Thomas Jackson Denson was the youngest of four sons and eight children of a Methodist minister, Levi Phillips Denson. He was born near Arbacoochee, Randolph County (now Cleburne County) AL. His mother was Juliann (Jones) Denson. On December 29, 1878 at the age of fifteen, he married Amanda Symington Burdette, the daughter of William Howard and Julia Ann (Prather) Burdette, in Cleburne County AL. Their first two children died in infancy in 1879 and 1880 before their son, Paine Denson was born on October 8, 1882 (died on January 30 1955). This was followed by Anna (Annie) Eugenia (Denson) Aaron (born March 17 1885, died June 23 1962), Margaret (Maggie) Francis (Denson) Cagle (born July 4 1887, died April 13 1969), Jarusha (Ruth) Henrietta (Denson) Edwards (born July 3 1893, died April 25 1978), Howard Burdette Denson (born August 4 1897, died July 17 1950), and another child who died as an infant. Around 1900 he relocated to winston County, Alabama and shows up on the Winston COunty 1900 Census as head of household living the the Dismal community. In 1904 he received a patent for land in eastern Winston County, near the present-day town of Arley, Alabama. After the death of his first wife, he married Lillie Florida Cagle, the older sister of his son-in-law, A.M. Cagle, but the marriage quickly dissolved. He then married Lola Mahalia Akers of Logan AL on 20 December 1912. There were three daughters born to this union: Vera (Denson) Nunn (born October 17 1913), Violet (Denson) Hinton (born February 13 1915), and Tommye Mahalia (Denson) Mauldin (born August 6 1916), all of whom were excellent singers. He, along with his brother, Seaborn McDaniel Denson, were successful teachers, directors, leaders, and writers of Sacred Harp (fa-sol-la) music throughout Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas, starting in the early 1900s and up until the time of their deaths. He was affectionately known to many as "Uncle Tom." All of Thomas and Amanda Denson's children were actively involved in singing and writing Sacred Harp music. In 1911, he and his brother assisted Joseph Stephen James with hs revision of the Original Sacred Harp Songbook (compiled by William Walker and B.F. White in the mid-1800s). In 1933, they bought the rights to the 1911 Sacred Harp revision, which eventually led to a publication of the Denson Revision in 1936. Unfortunately, he died before the Sacred Harp Denson Revision was published and his son, Paine Denson, saw it to completion. In 1944, a monument was erected to the honor and memory of these Denson brothers on the grounds of the Winston County Courthouse at Double Springs AL to commemorate their ceaseless efforts in promoting Sacred Harp singing during the course of their lives. He was a member of the Masons and the Odd Fellows. His children, Paine, Howard, Jarusha (Ruth), and Anna are also buried at Fairview Cemetery in Double Springs AL where he and his 1st wife are interred; his daughter Margaret (Maggie), is buried at Live Oak Cemetery in Selma AL.