William Riley Thompson ^{2 3 4 5 6 7 8}

   Cause of his death was chronic endocarditis, dropsy.¹⁰

  General Notes:

William served in the Civil War as a private from 1861 to 1865, in I Company, 10th Regiment Texas Cavalry, having enlisted 31 Oct 1861. According to his Pension Application, William was detailed to commissary work. The Union prisoner of war records show that he was surrendered at Citronelle, Alabama by Lt. General R. Taylor, CSA, 4 May 1865, and was paroled at Meridian, Lauderdale County, Mississippi, 9 May 1865. Family legend says he was wounded 3 times, Muster records show only one wounding in Atlanta, GA, 1864. As a result of his service, he received a pension from the state for the last three years of his life. A United Daughters of the Confederacy marker was placed on his grave Jan 1991.

At the time of the 1870 census, William was a farmer in Cherokee County, Texas. He had real estate valued at $540 and personal assets of $595.

While living in Cherokee County, William tracked and captured escaped convicts from the Rusk Penitentiary, using his own dogs. Once, William's brother in law, Billy Taylor, was killed during one of these searches. From recollections of Herman E. Thompson

William moved his family to Spicewood as a result of the malaria epidemic in East Texas Piney Woods in 1874 and was the one who suggested that Spicewood be named Spicewood, from the few spicewood bushes that grow at Krause Springs.

At the time of the 1880 census, William was farming in Burnet County, Texas. His son James also worked on the farm. By the time of the 1900 census, William owned his farm free of any mortgage. His situation was the same in 1910.

Herman E. Thompson's first recollection of his family was attending William R. Thompson's funeral. Ink was about 4 years old at the time. He remembers his father, Andrew J. Thompson, lifting him up to see the casket. What was really exciting to Ink was that the fence was knocked over backing the wagon up to load the casket. In the funeral procession were a few Model Ts whose noise scared the horses and the teamsters had a difficult time controlling them on the way to the cemetery.

All of William's children were very musical, playing several instruments well. In particular, the violin was a favorite instrument. From recollections of Herman E. Thompson

William marketed a load of hogs in Austin at 4 cents. He and his son Robert H. have been breaking wild mules to the wagon. From the MarbleFalls newspaper, 02/04/1904

William has been catching moles in his Chandler mole trap. He and his wife visited Turkey Bend. From the Marble Falls newspaper,03/24/1904

  Additional Information:

• Military Service: Pvt, Company I, 10th Texas Cavalry, 1861-1865, the Civil War. ^{12 13}

• Death Certificate Image: here.

• FindAGrave: Memorial# 14200354.

William married Sophronie Caroline Calbert Taylor, daughter of James E. Taylor and Martha Worsham, on 5 Oct 1858 in , Cherokee County, Texas.¹ (Sophronie Caroline Calbert Taylor was born on 29 Sep 1838 in , Maury County, Tennessee,¹⁴ died on 11 Jul 1921 in Spicewood, Burnet County, Texas ¹⁴ and was buried in Rockvale Cemetery, Spicewood, Burnet County, Texas ¹⁵.)