Thomas was born in London, England in 1740, and came to America in 1750.

He married Rachel Oliphant in Virginia in 1762 or 1763. They came to Tennessee [Tennessee didn't become a state until 01 June 1796] in 1778 from Loudoun County, Virginia. Family Records

1790 was the first US Census (see Historic Note below).

1810 was the first Tennessee Census.

Fallen Graver, Trish Holaway wrote:

Thomas West (my 5th Great Grandfather)

born 1735, New Jersey [?]

son of Joseph West and Jane Owen,

married Rachel Oliphant.

father of eight:

Edward West (my 4th Great Grandfather)

Mary West

Rachel West

Samuel West

William West

Rebecca West

Jerusha West

and Ann West

Received this information:

DAR Library record Ancestor #: A123217 for Patriotic Service

1) SIGNED OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO MAKE LAND ENTRY, WASHINGTON CO #129, 2-26-1778

Contributor "record not available"

email: [email protected]

Historic Note:

William Blount, Southwest Territory (Tennessee)

He [William] was not part of the US Marshal Service but as governor of the Southwest Territory (present-day Tennessee), William Blount conducted the 1790 Census for the area. Blount was a veteran of the American Revolution and signatory of the US Constitution.

Initially, then-Secretary of State Jefferson informed Blount "that (the census) act has not required it (the census to be taken) in your Territory, nor provided for any expense which might attend it."

However, Blount ordered his militia captains to act as enumerators and count the Southwest Territory's population in an effort to advance the cause of statehood for the territory.

According to Blount's 1790 Census returns, the Southwest Territory had a population of 35,691, which meant that it failed to meet the threshold of 60,000 people required for a territory to become a state.

Undaunted, Blount continued to serve his fellow "Tennesseans" by creating the administrative groundwork essential for statehood, serving as one of Tennessee's first US senators (Aug. 2, 1796 – July 8, 1797), and as speaker of Tennessee's state Senate (1798 – 1799).