The Cochrane & Allied Families

Cochranes from Scotland to Colonial Virginia (c 1760), to Kentucky (1811), to Kansas (1859) and beyond. Allied families to the United States from England, Scotland, Ireland and Switzerland.

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THORNTON, Col. Francis Jr.

THORNTON, Col. Francis Jr.

Male 1682 - 1737  (55 years)   Has 19 ancestors and more than 100 descendants in this family tree.


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    Event Map    |    All

  • Name THORNTON, Francis  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] 
    Prefix Col. 
    Suffix Jr. 
    Birth 4 Jan 1681/82  The Hills - Thornton Family Home, Gloucester County, Colony of Virginia, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2, 3, 5, 7] 
    Address:
    "The Hills", Thornton Family Home
    Gloucester County, Virginia
    USA 
    Gender Male 
    FindaGrave Memorial ID 54238369 
    Land Mar 1703  Essex County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location  [8] 
    that his father deeded to him, 700 acres near Snow Creek, 
    Individual Event May 1719  Snow Creek - Thornton Family Home, Spotsylvania County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location  [8] 
    He and his wife gave 300 acres at Snow Creek to St. Mary's Parish for a glebe, 
    Land 2 May 1719  New Kent County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location  [9] 
    that he and Anthony THORNTON were granted, 4000 acres, 
    Land 5 May 1720  Essex County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location  [10] 
    by a new patent with William COCKE, C. C. THACKER and William STROTHERS, 6000 acres, 
    • The original patent was issued 20 October 1718.
    Death 6 Feb 1736/37  Snow Creek - Thornton Family Home, Essex County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location  [7] 
    Address:
    "Snow Creek", Thornton Family Home
    Essex / Spotsylvania County, Virginia
    USA 
    Land 21 May 1738  Orange County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location  [6] 
    purchased from John HADDOCK, 200 acres, in the fork of the Rappahannock River and Mountain Run, which he gave to his daughter, Elizabeth Meriwether, 
    • Col. Francis THORNTON Jr. was living in Caroline County. On the same date, Thomas and Elizabeth MERIWETHER, living in Hanover County, sold this land to Francis THORNTON III of Spotsylvania County, Elizabeth's brother, for £60. Located at 38.4513N and -77.7628W, this land before 1734 was in Spotsvlvania County, was in Orange County in 1738, and present day it is in Culpeper County.
    Age 55 years 
    Burial Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location  [7] 
    Person ID I727  Cochrane Genealogy
    Last Modified 21 Oct 2025 

    Father THORNTON, Maj. Francis Sr.,   b. 5 Nov 1651, Gloucester County, Colony of Virginia, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 10 May 1726, Stafford County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 74 years) 
    Mother SAVAGE, Alice,   b. 15 Nov 1651   d. 1695 (Age 43 years) 
    Family ID F2041  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family TALIAFERRO, Mary Elizabeth,   b. 11 May 1685, Powhattan Plantation, James City County, Colony of Virginia, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1 Aug 1741, Snow Creek - Thornton Family Home, Essex County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 56 years) 
    Marriage 1704  Snow Creek - Thornton Family Home, Essex County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location  [2, 3, 5, 7] 
    Address:
    "Snow Creek", Thornton Family Home
    Essex / Spotsylvania County, Virginia
    USA 
    Age at Marriage He : ~ 21 years and 11 months - She : ~ 18 years and 7 months. 
    Residence Spotsylvania County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location  [11] 
    at "The Falls" adjacent to the falls on the Rappahannock River 
    Address:
    "The Falls", Thornton Family Home
    Spotsylvania County, Virginia
    USA 
    Children 
    +  1. Male THORNTON, Lt. Col. John   d. Yes, date unknown
    >  2. Male THORNTON, Ruben   d. 1768, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location
    >  3. Female THORNTON, Sarah,   b. Abt 1705   d. Yes, date unknown
    +  4. Male THORNTON, Col. Francis III,   b. 7 Apr 1714, Essex County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 11 Nov 1748, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 34 years)
    +  5. Female THORNTON, Elizabeth,   b. Abt 1720, Snow Creek - Thornton Family Home, Spotsylvania County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Bef Oct 1774, Albemarle County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 54 years)
    +  6. Female THORNTON, Mildred,   b. 21 Mar 1720/21, Snow Creek - Thornton Family Home, Essex County, Colony of Virginia, UK Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 16 Nov 1778, Castle Hill Plantation, Cismont, Albemarle, Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 57 years)
    Family ID F317  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 25 Aug 2025 

  • Notes 
    • (Research):See attached sources. [3]

