Son of William Alexander Thompson, Jr. and Margaret Ritchie Thompson.
In his early teens, William carried his belongings on a stick and worked his way south through Virginia where he found work at a grist-mill. The grist-mill was on a plantation owned by John Berger. William got acquainted with Berger's daughter Mary Ellen. The young couple eloped and were able to cross the Ohio River and looked back to see Berger and his men and dogs on the other side. Her father turned and gave up the chase. William was 16 and Mary was 18. They were married in Virginia on Sept. 26 1819.
The couple had a family of 13 children; eight sons and five daughters of whom eleven grew to be men and women. They removed from the state of Virginia to Henry Co. Indiana, in the spring of 1832, and lived there until the spring of 1839 when they moved to Madison County to a farm near Ovid, and later moved to a farm of 160 acres at the town of Prosperity. William operated a Trading Post in Prosperity where he sold supplies to the pioneers going west in covered wagons.
William's early trade was that of shoe-making, but when he came to Madison County he abandoned that vocation and choose farming as his occupation. In 1828 he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church and continued as a member until 1830. He then allied himself with the Old School Baptist Church. On the first Saturday in August 1830, he preached his first sermon and continued to preach without intermission until the end of his life.
In Ovid, New Columbus, the Little Killbuck Old School Baptist Church was organized on the third Saturday in June 1842 at the house of Moses Maynard. Soon after they elected Rev. Wm. A. Thompson as pastor.
William was always remarkable for his good health and fine physical constitution, and above all for his good temper. He was a fluent speaker, and his eloquence was forceful and impressive. In 1856, he was elected a member of the Indiana Legislature, serving one term with great honor to himself and the people. He was one of the commission who voted against the state paying the Wabash and Erie canal bonds. In 1863 he was elected Madison County Commissioner. During his one term in that office he was mainly instrumental in having Madison county issue bonds to pay bounties to the soldiers who had volunteered for the cause of the Union.
Mary Ellen died on May 3 1864. William married Mrs. Sarah (Gregg) Richards, widow of John Richards, who had been a Baptist minister in Grant Co., Indiana, on November 3, 1864.
In his early teens, William carried his belongings on a stick and worked his way south through Virginia where he found work at a grist-mill. The grist-mill was on a plantation owned by John Berger. William got acquainted with Berger's daughter Mary Ellen. The young couple eloped and were able to cross the Ohio River and looked back to see Berger and his men and dogs on the other side. Her father turned and gave up the chase. William was 16 and Mary was 18. They were married in Virginia on Sept. 26 1819.
The couple had a family of 13 children; eight sons and five daughters of whom eleven grew to be men and women. They removed from the state of Virginia to Henry Co. Indiana, in the spring of 1832, and lived there until the spring of 1839 when they moved to Madison County to a farm near Ovid, and later moved to a farm of 160 acres at the town of Prosperity. William operated a Trading Post in Prosperity where he sold supplies to the pioneers going west in covered wagons.
William's early trade was that of shoe-making, but when he came to Madison County he abandoned that vocation and choose farming as his occupation. In 1828 he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church and continued as a member until 1830. He then allied himself with the Old School Baptist Church. On the first Saturday in August 1830, he preached his first sermon and continued to preach without intermission until the end of his life.
In Ovid, New Columbus, the Little Killbuck Old School Baptist Church was organized on the third Saturday in June 1842 at the house of Moses Maynard. Soon after they elected Rev. Wm. A. Thompson as pastor.
William was always remarkable for his good health and fine physical constitution, and above all for his good temper. He was a fluent speaker, and his eloquence was forceful and impressive. In 1856, he was elected a member of the Indiana Legislature, serving one term with great honor to himself and the people. He was one of the commission who voted against the state paying the Wabash and Erie canal bonds. In 1863 he was elected Madison County Commissioner. During his one term in that office he was mainly instrumental in having Madison county issue bonds to pay bounties to the soldiers who had volunteered for the cause of the Union.
Mary Ellen died on May 3 1864. William married Mrs. Sarah (Gregg) Richards, widow of John Richards, who had been a Baptist minister in Grant Co., Indiana, on November 3, 1864.
