Thomas Isaiah Guymon

CHILDREN OF THOMAS GUYMON

1. Isaiah Guymon Born 15 February 1810 in Surry County, North Carolina
2. John Guymon Born 28 November 1811 in Surry County, North Carolina
3. William Guymon Born 23 January 1815 in Surry County, North Carolina
4. James Guymon Born 27 December 1816 in Jackson County, Tennessee
5. Noah Thomas Guymon Born 30 June 1819 in Jackson County, Tennessee
6. Martin Guymon Born 12 June 1821 in Jackson County, Tennessee
7. Barzilla Guymon Born 31 December 1823 in Jackson County, Tennessee
8. Elizabeth Guymon Born 19 July 1826 in Edgar County, Illinois
9. Polly Ann Guymon Born 11 July 1829 in Edgar County, Illinois
10. Sarah Jane Guymon Born 11 July 1829 in Edgar County, Illinois
11. Melissa Jane Guymon Born 14 February 1833 in Edgar County, Illinois

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https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KWJ2-ZD6

HISTORY OF
THOMAS GUYMON

BORN: 17 March 1787 at Surry County, North Carolina
PARENTS: Isaiah Guymon & Elizabeth Flynn
PIONEER: 12 September 1850 with the Aaron Johnson Company Wagon Train (63 years old)
SPOUSE: Sarah Gordon
MARRIED: 23 February 1809 at Stokes County, North Carolina
DIED: 20 October 1855 at Springville, Utah, Utah

Thomas Guymon was born March 17, 1787, a son of Isaiah Guymon and Elizabeth Flynn.  His father Isaiah was the first Guymon born in the United States and a soldier of the Revolutionary War.  We know very little about the childhood days of Thomas Guymon.  The first we know he was a young man living in Surry County, North Carolina.  He was a good-natured man and was like by everyone who knew him.  He was an ambitious young man with a fairly good education for those days; for we know he had enough education to be a schoolteacher.  He was also a farmer.  It seems that in the first part of the nineteenth century people only had time for school when there was no farm work to be done; therefore he farmed in the summer and taught school in the winter.  The descendants of Thomas Guymon have in their possession a contract, which reads as follows:

CONTRACT FOR TEACHING SCHOOL

"Articles of an agreement made and entered into between Thomas Guymon of the County of Jackson in the State of Tennessee of the first part and we the undersigners of the other part.  The said Thomas Guymon does bind himself to teach a school for three months of reading and writing five days out of every week, at the rate of six dollars per year.  One half in current money to be paid at the end of school; one half to be paid in cotton, wool or cloth delivered at the home of said Guymon; or corn or pork at the market price delivered at the mouth Procters Creek.  The trade to be paid on or before the 25th of December.  The schoolhouse to be built at the Dripping Spring, between that of Guymon and Orson Martins.  The school to begin on the second Monday in August.  The said Guymon to make up lost time that he does loose.  The said Guymon is to keep good order in the school.  The subscribers with the teacher are to build a good sufficient schoolhouse.  The house is to be ready in good time.  Signed this 11th day of July 1821.  Signed: Thomas Hicken, Archibald M. Levant, Orson Martin, Salton Coyd and John McLearn."

Along with the other work Thomas Guymon did while living in Tennessee, he operated a ferry boat crossing over the Cumberland River. His ferry consisted of several boats, some large and some small. The large boats were big enough to carry two teams and wagons. Horsepower ran the large boats. The horse was in the center of the boat, the horse went round and round, which worked the paddles and the paddles, pushed the boat across the river. The small boats were propelled by hand or by a rope stretched across the river.
Thomas married Sarah Gordon the 23rd day of February 1809 and together their married life began in Surry County, North Carolina. Here their first three sons were born. They moved from North Carolina to Jackson County, Tennessee about 1815. Tennessee was the birthplace of their next three sons and one daughter. They lived in Tennessee for some ten years and then they moved to Paris, Edgar County, Illinois, where three more daughters were born to them.
One beautiful day in 1836 Thomas' son, James came home very excited with information of a new church. It was different from the other churches they had known. Thomas and his sons were out in the forest chopping wood. When James told them his story they listened with interest and when James had finished speaking, Thomas stood upon a log and said, "Jim that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is just what we have been looking for." Thomas and his wife Sarah, his sons James and Thomas and his daughters Barzilla, Polly Ann and Melissa Jane were converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They soon joined the Saints and were with them through all their persecutions.

From the history of Caldwell County the following information was obtained.  A document or covenant made in Caldwell County, Missouri, January 29, 1839.  Among the signers we find the name of Thomas Guymon and his son Noah Thomas.

"We whose names are here underwritten, do each for ourselves individually here-by covenant to stand by and assist each other to the utmost of our abilities, in removing from this state in compliance with the authority of the state; and we do hereby acknowledge ourselves firmly bound to the extent of all our available property to be disposed of by a committee who shall be appointed for that purpose, for providing means for removing of the poor and destitute who shall be considered worthy from this country till there shall not be one left who desires to move from the state; with this proviso, that no individual shall be deprived of the right of the disposal of his own property for the above purpose or having the control of it or so much of it as shall be necessary for the removal of his own family and be entitled to the surplus after the work is affected and furthermore said committee shall give receipts for all property and an account of all expenditures of the same." (There were 214 signers).
The committee members were as follows: William Huntington, Charles Bird, Alanson Ripley, Theodore Turley, Daniel Shearer, Shadrack Roundy and Jonithan H. Hale.
In Volume Six, page 337, of the History of the Church we find that Thomas Guymon filled a mission to North Carolina in the year 1844. This was his birthplace.
Thomas came across the plains to Utah, leaving Illinois in the spring of 1850 with the Aaron Johnson Company wagon train. With him were his children who had joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with the exception of James who came the year before. The children were all married and had families of their own, except Melissa Jane and she and her future husband did their courting while crossing the plains. They arrived in Salt Lake Valley in 12 September 1850. Thomas lived only five years after coming to Utah. The fact that they had joined the church had divided his family; because his sons Isaiah, John and William never joined the church and as a result they and their families remained in the state of Illinois. He never for one moment regretted joining the Church but he did regret the separation in his family. We have many copies of letters exchanged between those who remained in the east with those who came west.

Thomas Guymon died in Springville, Utah County, Utah 20 October 1855.

CHILDREN OF THOMAS GUYMON

Isaiah Guymon Born 15 February 1810 in Surry County, North Carolina
John Guymon Born 28 November 1811 in Surry County, North Carolina
William Guymon Born 23 January 1815 in Surry County, North Carolina
James Guymon Born 27 December 1816 in Jackson County, Tennessee
Noah Thomas Guymon Born 30 June 1819 in Jackson County, Tennessee
Martin Guymon Born 12 June 1821 in Jackson County, Tennessee
Barzilla Guymon Born 31 December 1823 in Jackson County, Tennessee
Elizabeth Guymon Born 19 July 1826 in Edgar County, Illinois
Polly Ann Guymon Born 11 July 1829 in Edgar County, Illinois
Sarah Jane Guymon Born 11 July 1829 in Edgar County, Illinois
Melissa Jane Guymon Born 14 February 1833 in Edgar County, Illinois

GUYMON, Thomas (1787-1855), born in Stokes County, North Carolina. Married Sarah Gordon, 1809. Resided in Jackson County, Tennessee, 1816-1823, and Edgar County, Illinois, 1826-1833. Crossed the plains to Utah in 1850 and settled at Springville, Utah County, where he died. [PJSv2]

Obtained from Marchelle Nielson

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: May 4 2023, 19:50:48 UTC