John Thomas

John Thomas, Sr. (1720 - 1811 or 1812) was a colonel during the American Revolutionary War who led the Spartan Regiment against the Loyalists. He was a representative of the Provincial Congress in 1776. During the Siege of Charleston, Thomas was captured and was imprisoned at the Ninety Six prison and later at Charleston until the end of the war.

Markers were erected to honor John and his wife Jane Thomas for their contributions during the American Revolution. A monument was installed by the Greenville County Historical Preservation Commission and Mark III Properties and a highway marker was installed by the Spartanburg Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Early life John Newcastle Thomas was born in Wales in 1720. On January 3, 1740, Thomas married Jane Black, both of whom were from Chester County, Pennsylvania.

French and Indian War Thomas fought at the Battle of the Monongahela under British General Edward Braddock, who was defeated and killed south of Fort Duquesne, in July 1755. Braddock's troops had fought against Native Americans and French soldiers. As a result of the defeat, the French continued to possess the fort and gained control of the Ohio River Valley.

South Carolina and Revolutionary War Thomas received a land grant in 1754 for 600 acres in what was then Anson County in the Province of North Carolina (now York County, South Carolina). Seeking wider expanses of available land for himself, his wife, and their children's families, they traveled along the Great Wagon Road for . They settled their property in the Camden District along Fishing Creek, south of the Catawba River. In 1762, they moved to what is now Spartanburg, South Carolina, settling in Fairforest Creek. She succeeded in saving the main supply of ammunition that was used under Thomas Sumter's command in the Battle of Rocky Mount and Battle of Hanging Rock.

In 1776, he was a representative of the Provincial Congress. During the fall of Charleston in May 1780, Thomas was captured by Capt. Sam Brown and was sent to the Ninety Six prison, as were his sons Abram and Robert. The Americans held at the prison suffered from lack of sufficient, edible food. They were subject to disease, but did not have medical care. Abram died there. As the war continued, Thomas was moved to Charleston. He was released at the end of the Revolution.

His eldest son Col. John Thomas, Jr. rose during the war from the rank of captain to succeed his father in the command of the Spartan regiment, commanding at the Battle of Cowpens, among others. Capt. Robert Thomas, another son, was killed in Roebuck's defeat at the Battle of Mudlick Creek. Abram, who was wounded and captured at Ninety Six, died in enemy imprisonment. William was also a soldier, wounded at the Battle of Mudlick Creek. He, his mother, and his sisters protected their house from an attack by the Loyalists. Martha, one of the daughters, married Josiah Culbertson, who received a captain's commission towards the close of the war. Ann married Joseph McJunkin, who entered the military as a private aged 20, and rose to the rank of major by 1780. Jane, the third daughter, married Captain Joseph McCool or McCoal. Letitia was the wife of Major James Lusk. Esther married Robert Carter.

Soon after the end of the war, John and Jane Thomas moved to Greenville district (now Greenville, South Carolina), where they lived the rest of their lives. He died in the Greenville District of Spartanburg County, South Carolina on May 2, 1811, or 1812. For John, the marker says, John [and] Jane Black Thomas emigrated to S.C. c.1755 from Chester Co., PA. John was a local magistrate and militia captain. As the Revolutionary War began, he was elected Colonel of the Spartan Regiment. Captured in 1779, he was held in Ninety Six and Charleston up to the end of the war. Returning to the upstate, John farmed here till his death [on] October 2, 1811.