Son of William Alexander Thompson, Jr. and Margaret Ritchie Thompson.
In his early teens, William carried his belongings on a stick and worked his way south through Virginia where he found work at a grist-mill. The grist-mill was on a plantation owned by John Berger. William got acquainted with Berger's daughter Mary Ellen. The young couple eloped and were able to cross the Ohio River and looked back to see Berger and his men and dogs on the other side. Her father turned and gave up the chase. William was 16 and Mary was 18. They were married in Virginia on Sept. 26 1819.
The couple had a family of 13 children; eight sons and five daughters of whom eleven grew to be men and women. They removed from the state of Virginia to Henry Co. Indiana, in the spring of 1832, and lived there until the spring of 1839 when they moved to Madison County to a farm near Ovid, and later moved to a farm of 160 acres at the town of Prosperity. William operated a Trading Post in Prosperity where he sold supplies to the pioneers going west in covered wagons.
William's early trade was that of shoe-making, but when he came to Madison County he abandoned that vocation and choose farming as his occupation. In 1828 he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church and continued as a member until 1830. He then allied himself with the Old School Baptist Church. On the first Saturday in August 1830, he preached his first sermon and continued to preach without intermission until the end of his life.
In Ovid, New Columbus, the Little Killbuck Old School Baptist Church was organized on the third Saturday in June 1842 at the house of Moses Maynard. Soon after they elected Rev. Wm. A. Thompson as pastor.
William was always remarkable for his good health and fine physical constitution, and above all for his good temper. He was a fluent speaker, and his eloquence was forceful and impressive. In 1856, he was elected a member of the Indiana Legislature, serving one term with great honor to himself and the people. He was one of the commission who voted against the state paying the Wabash and Erie canal bonds. In 1863 he was elected Madison County Commissioner. During his one term in that office he was mainly instrumental in having Madison county issue bonds to pay bounties to the soldiers who had volunteered for the cause of the Union.
Mary Ellen died on May 3 1864. William married Mrs. Sarah (Gregg) Richards, widow of John Richards, who had been a Baptist minister in Grant Co., Indiana, on November 3, 1864.
In his early teens, William carried his belongings on a stick and worked his way south through Virginia where he found work at a grist-mill. The grist-mill was on a plantation owned by John Berger. William got acquainted with Berger's daughter Mary Ellen. The young couple eloped and were able to cross the Ohio River and looked back to see Berger and his men and dogs on the other side. Her father turned and gave up the chase. William was 16 and Mary was 18. They were married in Virginia on Sept. 26 1819.
The couple had a family of 13 children; eight sons and five daughters of whom eleven grew to be men and women. They removed from the state of Virginia to Henry Co. Indiana, in the spring of 1832, and lived there until the spring of 1839 when they moved to Madison County to a farm near Ovid, and later moved to a farm of 160 acres at the town of Prosperity. William operated a Trading Post in Prosperity where he sold supplies to the pioneers going west in covered wagons.
William's early trade was that of shoe-making, but when he came to Madison County he abandoned that vocation and choose farming as his occupation. In 1828 he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church and continued as a member until 1830. He then allied himself with the Old School Baptist Church. On the first Saturday in August 1830, he preached his first sermon and continued to preach without intermission until the end of his life.
In Ovid, New Columbus, the Little Killbuck Old School Baptist Church was organized on the third Saturday in June 1842 at the house of Moses Maynard. Soon after they elected Rev. Wm. A. Thompson as pastor.
William was always remarkable for his good health and fine physical constitution, and above all for his good temper. He was a fluent speaker, and his eloquence was forceful and impressive. In 1856, he was elected a member of the Indiana Legislature, serving one term with great honor to himself and the people. He was one of the commission who voted against the state paying the Wabash and Erie canal bonds. In 1863 he was elected Madison County Commissioner. During his one term in that office he was mainly instrumental in having Madison county issue bonds to pay bounties to the soldiers who had volunteered for the cause of the Union.
Mary Ellen died on May 3 1864. William married Mrs. Sarah (Gregg) Richards, widow of John Richards, who had been a Baptist minister in Grant Co., Indiana, on November 3, 1864.
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