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - Address:
    "The Hills", Thornton Family Home
    Gloucester County, Virginia
    USA - 4 Jan 1681/82 - The Hills - Thornton Family Home, Gloucester County, Colony of Virginia, England    		 Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsLand - that his father deeded to him, 700 acres near Snow Creek, - Mar 1703 - Essex County, Colony of Virginia, UK Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - Address:
    "Snow Creek", Thornton Family Home
    Essex / Spotsylvania County, Virginia
    USA - 1704 - Snow Creek - Thornton Family Home, Essex County, Colony of Virginia, UK    		 Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsIndividual Event - He and his wife gave 300 acres at Snow Creek to St. Mary's Parish for a glebe, - May 1719 - Snow Creek - Thornton Family Home, Spotsylvania County, Colony of Virginia, UK Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsLand - that he and Anthony THORNTON were granted, 4000 acres, - 2 May 1719 - New Kent County, Colony of Virginia, UK Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsLand - by a new patent with William COCKE, C. C. THACKER and William STROTHERS, 6000 acres, - 5 May 1720 - Essex County, Colony of Virginia, UK Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - Address:
    "Snow Creek", Thornton Family Home
    Essex / Spotsylvania County, Virginia
    USA - 6 Feb 1736/37 - Snow Creek - Thornton Family Home, Essex County, Colony of Virginia, UK    		 Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsLand - purchased from John HADDOCK, 200 acres, in the fork of the Rappahannock River and Mountain Run, which he gave to his daughter, Elizabeth Meriwether, - 21 May 1738 - Orange County, Colony of Virginia, UK Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Colony of Virginia, UK Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - at "The Falls" adjacent to the falls on the Rappahannock River,Address:
    "The Falls", Thornton Family Home
    Spotsylvania County, Virginia
    USA - - Spotsylvania County, Colony of Virginia, UK    		 Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Sources 
    1. [S1617] George H. S. King, Artifact - George H. S. King Papers (Library of VA), 21 Oct 2025, Mss1:k5823a#6.

    2. [S1137] Charles M. Marsteller, Book - Taliaferro Index, (Millsboro, Delaware: Colonial Roots, 2015.), 1 Aug 2018, p 21.

    3. [S635] The Meriwether Society, Inc., Society - Meriwether, ((http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~meriweth/ : 2015)), 10 Jul 2015, accessed 10 July 2015), ID #: I610, Francis Thornton; Various Meriwether Society sources.

    4. [S159] Miriam Margaret (Cochrane) Hunter, Book - Four John Symes of VA, (Coshocton, OH: School Annual Publishing Co., 1986.), 19 Dec 2010, p. 35.

    5. [S1135] Carol A. Hauk, Book - Descendants of Robert Taliaferro, (Anderson, Indiana: Hauk Data Services, 1995.), 30 Jul 2018, p 4.

    6. [S639] Newsletter - Meriwether Connections, 18 Feb 2021, Wells, Kathy Cave and McStravick, Jennifer, "Looking at Multiple Counties and Multiple Sources to Prove a Fact," Vol. 40 (No. 1, January-March 2021): p 6-9.
      Original source:  Organe County, VA Deeds, 1738, p 336-343.
      Deed - Orange Co., VA - Francis Thornton II      		 Deed - Orange Co., VA - Francis Thornton II


    7. [S141] Cemetery Records - Find A Grave, (http://www.findagrave.com: n.d.), 13 May 2025, accessed 13 May 2025<, Memorial #54238369, Col. Francis Thornton, Jr.

    8. [S1164] Magazine - William and Mary College Quarterly - Series 1 & 2 (JSTOR), 30 Jun 2025, W. G. Stanard, "The Thornton Family," Vol. 4, No. 2 (Oct., 1895), p 89-93; digital images, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/ : accessed 30 June 2025).
      Thornton Family      		 Thornton Family


    9. [S623] H. R. McIlwaine, Book - Executive Journals, Council of Colonial VA, Vol III (Hathi Trust), (Richmond, VA: The Virginia State Library, 1928.), 8 Jul 2022, p 500-504.
      Executive Journals, Council of VA - V III, P 500-504      		 Executive Journals, Council of VA - V III, P 500-504


    10. [S623] H. R. McIlwaine, Book - Executive Journals, Council of Colonial VA, Vol III (Hathi Trust), (Richmond, VA: The Virginia State Library, 1928.), 8 Jul 2022, p 525.
      Executive Journals, Council of VA - V III, P 525      		 Executive Journals, Council of VA - V III, P 525


    11. [S214] Internet - Wikipedia, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page), 7 Aug 2015, accessed 7 August 2015), Fall Hill.


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