Uriah H. Thrasher and Cynthia Roark
We believe Uriah Thrasher was another son of Isaac Thrasher Sr., our immigrant Thrasher ancestor. Uriah was probably also born in Washington County, Tennessee, around 1816. Uriah married twice, first to Cynthia Roark, probably around 1837 in Hawkins County, Tennessee; we have not located their marriage record in that county, but marriages were not required to be recorded in bound books in Tennessee until 1838 and consequently many were not recorded. We believe Cynthia Roark was the granddaughter of Michael Roark but we have not yet been able to determine which of his three sons was her father.
Uriah and Cynthia were enumerated in the 1840 census in Hawkins County living next door to Cynthia's grandmother Letitia Roark and Letitia's son, John Roark; as with Isaac Thrasher, we have not yet located Uriah's family in the 1850 census. By 1860, Uriah and Cynthia had moved to Overton County with their growing family: sons Isaac, William, John, Robert, and George, as well as daughters Letta and Mary.
By 1870, Cynthia had died and Uriah had married again, this time to Leana J. High; we do not yet know the names of Leana's parents. Uriah remained in Overton County until his death in 1892; Leana continued to live there until after 1900. The census in that year found the widowed Leana living with only a "bound girl," Mary Wilson; Leana said she had borne 10 children but that only 5 were still alive.
Uriah's four eldest sons all served in the Civil War. Isaac, William, John, and Robert all enlisted at the same time in the 25th Tennessee Infantry in September 1861. At the Battle of Murfreesboro (also called the Battle of Stone's River), Isaac and William were captured by Union forces and sent to separate POW camps; William died soon after arriving at Camp Douglas in Chicago and is buried at Oakwoods Cemetery, where the memorial tablets of the Confederate deceased from Camp Douglas include William's name. Camp Douglas has been called by some the "Andersonville of the North," although other Northern POW camps might also compete for that title (see reading list).
After their elder brothers were captured, John and Robert deserted and returned home. Interestingly, both subsequently joined the Union forces, John from Indiana (under an alias, John Cannon) and Robert from Tennessee. Certain passages in John's Civil War pension application suggest that his father was not an easy man to get along with.
Uriah H. Thrasher (b. 1816, Washington, TN - d. 1892, Overton, TN)
m1. ca. 1837/38, Hawkins TN
Cynthia Roark (b. 1817, Hawkins, TN - d ca. 1862/63, Overton, TN)
The children of Uriah Thrasher and Cynthia Roark are:
i. Isaac McKinley Thrasher (b October 1839, Hawkins, TN - d. 1905); m. Mary Moore; Civil War veteran
ii. William F. Thrasher (b. 1841, Hawkins, TN - d. 10 Feb 1863, Camp Douglas, Chicago, IL); Civil War veteran
iii. John Wesley Thrasher (b. 10 Feb 1842, Hawkins, TN - d. 7 Feb 1924, Cumberland, KY); m. Malinda Jane Thrasher; Civil War veteran
iv. Robert Young Thrasher (b. 16 July 1845, Hawkins, TN - d. 28 Feb 1923, TN); m. Elizabeth Wright; Civil War veteran
v. George H. Thrasher (b. 1852, TN - d. aft 1860)
vi. Letta A. Thrasher (b. 1854, TN - d. aft 1860)
vii. Mary T. Thrasher (b. 1856, TN - d. aft 1860)
m2. ca. 1863, probably Overton TN
Leana J. HIgh (b. 1835, TN - d aft 1900, possibly Overton, TN)
The known children of Uriah Thrasher and Leana J. High are:
i. William Thrasher (b 1865, Overton, TN - d. aft 1880)
ii. Cintha Jane Thrasher (b. 1869, Overton, TN - d. aft 1880)
iii. Martha Thrasher (b. 1872, Overton, TN - d. aft 1880)
