Thompson's Family Reunion

Magnificent Seven

This page celebrates our Pendleton, SC family heritage—tracking descendants of the Magnificent Seven through photos, timelines, and shared stories.

Thompson Family Historians

Groundwork of this Thompson family’s history was laid by Eloise Thompson Miller, Florence Thompson Milliner, Eleanor Thompson Washington, Lessie Thompson Sherard, Cornelia Thompson Alexander, Willie Mae Thompson McLaughlin and Josephine Sherard Davis with their oral and written accounts, stories, and research. Several later-day family members interested in our Thompson history-viz., the late William A. Thompson, Reginald D. Williams
and Norma McLaughlin Nelson-have been motivated to continue doing research, attempting to confirm, definitively, the name “Seaborn” as our earliest-known ancestor. Thanks to the internet and other newer technologies, these more recent family historians been able to delve a bit more quickly, perhaps, into the annals of historical records. (lf you are doing similar
Thompson family research, please contact Reginald.)

Origin Story

Official government records of our Thompson family’s lineage seem to begin with Ruben (later spelled “Reuben) and Martha Thompson who were our ancestors-in-common. However, through oral history and at least one undated written statement by Florence Thompson Milliner,
granddaughter of Reuben Thompson, the name “George Seaborn” has been cited repeatedly as Reuben Thompson’s father. Writing about her parents (Stewart Ellis and Josephine Grisham Thompson) and their parents, Florence Thompson Milliner wrote the following verbatim statement:

“He belonged to the Seaborn. His father was his Master.”

Because slaves were considered property and, as such, were identified in property records by number rather than name, it was nearly impossible to know their names or their parentage. “Slave inhabitants” of George Seaborn’ s, in the County of Anderson, State of-south the Carolina on Ninth day of June, 1860, listed his name next to every numbered slave, along with the salve’s age, gender and race.

An elegant outdoor welcome station for Thompson’s Family Reunion, featuring a dark-stained wooden easel holding a professionally printed reunion sign with refined typography, a subtle family tree watermark, and the words “Descendants of the Magnificent Seven – Pendleton, SC.” Beside it sits a vintage-style guestbook on a small bistro table, along with neatly arranged name tag holders and a basket of navy and gold pens. The scene is set on a manicured lawn with a white gazebo softly blurred behind. Overcast daylight creates even, diffused lighting with minimal harsh shadows, reinforcing a calm, organized atmosphere. Shot from a slightly elevated angle with photographic realism, the composition centers the sign while allowing surrounding details to frame it naturally, projecting a professional yet warm reunion feel without any human presence.

MAJOR GEORGE SEABORN

George Seaborn was born in Greenville District, South Carolina, August 1, 1797 and died on March 14, 1877 in Pendleton, South Carolina. According to correspondence from Debra Mink to Mettie Belle Seaborn and her daughter Barbara Seaborn- Brinkly regarding the South Carolina Seaborn, George Seaborn “moved to Pendleton in 1840 and . . . took a great interest in all
thing pertaining to Agriculture.” Another source states “Major George Seaborn of Anderson District was a slave trader and a gentleman of high standing.” He was also described as “another trader/planter and a gentleman of very high standing” . . of “very-fine character and worth in land and negroes some $20,000. He was also joint Editor and publisher of the Farmers, and Planters’ magazine.

RESEARCH BY JOSEPHINE SHERARD DAVIS:

Through her diligent-research, Josephine Sherard Davis-the Thompson family’s generous and dedicated Historian for decades-acquired much of the Thompson family’s history from official documents in repositories located in Anderson County, SC, in Columbia, SC the South Carolina state capital-and in Washington, DC. Cousin Jo found the 1870 U.S. Census record which listed Ruben Thompson with Martha Thompson and nine of their ten children “in Pendleton Township, in the County of Anderson, South Carolina.” She recognized two of their listed children-Stewart, 14 and James, 6-as two of the three Thompsons from whom our family is descended. Ruben’s Thompson’s youngest child-John, 5-was listed in the 1880 U.S. Federal Census.

At some point, it was Eloise Thompson Miller who wrote to Josephine, her niece, that she had in her possession the picture we now call “The Magnificent Seven,” with Eloise’s “father’s siblings.” Today, although we are able to match the names and pictures for five of the pictured seven, we haven’t been able to match the other two names and their pictures. Can you?

