CAMPBELL COUNTY, VA - HISTORY - Campbell Chronicles and Family Sketches
			Family  Sketches - Thurman
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                   CAMPBELL CHRONICLES and FAMILY SKETCHES

              Embracing the History of CAMPBELL COUNTY, VIRGINIA
                                  1782-1926
                                By R. H. EARLY
                              With Illustrations
                              J. P. BELL COMPANY
                           LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 1927


Thurman (In all early records this name is written Thurmon.)

  The Thurman family were settled in Bedford before its division, two members,
William and Richard, being on record among Campbell's early entries. Richard
Thurman married Anne ______

  In 1779 Rd. Thurman patented 415 acres on Seneca creek; in 1785 James Gatewood
of Bedford county sold John Thurman for £10OO specie, 314 acres on the north
fork of Pigeon branch, William Thurman a witness to the deed.

  In 1782 Richard Thurman purchased of George Vest 130 acres of land at the
corner of a locust thicket adjoining Benjamin Gilbert's, John Traylor's and
Micajah Terrell's lines; this was the property upon which he resided, and it was
situated upon a branch of Seneca creek; he and his wife, Anne, sold this place
in 1784 to Shelldrake Brown, and also sold Brown 415 acres lying on both sides
of Phelps' old road along the east side of Seneca creek, beginning at Benjamin
Gilbert's. Following the disposal of his land he moved to Lynchburg, and for
some years (until 1822) he was tobacco inspector at Spring Warehouse with Edward
Lynch and Thomas Franklin securities on his bond to the governor. It was perhaps
his son (or brother), John Thurman, also located in Lynchburg, who was
affectionately known in the town as "Uncle Thurman." When very young he had
held, during the Revolutionary War, a position in the army, and had the
privilege of residing for some time with Washington and La Fayette in the stone
building in Richmond now so valued on account of its distinguished inmates at
that time. When General Lafayette visited Richmond in 1825 John Thurman went to
call on him there,-dressed in the same clothes he had worn while living in the
stone house with the two generals—and was received affectionately by Lafayette
with open arms.

  Thurman lived to extreme old age. His son, John, married a daughter of Mrs.
Essex, also of Lynchburg, and lived not far from the old town reservoir.

  John Thurman, Jr., was a saddler by trade. He was of a very religious
disposition, and established the first Sunday school that was started in
Virginia. This was in 1817 and the school was then held in the old Methodist
church.

  John Thurman, Jr., died in 1855, leaving a large family of children. Richard
Thurman married Sallie Lewellen, a woman of large charities, who supplied many
poor persons with food from her bakery. Placed at one period of her life in
great poverty and difficulties, by patient industry, energy and economy, she not
only retrieved the fortunes of her husband but reaped a fortune for herself.
Mrs. Thurman died in 184O, leaving two children, one of whom was Samuel Thurman
of Lynchburg. A sketch of Mrs. Thurman, portraying her fine traits of character
and her magnanimity, was written at the time of her death by Richard K. Cralle
of Lynchburg. In 1785 John Thurman, Sr., was one of a committee of four
appointed to view the nearest and best way for a road from the county line near
Richard Timberlake's, leading past Samuel Scott's plantation and Tate's mill to
Lynch's ferry. In 182O John Thurman, Jr., was mayor of Lynchburg.

  William Thurman, son of John, lived at a place called Thurman's Spring (named
for him, though he was not its first occupant). The ground upon which it stood
(near Lynchburg), was purchased by a man named Williams, who built there a very
expensive house, one room of which .was designed for a mercantile store, and
extended over the spring. He also built a large brick warehouse, which caused
the place to be called Williamsburg; but Williams only remained a short time,
and the warehouse was destroyed. The dwelling was rented at various times; Rev.
Samuel Tompkins kept a boys' school there. Henry Thurman married Quintilla
Adams, had seven sons; this family moved to Franklin county.

  Senator Allan G. Thurman, whose family moved to Ohio, the state he represented
in the United States senate so notably, was of this Campbell county connection.
A Lynchburg member of the branch which remained in the county, E. Thurman Bond,
is at the present time the delegate in Virginia Legislature from Lynchburg. He
married Lucy Lillian, daughter of Edwin Wills, and descendant of John W. Wills,
one time delegate to Virginia Assembly, from Lynchburg.


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