John C. Thompson

John C. Thompson was born in Westerly, Rhode Island, probably in 1790.[1][2] He studied law with an attorney in Hartford, Connecticut, and attained admission to the bar.[2][3] He moved to Windsor, Vermont in 1813, where he established himself as an attorney[3] and also became active in politics as a Democratic-Republican, including serving as editor of the Vermont Republican newspaper.[4] He practiced law in Windsor until 1818, when he moved to Hartland.[2][3] Thompson moved to Burlington in 1822.[2][3]

In 1827, Thompson was elected to the Vermont Executive Council, and he served until 1830.[2][3] In 1830, Chief Justice Samuel Prentiss of the Vermont Supreme Court resigned because he had been elected to the United States Senate, and Associate Justice Titus Hutchinson was elevated to Chief Justice.[3][5] Thompson was appointed to succeed Hutchinson as an Associate Justice, and he served until his death.[3][5]

Thompson was traveling from Burlington to Montpelier in June 1831 when he was suddenly taken ill.[2][3] He returned to Burlington, where he died on June 27.[2][3] He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Burlington,[6] and was succeeded on the court by Samuel S. Phelps.[5]

In 1816, Thompson married Nancy Patrick (1796-1865) of Windsor.[2][3][4][7] They were the parents of Sophia Patrick Thompson (1826-1833),[8] and Charles Henry Thompson (1830-1846).[9] Charles died when he drowned after a sailing accident on Lake Champlain.[2]

In her later years, Nancy Patrick Thompson resided in Troy, New York with her sister Sophia and brother-in-law Gardner Stow. According to a November 1847 newspaper article, another daughter of John C. Thompson and Nancy Patrick, also named Nancy, married John D. Duggan in Troy in a ceremony performed by Reverend John H. Hopkins of Burlington.[10][11] This article also indicated that at the time of the wedding, Duggan was a resident of Cuba, West Indies.[10]