This family history is taken from the Old Buncombe County Heritage Book. Family No. 579 AARON THOMAS FAMILY Among the early settlers in the Valley of the Toe River was Aaron Thomas (born 1770-1782; died about 1889), who married Elizabeth Huntsinger (Hunsucker, born 1775-1781; died about 186?) and lived on Roses Branch, present Yancey County). In the 1850 census he lists his place of birth as Georgia, but in 1860 as S.C. This difference apparently reflects the controversy that arose between these two states and N.C. concerning mutual borders, out of which rose Walton Co., Ga. (formerly S.C.) This lead to the so-called "Georgia War" (a legal struggle which reached the U. S. Congress) and the ultimate transfer of the area to Buncombe Co., N.C. an even earlier Aaron Thomas, a resident of Macon Co., received a pension for service during the Revolution. When the Thomas family settled on Roses Branch, it was still unbroken wilderness. It is related that as Mrs. Thomas was doing family wash in the front yard one day, she notice a movement in the thicket nearby. Looking more closely, she spied a number of Indians keeping watch on her. Bill Thomas (a grandson of this couple), when in his 90's of age, related that Aaron and Elizabeth had the following children (for which I have supplied dates and spouses, based upon census and tradition): (1) Joseph G. ("Jose," ca 1804 - ). who married Nancy (ca. 1809) and lived (in Crabtree Twp.) Yancey Co.; (2) John (ca. 1806 - ), who married Lucinda Wilson (ca. 1808 - ) and lived near Ledger in Mitchell Co.; (3) Job (ca. 1807 - ?), who married Nancy Deaton (1819-1886, daughter of Nathan and Sarah Knight Deaton: for which see the present volume) and moved to Know Co., Ky. (Some members later returned to Yancey Co.); (4) Cynthia (ca. 1812-1894), who married James Howell (ca.1812=186? son of James and Martha ?, for whom see present volume, from descended the author of this sketch) and lived near Bandana in Mitchell Co.; (5) (Robert?) Hosea (ca. 181? - ), who reportedly moved to KY.; (6) James (dates uncertain), who reportedly "went West"; (7) Thomas (1819-1912), who married Rachel Silvers (1832-1919) and lived in Yancey Co. (Brush Creek Twp.); and (8) Aaron, Jr. (born 1817-1824, died), who married Almyra Silvers (? ca. 1817- ) and moved to Avery Co., (and was often referred to as "Roaring Aaron, because of his strong voice.) Other sources claim the following additional children of Aaron and Elizabeth: (9) the descendants of Nathan Deaton claim that his son Thomas (Born ca. 1799) married "a sister of Job Thomas" (i.e., a daughter of Aaron and Elizabeth): in the 1850 Yancey Census (#191) Thomas Deyton is already a widower (/); (10) Descendants of Aaron, Jr. have listed Henry...(this line at the bottom of the page did not copy..JSH) (......?) and "went West (the 1850 Census has him next-door to Aaron, Jr. and with appropriately named children). There is considerable confusion in oral genealogies of this family, because of the repeated use of the name Aaron. For example, "Roaring Aaron" (no.8) is confused with "Water Aaron" (1820-1924, named because he liked to fish, who is the son of John and Lucinda, no. 2), and either of them may be confused with old Aaron, Sr. (who married Elizabeth). This is compounded by the designations "Big Aaron" and "Little Aaron," and by the fact that two of them lived to be more than 100 years of age; "Water Aaron" to 104, and another to 112 (Aaron, Sr.?). There are several other Thomases in the are by 1850, some of them likely descended from James Thomas, Sr., aged 50-60 in the 1840 Yancey Census: he has seven children including four sons. Family tradition that pioneer Aaron lived on Roses Branch is supported by a deed of 1834 (Bk. l, p. 118 Yancey Co.) in which Aaron Thomas buys two parcels of land from R. Love, one of them containing 100 acres on Roses Branch and Toe River, adjoining Deyton property (for which see "Nathan Deaton Family" in the present volume). There is also a Thomas Cemetery near the mouth of Roses Branch, containing the graves of son Thomas (no. 7) and wife Rachel; John (1796-1891); and 27 unmarked graves. Across the river, on what is also called Roses Branch, there are "19 graves (unmarked), most of them are said to be Riddles and Thomases" (according to the 1967 survey). Source: Personal Knowledge__Sandra D. Smith