THE PROLIFIC THOMPSON THREE

Of Reuben and Martha Thompson’s children, Stewart Ellis, James Berry and John Andrew were the only three known to have had offspring. Our documented family history, therefore, begins with those three men and their wives (Josephine, Lilly and Mattie, respectively) from whom our three Thompson branches are descended

STEWART ELLIS THOMPSON

B. January 21,1855, d. November 5, 1903, married Martha Ann Josephine Grisham (b. July 16, 1862, d. March 30, 1924) at age 22 in Pendleton, South
Carolina on October 24,1878. They had 14 children: Florence Louise, Nancy Eleanor, James
Stewart, Lessie Theresa, Henry Victor, Samuel Ellis, Susie Eloise, Reuben Earnest, William
Quincy, Joseph Edward, Mary (Mamie) lnez, Walter Eugene, Booker Talmadge, and Willie Eva
(Mae). Stewart had a 6th grade education and was a farmer, home owner (200 acres),
carpenter, church and community leader, a good provider for his family, and a good husband
and father. He died of liver congestion and kidney disease when his youngest child (Willie Mae
Thompson) was six weeks old. Both Stewart and Josephine are buried in King’s Chapel AME
Church cemetery in Pendleton, South Carolina.

JAMES BERRY THOMPSON

B. 1865, d. December, 1945, married Lilly Grant, b. 1870, d. February, 1910, and together they had five children: James Berry, Jr., Madeline, Cornelia, Almena and Benjamin. When James’ home burned down, he moved the family to Old Oak Grove where his brother Willie bought them a house. James Berry, Sr. was initially a sharecropper; after his wife’s death, he became a carpenter. Both James Berry, Sr. and Lilly are buried in King’s Chapel AME Church cemetery in Pendleton, South Carolina.

JOHN ANDREW THOMPSON

Variously reported as b.1875 or 1873, married Mattie Tolbert in Greenwood, South Carolina, and together they had five children: Clotelle, Willie, Johnny, Roscoe and Freda. John Andrew was a master tailor; also a good baseball player who traveled around to play the game. John Andrew’s burial site is unknown. Mattie, is buried in Lincoln Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia.

The ancestral history, of the Thompson family of Pendleton, Anderson County, South Carolina from official archives and records, continues to be a work in progress. Family members, whose interest and initiative lead them to additional documented pertinent information about this Thompson family’s ancestry are encouraged to and will, hopefully, disseminate their findings openly throughout the family.

Family Milestones

A detailed flat-lay arrangement of family reunion planning materials on a smooth, light oak table: a printed schedule labeled “Thompson’s Family Reunion Weekend,” color-coded spreadsheets, a map of Pendleton, South Carolina with important locations circled, and a tablet displaying a clean, modern reunion website homepage. Nearby, a navy blue three-ring binder embossed with “Magnificent Seven Legacy” lies partially open with neatly tabbed sections. Soft window light from the left creates gentle highlights on the paper edges and subtle shadows that add depth without distraction. Captured from a true bird’s-eye view with sharp focus across the frame, the composition is tidy and thoughtfully arranged. The overall mood is organized, purposeful, and professional, rendered in photographic realism to visually communicate the careful planning behind the event.
A meticulously organized check-in table for Thompson’s Family Reunion, featuring alphabetized, tented place cards arranged in precise rows on a navy-blue linen cloth. A sleek acrylic sign with white lettering reads “Welcome, Thompson Descendants – Please Check In,” next to a tidy stack of printed itineraries and lanyards with blank badge holders. A small vase holds a simple greenery arrangement, adding a fresh touch without distraction. The table is positioned near a bright entryway with glass doors, allowing soft natural light to wash over the scene, creating clean highlights and minimal shadows. Photographed from a slightly elevated angle using a shallow depth of field, the front row of name cards is sharply in focus while the background gently blurs. The mood is professional, efficient, and warmly anticipatory, presented in crisp photographic realism.
An aerial, photographic-realism view of a beautifully maintained family property in the countryside near Pendleton, South Carolina, captured without any people. Several modest homes and outbuildings form a loose cluster around an expansive central yard, where long folding tables with white cloths and navy runners are neatly arranged in rows. A large banner stretched between two trees reads “Thompson’s Family Reunion – Descendants of the Magnificent Seven.” Late afternoon sunlight casts long, soft shadows from the trees and buildings, lending dimension to the rolling green lawn. The composition uses a high, bird’s-eye perspective, revealing both the organized event setup and the surrounding patchwork of fields and distant tree lines. The atmosphere is expansive, rooted, and proud, visually celebrating the family’s geographic and historical connection to Pendleton.