Thomas Douglas (Red Tom) CHAMBERS

Male 1858 - 1931  (73 years)


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  • Name Thomas Douglas (Red Tom) CHAMBERS 
    Born 3 Feb 1858  Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Male 
    _UID FE44085490FA44E09BCF7BB890F0AE52694F 
    Died 19 Apr 1931  Buchanan Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    • Virginia, Deaths, 1912-2014. Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia

      Name: Thomas Douglas Chambers
      Gender: Male
      Race: White
      Age at Death: 75 years 2 months and 16 days
      Birth Date: 2 Feb 1876 [Note: It looks like the registrar wrote in his birth year as 1876, when in should be 1856 according to his age]
      Death Date: 19 Apr 1931
      Death Place: Garden, Buchanan, Virginia, USA
      Registration Date: 20 Apr 1931
      Father: Gillespie Thomas [Thomas Gillespie]
      Mother: Emmyline Chambers
      Certificate Number: 1931009027
      Informant: N. W. Wade, his son-in-law.
      [Note: Thomas was living with Mollie and Nathan in the 1930 census]
    Buried Chambers Cemetery, Shortt Gap, Buchanan Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • CENSUS RECORDS

      1870 Census
      Name: Thomas D Elswick
      Age in 1870: 14
      Birth Year: abt 1856
      Birthplace: Virginia
      Home in 1870: Maiden Spring, Tazewell, Virginia
      Race: White
      Gender: Male
      Post Office: Knob
      Household Members:
      Name Age
      Chapman Elswick 38
      Emeline Elswick 38
      Elbert W Elswick 16
      Thomas D Elswick 14
      James B Elswick 11
      Buanavesta Elswick 8
      Dellie B Elswick 5
      Nancy L Elswick 2

      Note: He and his brother, Elbert Wade, are using his stepfather's last name, but Thomas and Elbert Wade return to their mother's maiden name for the rest of their lives.

      1880 Census
      Name: Thomas Chambers
      Age: 23
      Birth Year: abt 1857
      Birthplace: Virginia
      Home in 1880: Garden, Buchanan, Virginia
      Race: White
      Gender: Male
      Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
      Marital Status: Married
      Spouse's Name: Sallie Chambers
      Father's Birthplace: Virginia
      Mother's Birthplace: Virginia
      Occupation: Farmer
      Household Members:
      Name Age
      Thomas Chambers 23
      Sallie Chambers 27
      Alafim Chambers 5 [Alafair]
      Thomas C. Chambers 1

      1900 Census
      Name: Thomas D Chambers
      Age: 47
      Birth Date: Feb 1853
      Birthplace: Virginia
      Home in 1900: Garden, Buchanan, Virginia
      Race: White
      Gender: Male
      Relation to Head of House: Head
      Marital Status: Married
      Spouse's Name: Eady Chambers
      Marriage Year: 1880
      Years Married: 20
      Father's Birthplace: Virginia
      Mother's Birthplace: Virginia
      Household Members:
      Name Age
      Thomas D Chambers 47
      Eady Chambers 56
      John M Chambers 15
      Mallee E Chambers 13
      Jinie L Chambers 11
      Robert G Chambers 9
      Irena Chambers 7
      Grayson Chambers 4

      1910 Census
      Name: Thomas W Chambers
      Age in 1910: 54
      Birth Year: abt 1856
      Birthplace: Virginia
      Home in 1910: Garden, Buchanan, Virginia
      Race: White
      Gender: Male
      Relation to Head of House: Head
      Marital Status: Married
      Spouse's Name: Eady Chambers
      Father's Birthplace: Virginia
      Mother's Birthplace: Virginia
      Household Members:
      Name Age
      Thomas W Chambers 54
      Eady Chambers 44
      Grace Chambers 17

      1920 Census
      Name: T D Chambers
      Age: 64
      Birth Year: abt 1856
      Birthplace: Virginia
      Home in 1920: Garden, Buchanan, Virginia
      Street: Ridge Between Levisa River And Grassy Creek
      House Number: Farm
      Race: White
      Gender: Male
      Relation to Head of House: Head
      Marital Status: Married
      Spouse's Name: Eady Chambers
      Father's Birthplace: Virginia
      Mother's Birthplace: Virginia
      Native Tongue: English
      Able to Speak English: Yes
      Occupation: Farm Labor
      Industry: Home Farm
      Employment Field: Own Account
      Home Owned or Rented: Own
      Home Free or Mortgaged: Free
      Able to Read: Yes
      Able to Write: Yes
      Household Members:
      Name Age
      T D Chambers 64
      Eady Chambers 54

      1930 Census
      Name: Thomas D Chamber [Chambers]
      Birth Year: abt 1856
      Gender: Male
      Race: White
      Birthplace: Virginia
      Marital Status: Widowed
      Relation to Head of House: Father-In-Law (Father)
      Home in 1930: Garden, Buchanan, Virginia
      Age at First Marriage: 20
      Attended School: No
      Able to Read and Write: Yes
      Father's Birthplace: Virginia
      Mother's Birthplace: Virginia
      Able to Speak English: Yes
      Household Members:
      Nathan W Wade 52
      Mallie E Wade 45
      Carl Wade 18
      Vennie Wade 12
      Gladis Wade 7
      Rufus Wade 4 years 10 months
      Clarie Orsborn 19
      Thomas D Chambers 74

