Robert Thompson and Mary Cannon

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Husband Robert Thompson ^{1 2 3}

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           Born: 1737 - County Derry, Ireland 2 3
     Christened: 
           Died: 13 Oct 1809 - Indiana Co, PA 4 5
         Buried:  - Gilgal Church, Indiana Co, PA

       Marriage: 

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Wife Mary Cannon ^{2 6 7}

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 25 Jan 1815 4 5
         Buried:  - Gilgal Church, Indiana Co, PA

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Children

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1 M Hugh Thompson ^{7 8 9}

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           Born: 1767 - County Derry, Ireland 10
     Christened: 
           Died: 13 Jun 1829 4 10
         Buried:  - Gilgal Church, Indiana Co, PA

         Spouse: Martha Thomson (1770-1848) 5 9
           Marr: Sep 1791 - Westmoreland Co, PA 10

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2 F Martha Thompson ^{2 7 11}

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           Born: 1775 10
     Christened: 
           Died: 5 Sep 1848 or 1852 - Rayne Twp, Indiana Co, PA 4 10 11
         Buried:  - Gilgal Church, Indiana Co, PA

         Spouse: Hugh Cannon (Abt 1779-1859) 4 10 11

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3 M James Thompson ^{2 7}

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           Born: 1778 10
     Christened: 
           Died: 13 Feb 1849 4 10
         Buried:  - Gilgal Church, Indiana Co, PA

         Spouse: Did Not Marry

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4 M John Thompson ^{2 7}

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           Born: 1781 10
     Christened: 
           Died: 27 Mar 1859 4 10
         Buried:  - Gilgal Church, Indiana Co, PA

         Spouse: Mary McCluskey (Abt 1783-1845) 4 6 10
           Marr: 26 Apr 1810 10

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5 F Margaretta Thompson ^{2 7}

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           Born: 1785 10
     Christened: 
           Died: 23 Feb 1864 4 10
 Cause of Death: Burned
         Buried:  - Gilgal Church, Indiana Co, PA

         Spouse: Did Not Marry

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6 F Elizabeth Thompson ^{2 7 12}

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           Born: 1788 10
     Christened: 
           Died: 13 Feb 1858 - East Mahoning Twp, Indiana Co, PA 4 10
         Buried:  - Gilgal Church, Indiana Co, PA

         Spouse: Henry Van Horn (1788-1877) 4 10 12
           Marr: 1815 4 10

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General Notes: Husband - Robert Thompson

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He was the founder of this Thompson family in America, was an early settler in the northern part of Indiana County, Pennsylvania. He was born in County Derry, [Londonderry?] Ireland, and came to America in 1789 with his wife and their six children, the family leaving Ireland May 29th. They first settled in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, thence moving to near Old Salem Church, in Derry township, Westmoreland County, where they lived for a few years. In 1795 they removed to what is now Rayne township, Indiana County, and settled on Thompson's run, nearly two miles above where Kelleysburg was later located.

He and his wife, with six children, came to America in 1778. [BHCIAC, 165]

His son Hugh and his young wife Martha, with their infant daughter, had attempted to settle in Indiana County alone in 1793, but Indian hostilities compelled them to return to their former home south of the Conemaugh river. Their permanent settlement in 1795 was made comparatively safe by General Wayne's defeat of the Indians in August, 1794, the land on which their settlement was made was originally vested in a near kinsman of Mrs. Thompson's, James Cannon, by deed from Thomas and John Penn, and the Thompsons afterwards became its owners.
We find from the history of the Presbytery of Kittanning that they, and their son Hugh and son-in-law Hugh Cannon, were among the founders of Gilgal Presbyterian congregation, about four miles from their home. "Gilgal, a mother of churches, traces her origin to an improvement in 1797 by Robert Thompson, Hugh Thompson and Hugh Cannon, from Westmoreland county, who were soon followed by other Presbyterians." To Mrs. Thompson belonged the honor of giving to the organization its name Gilgal.
It is related that on the evening of the day the family arrived in what is now Rayne township, though they had no cabin for shelter, Robert Thompson conducted family worship, seated with the older members of the family on a fallen timber in the woods, holding the younger children in their arms. His farm was selected from the northern portion of the tract, and after he and his wife died their son James and daughter Margaretta, neither of whom ever married, occupied it.

He died in 1807, at the age of eighty-four. [HIC 1880, 337] Which dates are substantially different from those given in [HIC 1913].

1 Editor, History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania (Newark, OH: J. A. Caldwell, 1880), Pg 337, 525.

2 Samuel T. Wiley, Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong Counties, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: John M. Gresham & Co., 1891), Pg 165.

3 J. T. Stewart, Indiana County, Pennsylvania - Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1913), Pg 708, 1178.

4 Samuel T. Wiley, Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong Counties, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: John M. Gresham & Co., 1891), Pg 166.

5 J. T. Stewart, Indiana County, Pennsylvania - Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1913), Pg 709, 1179.

6 Editor, History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania (Newark, OH: J. A. Caldwell, 1880), Pg 525.

7 J. T. Stewart, Indiana County, Pennsylvania - Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1913), Pg 708, 1179.

8 Editor, History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania (Newark, OH: J. A. Caldwell, 1880), Pg 337.

9 Samuel T. Wiley, Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong Counties, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: John M. Gresham & Co., 1891), Pg 164.

10 J. T. Stewart, Indiana County, Pennsylvania - Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1913), Pg 709.

11 Editor, History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania (Newark, OH: J. A. Caldwell, 1880), Pg 518.

12 Editor, History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania (Newark, OH: J. A. Caldwell, 1880), Pg 479.