Sharon I write two history articles each month for our local newspaper, the Oakdale Leader, and one of the past articles was on Alpheus Thompson. Thompson was given a Land Grant by the Mexican authorities and kept it for a period of time before selling it. I am attaching a copy of the ms. for the article and tells part of the story of Alpheus (Alfias)Thompson. If by chance this Thompson is one of the ones you are looking seeking I do have some more general information on his life, his family etc. He was quite a low-level power man in early Mexican California but that was because he married into the Mexican governor's family. Let me know what turns out. Glenn Burghardt www.oakdalehistorian.com [email protected]

Glenn, Thanks for your reply. I don't see an attachment to your email. I guess my main questions regarding Alpheus Thompson would be when did he live, where was he from, and was his rancho in the Emory township as of 1860? Actually, it would be a longshot that my Robert E. Thompson of Forsyth County, Georgia was related to him, but who knows. Robert (b.abt.1818-1819 GA, son of Joseph R. Thompson of NC or SC) left Forsyth Co. GA for California in 1857. He's one of the mysteries of my Thompson line. He shows up in Emory Township in 1860 with a wife Nancy, but no idea who she was. By 1870 he was down in Los Angeles County and was still there in 1880. Disappears after that. Interestingly, an 1871 letter from him survives. Haven't seen it, but have been told that in it he stated that he lived near the famous Gorman stage stop (which he referred to as "Mrs. Gorman's stage stop"--- his was the next dwelling on one census), was raising stock, growing grapes, and that his wife had "gone crazy." So, one thing I'm seeking is what in the world happened to his wife sometime during the 1860s. In 1870 in L.A. County he is not listed with a wife. Am also seeking who she was, and whether she was related to the Landrums and Baileys with whom he traveled to California. Thanks for your offer of help. Sharon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glenn & Laura Burghardt" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2007 6:02 PM Subject: Re: [CASTANIS] Thompson's Rancho; also, R.E. and Nancy Thompson 1860 census, Emory Township > Sharon > > I write two history articles each month for our local newspaper, the > Oakdale > Leader, and one of the past articles was on Alpheus Thompson. Thompson was > given a Land Grant by the Mexican authorities and kept it for a period of > time before selling it. I am attaching a copy of the ms. for the article > and > tells part of the story of Alpheus (Alfias)Thompson. If by chance this > Thompson is one of the ones you are looking seeking I do have some more > general information on his life, his family etc. He was quite a low-level > power man in early Mexican California but that was because he married into > the Mexican governor's family. > > Let me know what turns out. > > Glenn Burghardt > www.oakdalehistorian.com > [email protected] > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >