Email From Gary Aden to Gary Aden
Email Dated 5/7/2001   

    Thomas Camp III (2/8/1717 in King & Queen County, now Culpepper,
County, Virginia-1798   Island Ford, Rutherford County, North Carolina)
married for the first time in 1738 to Winifred Starling(1720 in Accomac
County-1761 Culpepper County, Halifax, Virginia), daughter of Richard
Starling, who was of Welsh descent. She and Thomas settled in Halifax
County, Virginia and parented 14 children, including their fifth, John
Camp in 1743 from my pedigree line. Following Winifred's death, Thomas
married Margaret Carney who was born 20 June 1744 in Limerick County,
Ireland and moved to the forks of Camp and Carney Creeks in Rutherford
County, North Carolina where he parented another 12 children. In any
case, by the time of the WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, it is said that Thomas had
five sons fighting for the Patriot cause and two sons fighting with the
British in the BATTLE OF KING MOUNTAIN in NORTH CAROLINA and the BATTLE
OF COWPENS in  SOUTH CAROLINA. Viewing accusations of treason leveled at
Thomas III in the context of the geography and sociopolitics of the
time, it is important to realize that this area of North Carolina(Old
Tyron County) was heavily contested during the Revolution, with first
one side, then the other in control. Loyalty shifted, depending on who
held the upper hand, in an effort to protect the family and property
from destruction. In addition to his agricultural property and farming
activity, Thomas III plied his profession as a millwright and
established the first grist mill and saw mill in the next place he was
to move, namely an area called "Ireland."  Gary Carl Aden 5/7/01