Irvine Thompson
b. 1785 - d. 1855
m.Elizabeth Dunlap
b. 1795 - d. ??

IRVINE THOMPSON, 1st child and only son of the above, was born near Enniskillen in 1785. Nothing is known of his early years but in full manhood he is known to have been a farmer, owning land some 17 miles east of Enniskillen. In 1809, he married Elizabeth Dunlap (an only child whose maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Irvine of unknown connection), and was sire to 9 children by 1824. In 1831, he emigrated to America, coming to Mt. Vernon, Ohio with 8 of his 9 children, and continued to farm near there. One of his younger children, William, was left behind in the care of Ann Rutledge, one of the family's faithful retainers. Later the boy recovered from the reported 'white swelling' of a knee and as young man came to America.

Irvine is said to have retained ownership for some years of his farm in Ireland, the rentals being collected by Irvine relatives and used by them to pay their own passage to America - where they repaid his in farm labor.

If reports can be credited, and a letter of Elizabeth (Thompson) Rowe is to be believed, Grandpa Dunlap would have seemed to have been a rough and crusty, high tempered old Irishman. We will let the grand-daughter do her own telling:-

"You know the Dunlaps were opposed to Grandmother marrying Grandfather, and when she came to America her father came to the place they took the sail vessel to bid her goodbye, and she thought he went back - but after they had been out to sea a few hours Pa discovered him and told his mother that her father was going to America with them. But he died and was buried at sea. He made a will and left everything he had to my father because he did not like Grandfather, and he had taken and raised Pa. He took Pa when he was 2 years old. But Pa never would take any of the money, he said it belonged to his mother, and when the rents came he let her have every cent."

"Grandmother was idolized by her children, especially her boys. It was almost Idolatry. They reverenced her, and since her death her name. All had professions and turned out well, and she 'did it all' by a silent saintly influence - she stamped her character upon them - for Grandfather was an old hurricane - and how such characters (opposite) ever were married is a mystery. They certainly were not mated. I can remember them both. Grandmother always had her grandchildren spend Sunday afternoon with her and stay for supper. There were 4 of the Irvine and 2 of us. Grandfather made each one of us read a chapter in the Bible, the Old Bible at that, He reined us up one by one, but we had to keep still until all had read. But he slept all the time. Grandmother sat in the other corner and would say "be good, read loud and it will soon be over - then you can play and have a good summer." But we always broke some of grandfather's commands (which were many) and received a good whipping before we went home. But the wounds were bound up by Grandmother with a kiss and a promise to come back next Sunday. The words that Mathew put in while reading were a holy caution. Mathew called the table "Grandfather's damned old come-to-pass", and when I met him in Missouri a few years ago just before his death, he said Grandfather made him an infidel."

(The "4 of the Irvines" who were subjected to this ritual were the children of Robert Irvine and Magdalena Thompson - namely Mathew, Julie, Ida Elizabeth, and John D'Arcy. The "2 of us" were Elizabeth (Thompson) Rowe and her older sister Caroline, offspring of Robert Thompson and Sarah Nye.)

This letter was written in 1904. Elizabeth's parents were married in 1840, she being born circa 1843-1844. At 60 years, she may well be forgiven for the mistake of "all had professions" - the 3 or them did. Mathew was a physician, George as a minister, and the 'left behind in Ireland' William was a lawyer - Through his own efforts. Perhaps in those near frontier times, little distinction was made between trade and profession. But surely, all the boys had sufficient preparation for their respective fields, and all were successful.

So in America, near My. Vernon, farming was again the occupation of Irvine Thompson, and he was sufficiently successful to provide for a very large family - though undoubtedly he was one to demand much participation in the chores from all the children. Undoubtedly this attitude sis more to condition their successes in later life than any version of pampering would have accomplished - and from other source reports there was none of that.

Irvine died near his 70th year, circa 1855. Interred in Mound View Cemetery, Mt. Vernon, OH.

(Further sidelights on our early-in-America progenerators can be found in the Thomas Irvine Section. After pursuing both extracts, I am inclined to say "And this is the character Lizzie states "bad thought or sent Old Tom to America" - - - when he was the tender age of 12.)

Wife of Irvine Thompson, Elizabeth Dunlap, was an only child - the grand-daughter to one Elizabeth Irvine of undisclosed relationship to the Irvine line. Elizabeth was born in or near Enniskillen, the marriage taking place in 1809 and the 1st of 9 children, Magdalena, was born August 10, 1810. (As per Knox Co. Census of 1850, Elizabeth was born in 1795 and Magdalena in 1811. Perhaps it would serve best to regard Irvine Thompson Holloway's report on birth dates as 'circa' dates. By his account the first 6 children were spaced 2 years between, the last 3 at yearly intervals. By Census record not only is the interval totally different but the order of births. Restating the chronology of births and correcting the dates as given in the foregoing Chart:-

Magdalena	1811
Robert	1818
Mathew	1819
John D'Arcy	1820
Martha	1824
Ann	1826
William	??
Elizabeth	1830

Reverend George was in Wisconsin in 1850 and no estimate is possible - perhaps between 1812 and 1818.

At any rate, we have Elizabeth Thompson Rowe's recital that her Grandmother was something of a saint - which might be marveled at with the household duties implied by such a sizeable family. Surely her hands were never idle. Irvine T. Holloway has added that Grandmother was a beautiful woman, and in a loving conscientious way was most kind in the ways she devised to counteract the effects of her husbands harsh treatment of his grandchildren. Interred in Mound View Cemetery.

Issue:

Magdalena Thompson

More to come ----