a recorded date of death for Betty cannot be identified. The name was also legally stated as 'Betty Mendenhall' on her estate papers first recorded April 8, 1807 in Marlborough District in South Carolina & thus she would have died prior to this date. The 'Just and True account' was signed by probate administrators, Stephen Thomas (brother) and John Thomas, Sr. {father) on April 1, 1809.

Children of Moses and Betty Mendenhall were all born in Guilford County, North Carolina:

1. Francis Mendenhall b. 19 Nov 1790; d. Franklin IN, married a Mary (Polly) Albertson.

2. Alice Mendenhall b. 15 Oct 1791, married on 21 Mar 1811 in the Piney Grove M.H. to Elick Beauchamp, who requested a certificate for Whitewater M.M., IN on 21 Nov 1812. Ellick and sons Jesse and Miles were received at New Garden MM in Wayne County, IN on 21 Dec 1816 from Whitewater MM, IN. Ellick or Alex died before 1820. Alice remarried to Nathan Jessup - both died in Henry Co., IN.

3. Mary Mendenhall b. 5 Mar 1793 died unmarried in NC.

4. Dinah Mendenhall b. 21 Jan 1796, married a man named Spray, both died in Ohio.

5. Betty Mendenhall b. 21 Feb 1797

6. Rebecca Mendenhall b. 21 Jan 1799, married Mathew Beauchamp, lived in Grant Co., IN.

7. Moses Mendenhall b. 7 Dec 1800, married Margery Buckingham and both died in Randolph Co., IN.

8. Ziba Mendenhall b. 12 June 1804 d. 27 Apr 1806.

~ Bio of February 14, 2024 by 3rd great grandniece Joan Henshaw # 46948607