My Family Tree

"All Private Church Registers to 1800, York County, Pennsylvania" on ancestry.com:
Name: Dorothea Thomas
Description: Bride
Event: Marriage
Date of Event: May 1770
Place: York Co., PA
Remarks: From Hanover and Lebanon
Church: Records of Baptisms and Marriages by Rev. Johan Stoever for York County, Pennsylvania, 1730-1779
===> groom appears to be "Peter Thomas" and bride is named "Dorothea Strohfuss" May 20, 1770, 11 months before Ephraim Thomas was born.
https://archive.org/stream/recordsofrevjohn01stoe/recordsofrevjohn01stoe_djvu.txt
Two Peter Thomas's in the York Co, PA tax records: one in Reading and one in Dover. The Dover one disappears after 1786. Only matching name in Dover is "Strohley". While interesting, "Dorothea" is not "Deborah" and "Peter" is not "William".

Earliest record of William and Deborah Thomas: Virginia Land Patent survey 2 May 1771 • Bedford/Franklin County, Virginia
"On 15 June 1772, William Thomas received a patent for 334 acres of land "lying and being in Bedford (Franklin) County on both sides of Maggotty Creek. William and Deborah Thomas dwelt on the land for 27 years before they sold it on 8 October 1800." (see Robert Dodd tree on Ancestry.com)

Moved from Franklin County, VA to Jackson County, TN by 1803

Likely that Ephriam is son of William, surety to Sarah Thomas marriage with Thomas Cassity
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=merrygo&id=I3088
Probably also David Thomas and Mary Thomas, wife of Joseph Davenport.

Other early Thomas marriages in Jackson Co, TN, District 3
William Thomas and Nancy Young - [kdd] is a DNA match to descendant of William Young Thomas and Narcissa Johanna "Norris" Searcy. Young's were next door neighbors to Davenports in District 3, Jackson Co, TN.
perhaps related to Zachariah Thomas and Mary Young who married Aug. 8, 1794 in Franklin Co, VA?
Cyrus Sharp Sloan s/o Samuel m Flora Ann Thomas before 1832. (District 2 or 3)

Probably related Thomas and connected names in Franklin Co, VA Marriage Bonds;
Slone, Jesse and Deborah Thomas, dau. ->David <-and Deborah, June 5, 1790. [incorrect: should be William]
Teal, Adam and Caty Baker, dau. Geo.,Nov. 19, 1790. Sur. Caty Thomas. 52.
Thomas, Ephraim and Caty Teal, dau. Adam and Mary,Jan. 19, 1791. Sur. David Thomas
McGuire, Elijah and Sary Robertson, 23 yrs. old,Mar. 7, 1791. Sur. Ephraim Thomas.
James, Samuel and Patsey Sneed, dau. John,Apr. 6, 1791. Sur. Ralph Thomas. 52.
Thomas, Zachariah and Mary Young,Aug. 8, 1794. 20.
Cassetty, Thos. and Sarah Thomas, dau. Wm. and Deborah, Feb. 25, 1796. Sur. Ephrem Thomas.
Slone, James and Sarah McGuire,Sept. 8, 1797. Sur. Daniel Thomas.
Thomas, David and Sarah McGuire,Sept. 8, 1797. Sur. James Stone. [ Slone? one of these is wrong!]
Thomas, Pleasant and Polly Kennaday,Mar. 6, 1800. Sur. James Kennedy. 66.
Thomas, Cornelius and Elizabeth Slaughter,Apr. 7, 1806. Sur. John Slaughter. 44.
Crow, (Groxxx) John and Nancy Thomas,Oct. 7, 1811. Sur. Aaron Hodges.
Vance, Peter and Fanny Thomas,Oct. 20, 1811. 122
_More_marriages_from_Bedford_Co,VA_
James Blackley and Salley Johnson, December __, 1792, Ralph Thomas, surety.
William Ealy and Mary Rallings d/o Mary, October 23, 1780, William Thomas, surety.
George Thomas and Winney Adams, 27 Nov 1797, Thomas Adams, surety.
Nancy Thomas and Jacob Reed, 17 Apr, 1800, Frederick Gooldey, surety. Consent of William Thomas the father [sic] of Nancey.
(Martha Hurt married David Thomas in Amelia County, Va. by bond dated November 27, 1784.)

