THOMPSON, SAMUEL M., was born Feb. 12, 1801, in Davidson county, eighteen miles west of Nashville, Tenn. He educated himself, and, in connection with General Moses K. Anderson, taught a military school, having branches in Davidson and Dickson counties. Mr. Thompson came to Sangamon county, Illinois, arriving in the fall of 1828 in what is now Cartwright township. He returned to Davidson county, Tennessee, and was married in February, 1831, to Cynthia McCrary. He returned to Sangamon county in the spring of that year. Mr. Thompson volunteered in 1832 for the campaign against the Indians under their chief, Black Hawk. He was in the company of which Abraham Lincoln was Captain, and was elected First Lieutenant at the time the company was organized, on Richland creek. Lincoln was elected Captain at the same time and place. That company united at Beardstown with another from Sangamon county, under Captain Gooding. They were ordered from Beardstown to Rushville, and were consolidated with two other companies to form the 4th Reg. Ill. Vols. Lieutenant Thompson was elected Colonel of the Regiment. He was thus promoted over Captain Lincoln. The latter, however, it should be said, was not a candidate for the office of Colonel. The call was for thirty days, expecting the Indians would retreat across the Mississippi river as they had done the year before. The savages did not retreat, and the regiment was out about sixty days without an engagement. It was disbanded and mustered out of service at Ottowa, June, 1832, by Colonel Zachary Taylor, afterwards President of the United States. Colonel S. M. Thompson and wife had one child born in Sangamon county, and moved to Beardstown in the fall of 1832, where one child was born. In 1836 Colonel T. moved to Burlington, Iowa, where three children were born, all of whom died in infancy. Of the two eldest--

ALETHIA A., born Feb. 13, 1832, in Sangamon county, Illinois, was married July 31, 1848, in Monroe county, Iowa, to Isaac Hittle, Dec. 7, 1849, in Rush county, Indiana. They had eleven children. One died in infancy. CYNTHIA E., born Feb. 5, 1851, was married Feb. 15, 1865, to John Blakeley. They reside near Williamsburg, Franklin county, Kansas. CLARISSA A., born May 15, 1853, was married August 12, 1875, to David Horbison, and reside in Howard county, Kansas. WILLIAM H., SAMUEL A., LIDA M., SABINA, MARY A., ISAAC O., JAMES A. and ROSA A., reside with their parents near Hillsdale, Miami county, Kansas.

ZANE E., born May 18, 1834, at Beardstown, Illinois, was married May 4, 1851, at Eddyville, Iowa, to William Briggs, of Ohio. They had seven children, MAHLON S., OLIVE, JULIA, ANNIE, CHARLIE, GEORGE and GRANT. Mr. Briggs lost his life in attempting to rescue his son from a coal bank infected with fire damp. He failed in his efforts, and a third man, who came to their assistance, lost his life. This accident occurred in 1870 or '71. Mrs. Briggs by that calamity was incapacited from taking care of herself and the children reside near Eddyville, Iowa.

Mrs. Cynthia Thompson died in October, 1843, near Burlington, Iowa. Colonel Thompson was married in 1855 in Mahaska county, Iowa, to Mrs. Nancy Waldon, whose maiden name was Sullivan. She was a native of Davidson county, Tennssee, also. They reside in Osage county, near Williamsburg, Franklin county, Kansas.

Colonel Thompson has always heard that railroad trains were swift, but he was able to keep ahead of them until November 26, 1874, when he entered a car for the first time at Garnet, Kansas, to visit his old friends in Illinois.