My Elizabeth was married to Eli T(h)ompkins about 1820. She was the daughter of Morning Wallen and Stephen Wilborn of TN. There has been some discussion that she was perhaps the second wife of Eli, the first could have been a Martha Beatty, (TL NOTE I believe "Beatty" was Betty as in Elizabeth.) They had a lot of children at the very least these four girls Nancy Tompkins Morgan, Malinda Tompkins Adams, Mary Tompkins, Burnetta Tompkins Turner, and quite likely these two boys Charles Storm Tompkins and Benjamin H. Tompkins , & possibly Andy.
The marriage ended sometime between about 1840 to 1850, apparently the papers were loose and no date is on them.
Marriage Notes for Eli Tompkins and Elizabeth Wilborn: Transcription of divorce papers:
To the Honorable the Judge of the Laurel Circuit Court, in Chancery sitting, your petition in Eli Thompkins humbly complaining, would respectively show unto your honor that some 20 years since he married his wife, Elizabeth and **** as a family *** life tolerably well for some time but at last
by degrees a fire began to rise in the breast of my wife till it has grown to such an extent, that it cannot be put out with management and good treatment or with water.
She seemed to be everything but a wife and everything but a prudent woman. I have a large family of gals and boys and I am willing to take them and work for them and do all that is in my power if I could get them out of her company. She is no wife to me nor has she been for 4 or 5 years, she is loose in her habits and plays too much with other men. With her there is no confidence in her virtue or chastity. Adultery seems to be her pleasure, therefore your petition in **** in Justice and mercy on your honor to set aside the marriage contract to divorce me and dissolve the union between us and in mercy ever will pray a he is in duty bound and prays that said Elizabeth Thompkins may be made a *** to this bill.
Ok, now really what do you think Grandpa Eli meant "with water" ?
Elizabeth has been a bit hard to track after the divorce, She remarried a man named Dudley Faris in 1859 Elizabeth died in the fall of 1873 (TL NOTE found this on internet M.E. makes me believe she was named Martha Elizabeth-remember the note above)
"M. E. Tompkins married Dudley Faris in Laurel Co. in 1859, the date is given is February 29, 1859, although it was a leap year and the date cannot be correct. Witnesses were Burnetta Tompkins and Mary Tompkins, clearly Elizabeth's daughters." from Casey Meshbesher
Census July 20, 1860, Laurel county Kentucky, Page 102
Dudley Farris m 60 ky farm laborer
Elizabeth Farris f 55 ky
Viva Farris f 11 ky
Bernetty Farris f 18 ky
I don't know if Dudley died or they divorced. I am still looking but Elizabeth was calling herself Thompkins again in her will.
Notes for Elizabeth Wilborn: Transcription of Elizabeth Thompkins' will.
I, Elizabeth Thompkins of Laurel County being feeble in health and
advanced in years and being of sound mind and disposing memory and
desiring to make such disposition of my estate as seems to me justice do make and constitute this my last will and testament.
It is my will and desire that my daughter Nancy Morgan have one bee hive.
This my desire that my daughter Malinda Adams have one bee hive.
This my desire that my daughter Mary Thompkins have one bee hive.
This my desire that my grandson W. S. Turner have my red heifer calf and bed clothing, bedstead.
It is my desire that my daughter Burnetta Turner have one bee hive and all the rest of my estate consisting of household and kitchen furniture and one brown milk cow 2 years old heifer, two head of sheep, and five head of hogs.
This is my will and desire that Robert Early be appointed Executor of this my last will and testament. It is my desire that this instrument be placed upon record in the Laurel County Court.
Witness my mark and signature this 25 of Aug, 1873.
Witness: W. E. Smith Elizabeth Thompkins mark
John Sparks State of Kentucky
Laurel County Court, Oct. two 1873, a paper purporting to be the last will and testament of Betty Thompkins was produced to court and by the oath of W.E. Smith subscribing who also attended the signature of John Sparks. Whereupon the same to record this day by: L. Ewell
(TL NOTE "grandson W. S. Turner" was William Sherman , my great-grandfather)
I have done some reading on the Wilborn (also Wilburn) , have found several notes about them being, shall we, say a bit rowdy. If you consider that Elizabeth was also a descendent of our Bad Boy Tom Wallen , there can be little doubt that it was in her DNA .
Her daughter Malinda has been referred to on the internet as Wild Child She will require her own page.
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