1786 Franklin Co, VA Tax List: William and David Thomas, Adam and Nicholas Teal
[http://www.newrivernotes.com/neighboring_franklin_enumerations_1786_personalpropertytax.htm]
1788 Franklin Co, VA Tax List: William Thomas and Adam Teal
1799 Franklin Co, VA Tax List: William, David, and Ephriam Thomas
http://www.newrivernotes.com/va/fran1786.htm
Aug 15 1812 Jackson Co, TN Tax List: William, David, William, Hiram
[ TN Early Tax Lists on ancestry.com ]
These Thomas's appear to be neighbors in the tax list, in same district in Jackson County. It seems unlikely they would be unrelated, but several trees claim Hiram is son of William Thomas and "Elizabeth Woolfolk" of Orange Co, VA, e.g.,
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/3450524/person/1854207656
, and had brothers Lewis, William, and Humphrey. Hiram and Lewis families moved to Hamilton Co, IL

from "An old Virginia court : being a transcript of the records of the first court of Franklin County, Virginia, 1786-1789, with biog" on ancestry.com -
20 Nov 1786 Parriss vs Hale leave is Granted the Pltf to take the Depo, of Alex' Thomas.
Mar 1787 On the Motion of Milley Thomas. Judgt. is Granted her against John Livesey Gent. (NE. of Gogginsville)
12 Apr 1787 A Deed Robert Ellison to George Thomas Ack'd & O.R. A Deed of Conveyance from George Thomas & Sarah Thomas to Robt. Ellison Ack'd & O.R.
Jun 1788 George Thomas is appointed Lieut. & James Myer Ensign in the Compny of Capt. Greer... Aug 1788 George Thomas came into Court & Qualif'd as a Lieut in the Militia of this County.
29 May 1788 Charles Thomas who prosecutes on behalf of the Com. Wealth...for arrest of James Lynn, aka Thompson pg 132
April 1789 Isham Hall meets George Thomas in court! George Thomas, Foreman, ...sworn as Grand Jury... for trial against Isham Hall. [ Isham Hall and partner accused of theft from Owen Ellison]
==> If this is Sarah d/o William and Deborah Thomas, implies George is brother.

"We also notice in (Ibid Ref Pg 292 Book 8) that in August Court 1786 in the case of GRAHAM VERSUS ARTHUR- Deborah Thomas was allowed pay for three days attendance as a witness and that Mary Graham and William Thomas were also allowed for three days attendance."

Many of these names in descendants of Charles Thomas b~1739 VA m. Judith Ripley/Patterson
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=floyd-1&id=I2932
=> If our William Thomas was related, he would be Charles brother. One reference says Charles married in Appomattox Co, VA...

To divide up the names between Charles Line:
Pleasant, Cornelius, Charles, Milly, Polly, Judith, Richard
, and William's Line, ie, all the rest:
Mary, Sarah, Ephraim, Deborah, George, David, Daniel?, Zachariah, Ralph, Alexander

Impressive Timeline of Sources in a FamilySearch tree marthaghopkins1:
1771 - Order Book 3 - William Thomas appointed to survey road from Maggotty Creek to Griffith's Creek
1771 - Survey of William Thomas Land Grant on Magotty Creek, Bedford County, Virginia
1772 - Land Patent to above.
1772 - Court Attendance Bedford County Virginia - William Thomas
1775 - Deed of William Thomas Sr of Bedford Virginia to Clark and Johnson
1782 - Tax List Bedford Virginia
1782 - Virginia Public Claim for Beef to Military in Bedford Virginia - William Thomas Sr.
1783 - Tax List Bedford Virginia - William Thomas
1784 - Tax List Bedford Virginia
1784 - Order book 8 p. 74 -William Thomas fined 10 Pounds for misbehavior; bonded by Thorp and Turner
1785 - Tax List Bedford Virginia
1786 - Tax List of Franklin County Virginia
1786 - May Bedford County Court Attendance - William and Deborah Thomas
1786 - August Bedford County Court Attendance - William and Deborah Thomas
1786 - November Bedford County Court Attendance - William Thomas
1787 Tax List of Franklin County Virginia
1788 Tax List Franklin County Virginia
1789 Tax List Franklin Virginia
1790 Tax List Franklin County Virginia
1790 - David Thomas - Bond for Marriage of Jesse Sloan and Deborah Thomas -Signed by William Thomas Sr. and Deborah
1790 - David Thomas - Bond for Marriage of Deborah Thomas and Jesse Elias Sloan - Signed by William Thomas SR. and Deborah
1791 Tax List of Franklin Virginia
1792 Tax List of Franklin Virginia
1793 Tax List Franklin Virginia
1794 Tax List Franklin Virginia
1795 Tax List Franklin County Virginia
1795 - Minutes - Franklin Virginia - William Thomas v. Stanhope Richardson
1796 Tax List Franklin Virginia
1796 - Order Book Franklin Virginia - Thomas v. Richardson
1797 Tax List Franklin Virginia
1798 - Tax List of Franklin Virginia
1799 Tax List Franklin Virginia
1800 -General index to deeds, 1800-1804; Reference to Sale of Maggotee Creek property of William and Deborah Thomas, p. 277.
General Index Deeds, Franklin VA
1800 - Deed of William and Deborah Thomas to Charles Divin and James Molloy
1803 - Jackson County Tennessee, U.S., Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895 for William Thomas
1811 - Deed - William Thomas to John Ferguson
1813 - Minute Book 1813-1814 - William Thomas to John Johnson
1813 - Jackson County Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Registers, 1778-1927 for James Young, Series 02: Entries 1813 - 1815; Reference to William Thomas Sr.