      PARENTS

      Thomas' death certificate is the only one of his three siblings born out of wedlock that give the name of Thomas Gillespie as the father. Alifair Chambers Christian's death certificate gave Chapman Elswick as her father, Elbert Wade Chambers had no names for his parents. For Alifair's descendants, her real father's name was not known, but evidently for the children of Emmeline and Chapman Elswick, the name was known but not talked about outside the family. John McClintock, Jr. told me what the family stories were, but there was no confirmation until Thomas D. Chamber's death certificate. [2]
    Person ID I4406  Master File
    Last Modified 16 Oct 2015 

    Father Thomas GILLESPIE 
    Mother Emeline S. CHAMBERS,   b. 18 Jan 1830, Russell Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 2 Mar 1898, Tazewell Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 68 years) 
    Notes 
    • John McClintock, Jr., a descendant of Emeline and Chapman Elswick, told me the family stories were a Thomas Gillespie was the father of Emeline's children. Thomas would travel over the mountain to visit "Red headed Emmie" at Liberty.

      Until the death certificate of Thomas D. Chambers there was no proof of this. Thomas' death certificate is the only one of his three siblings born out of wedlock that give the name of Thomas Gillespie as the father. Alifair Chambers Christian's death certificate gave Chapman Elswick as her father, Elbert Wade Chambers had no names for his parents. For Alifair's descendants, her real father's name was not known, but evidently for the children of Emmeline and Chapman Elswick, the name was known but not talked about outside the family.

      When Emeline married Chapman Elswick, she put her marital status as divorced. More than likely, Thomas Gillespie was a married man and was not free to marry Emeline.

      Which Thomas Gillespie could be the father? One researcher has William Thomas Gillespie who was in his 60's during the time Emeline's children were conceived. I think a younger man is more likely since he was traveling over the mountain to Liberty on horseback. Here are the candidates from the Tazewell 1850 Census for Thomas or Thos:

      Thomas Harrison Gillespie Nov. 19, 1812-Oct. 14, 1891, husband of Mary Ann Radar. In 1850 Thomas was 38 years old.

      Thomas Simpson Gillespie 13 Dec 1807-1857,1862 or 1866, husband of Mariah Peery. In 1850 he was 43 years old. Thomas moved to Genry Co. MO in 1854, but later returned and died in Tazewell Co. This Thomas is a possibility based on the ages of Emeline's children. Alifair and Elbert Wade are three years apart, but there is about a 3 year difference between Elbert Wade born in 1853 and Thomas Douglas born about 1856. So it's possible Thomas Douglas was conceived when Thomas Gillespie returned from Missouri. Why did he return to Tazewell leaving his wife and children in Missouri?

      Until DNA tests are done, this is all speculation as to which Thomas Gillespie is the father of Emeline's first three children.

    Family ID F2758  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Sarah (Sallie) WARD,   b. 04 Apr 1856, Grayson Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 04 Mar 1920, Tazewell Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 63 years) 
    Married 03 Dec 1874  Tazewell Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940
      Name: Thos D Chambers
      Birth Date: 1856
      Birthplace: Tazewell County, Va
      Age: 18
      Spouse's Name: Sarah Ward
      Spouse's Birth Date: 1855
      Spouse's Birthplace: Grayson County, Va
      Spouse's Age: 19
      Event Date: 03 Dec 1874
      Event Place: Tazewell, Virginia
      Mother's Name: E. Chambers [Emeline]
      Spouse's Father's Name: Z. Ward
      Spouse's Mother's Name: N
      Spouse's Marital Status: Single
      Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M01695-4
      System Origin: Virginia-EASy
      GS Film number: 34214
      Reference ID: Page 41 Line 103
    Children 
     1. Chapman Spotts CHAMBERS,   b. 04 Mar 1874, Tazewell Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 11 Sep 1939, Tazewell Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 65 years)
    +2. Alafair CHAMBERS,   b. ca 1875, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft Sep 1894, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 19 years)
    Last Modified 23 Sep 2015 
    Family ID F3272  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Edith OSBORN,   b. 10 May 1865, Buchanan Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 10 Mar 1928, Buchanan Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 62 years) 
    Children 
     1. Boyd CHAMBERS,   b. 02 Aug 1883, Buchanan Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 18 Feb 1904, Buchanan Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 20 years)
    +2. John Milton CHAMBERS,   b. 06 Feb 1881, Buchanan Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 26 Feb 1926, Tazewell Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 45 years)
    +3. Mollie E. CHAMBERS,   b. 12 Mar 1885, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 27 Dec 1959, Cedar Bluff, Tazewell Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 74 years)
    +4. Jennie C. CHAMBERS,   b. 9 Jun 1887, Shacks Mill,Buchanan Co.,VA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 12 Apr 1959, Richlands, Tazewell Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 71 years)
    +5. Robert G. CHAMBERS,   b. Oct 1890, Buchanan Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 17 Oct 1944, Buchanan Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 54 years)
    +6. Grace CHAMBERS,   b. 23 Jul 1894, Buchanan Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 25 Nov 1975, Richlands, Tazewell Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 81 years)
    +7. Rena Belle (Rennie) CHAMBERS,   b. 5 May 1893, Buchanan Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 5 Jun 1965, Richlands, Tazewell Co. VA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 72 years)
    Last Modified 16 Oct 2015 
    Family ID F6045  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Sources 
    1. [S34] John W. McClintock, Jr., email correspondence.

    2. [S33] Children of Emeline (Emily) Chambers, , recalled by Tom C. Elswick, undated.