Jane Jackson Thompson

Jane Jackson Thompson (also Thomson) (–after 1792) was an enslaved person who lived with her common-law husband, Talbot Thompson, until he was able to purchase her freedom in 1769. Talbot was a successful sailmaker who provided Jane and their family with a comfortable life.

They became Black Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War after all of their property was burned down in 1776. Her children and their families became loyalists and joined the British between 1775 and 1780. Her children were with several interconnected enslavers, mainly from the Norfolk, Virginia area. Under Lord Dunmore's proclamation of 1775, Jane and her family members were loyal to the British and attained or maintained their freedom under the British.

She came to Nova Scotia in 1783 when she was between 60 and 70. Her descendants lived in Birchtown and other towns in Nova Scotia. She was the matriarch of Nova Scotian Settlers who relocated to Sierra Leone in 1792.

Early and personal life Jane Thompson, also known as Jenny, and her mother Sabina were enslaved by John Tucker, who came with his brother to Virginia from the Caribbean about the turn of the 18th century. Her father may have been a man named "Old Joe" Tucker. In 1735, they were the only two women on Tucker's slave list. At that time, Jane was about 16 and was born in 1719. John Tucker died in 1737, and she was inherited by his nephew, Colonel Robert Tucker. Robert also inherited John's mercantile empire.

She had several children with the Jackson surname who also went to Nova Scotia. and James Thompson.

American Revolutionary War During the American Revolutionary War, son James Jackson, identified as formerly enslaved by Robert Tucker, was recruited by Lord Dunmore, governor of the Colony of Virginia about 1775 to be a pilot for the Royal Navy. He was under Captain Henry Mowat and served on the ship London.

Talbot and Jane defected to Lord Dunbar by January 1776 when a fire in Norfolk destroyed all of Talbot's property. (At least one other source said she ran away in 1777.) Son John Jackson, served the British General Leslie in Hampton in late 1780. He was enslaved by Anthony Walke, who was an associate of Robert Tucker. She travelled with Hannah Jackson, her daughter-in-law, and Robert and Peter Jackson, her grandchildren. They lived together in Birchtown. James, also called Jemmy, born about 1728, seemed to have run away on his own and served the Royal Artillery Department. He was described in the Book of Negroes as "almost worn out". He may have died or gone away for work by the 1784 Birchtown Muster. King, born about 1732, married to Dianah Tucker, served the Royal Artillery Department, and died in 1783 or 1784, by the time of the Birchtown Muster in 1784. Frank, also called Francis, Jackson is believed to be the father of Edward (Ned) Jackson. He may have also had a son named James, who Richard Swepston enslaved. Members of James family (born about 1733) were awarded land grants on Nutt Island (perhaps McNutts Island, Nova Scotia not far from Birchtown). Hannah (born between 1734 and 1743) and her two sons, Robert and Peter, lived with Jane. She relocated with her sons to Sierra Leone. Also known as Ned, he was a seaman who was part of Lord Dunmore's fleet in May 1776. Frank Jackson, an older man, was also on Tucker's tithables, ran away about the same time, and was with Dunmore's fleet. Edward is presumed to have died during the 1776 smallpox epidemic. Frank, or Francis, may have been his father. He bought his freedom in 1761, which was formalized on November 3, 1761. Presumed dead by 1783. Grace's brother is Timothy Snowball, who is believed to be the father of Maria Snowball. She lived with James Thompson and his wife.