Brief Life History of William Asa
When William Asa Thornton was born on 11 May 1864, in Dandridge, Jefferson, Tennessee, United States, his father, John D Thornton, was 24 and his mother, Mahala "Haley" Layman, was 26. He married Julia Catherine Henry on 13 November 1891, in Jefferson, Tennessee, United States. They were the parents of at least 6 sons and 3 daughters. He lived in District 8, Grainger, Tennessee, United States in 1930 and Civil District 8, Jefferson, Tennessee, United States in 1940. He died on 12 July 1960, in Dandridge, Jefferson, Tennessee, United States, at the age of 96, and was buried in Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Chestnut Hill, Jefferson, Tennessee, United States.
Photos and Memories (1)
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Family Time Line
Sources (16)
- Will A Thornton, "United States Census, 1940"
- William A Thornton, "Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950"
- Will A Thornton, "Tennessee Death Records, 1914-1955"
Spouse and Children
Children (9)
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Parents and Siblings
World Events (8)
1865
Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.
1865 · Sultana Tragedy
In April of 1865, the steamboat the Sultana exploded. The Civil War had been over for awhile so this was considered the worst maritime disaster in US history. Compared to the Titanic where 1,512 people were killed, 1,8000 soldiers were killed on the Sultana. Confederate soldiers that weeks earlier had been fighting with Union soldiers were now fighting to save their lives.
1890 · The Sherman Antitrust Act
This Act tried to prevent the raising of prices by restricting trade. The purpose of the Act was to preserve a competitive marketplace to protect consumers from abuse.
Name Meaning
English and Scottish: habitational name from any of numerous places throughout England and Scotland so called, from Old English thorn ‘thorn tree’ + tūn ‘farmstead, estate’. The placename is most frequent in northern England, especially Yorkshire, where there are at least 16 possible sources for the surname.
Irish: Anglicized (translated) form of Gaelic Mac Sceacháin ‘son of Sceachán’ (see Skehan ).
Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Draighneáin ‘descendant of Draighneán’ (see Drennan ).
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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