Timeline of Thomas Garrett

Thomas Garrett is sometimes identified as a son of Stephen Garrett of Buckingham county Virginia. Most family accounts indicate that Thomas Garrett was born about 1760 and died in 1814 at the Battle of New Orleans - generally no further information is given. The Thomas Garrett presented below was born about 1763, but according to his pension application he lived to be an old man, and died in 1844 in Fentress county Tennessee. Is he the son of Stephen Garrett of Buckingham county Virginia? It is of interest that Anna Garrett Flowers, a possible daughter of Stephen Garrett of Buckingham, gives a deposition for Thomas Garrott's (Garrett) pension application. Below is a small collection of records related to Thomas Garrott (Garrett) of the pension application. We can recognize his much younger wife, Joana Garrett, and his three youngest children - Rebecca Garrett, Doctor Garrett, and James Garrett. These children were born to their father after he had reached his sixty-fifth birthday. As I have studied this family, searching for a possible connection for my husband's John and Stephen Garrett in Benton county Tennessee, several questions have been raised. I am particularly interested in this family because recent DNA testing suggests a close relationship between my husband and Doctor Garrett, son of Thomas Garrett and Joana. For now I am placing Thomas Garrett in this database as the son of Stephen Garrett of Buckingham county Virginia. I remain open to the idea that his relationship to the Garretts of Buckingham County Virginia might not be as simple as tradition suggests.
Pam Garrett, March 2017

Thomas Garrett's Revolutionary War Pension Application can be found online, as a part of the Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters collection, transcribed by C. Leon Harris. I have given an abbreviated version here:

Pension Application of Thomas Garrott R3926 Joannah Garrott VA
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris.

State of Tennessee }
Fentress County } SS
On this 2nd day of December 1839 personally appeared Thomas Garrott in open court he being a resident Citizen of said county aged seventy six years according to his best recollection and information having no record of the same . . . That he entered the Service of the United States army in the year 1781 by volenteering under Captain Charles Paterson [Charles Patterson] and attached to a Redgment commanded by Colonel Lee [possibly Francis Lightfoot Lee] and served under the above named officers for the term of three months went from Mclinburg [sic: Mecklenburg] County State of Virginia . . he was dismissed from service and returned to Mclinburg County State of Virginia where he remained for but a few months when he went to Buckingham County in the same state and same year in the summer season and was in Buckingham County State of Virginia among his friends and relations when one Capt Jones was raising a company . . . but is confident that in the first engagement from Mclinburg County that he served just three months and from Buckingham County he knows that he was engaged for full three months . . . after his return from service to Buckingham he then returned to Mclinburg County where he remained for about five year and then removed to Buckingham County State of Virginia where he resided for the term of thirty four years thence removed to Overton County State of Tennessee where he resided for the term of Twelve year thence removed to Fentress where he now lives and has resided for seven years . . . but now becomeing quite old and in great need and knowing it to be just has concluded to forward his claim he knows of no person now living in this countery by whom he can prove his service but can prove by Peter Reagan who is the nearest clergyman to his aplicants residence and by Sampson Evans a resident Citizen of said County and Neighbourhood that he is a man of undoubted verasity and reputed and believed to have been a Soldier of the Revolution . .

NOTES:
On 5 Dec 1840 Ann Flowers, 76, certified that her late husband, Roland Flowers (pension application W12) served with Garrott from Buckingham County "until about corn gethering in the fall season."

On 20 Oct 1852 Joannah Garrott, 53, assigned power of attorney to obtain benefits for the service of her husband, Thomas Garrott, whom she married on 7 May 1827, and who died on 18 March 1844.

The pension application suggests this movement for Thomas Garrett, with approximate dates:
1781 - Buckingham county Virginia
1782-1787 - Mecklenburg county Virginia
1788-1820 - Buckingham county Virginia
1821-1832 - Overton county Tennessee
1833-1844 - Fentress county Tennessee

This information is a good match for the census records given below.

1810 Census of Buckingham county Virginia
page 782
William Garrett, 5m 0-10; 2m 10-15; 2m 16-25; 1m 45+; 1f 0-10; 2f 16-25; 1f 26-45; 3 slaves
neighbors - Minton, Hensley, Omohundro, Crane
page 783
Joshua Garrett, 2m 0-10; 1m10-15; 2m 16-25; 1m 45+; 2f 0-10; 1f 45+; 2 slaves
Thomas Garrett, 4m 0-10; 1m 45+; 2f 0-10; 1f 16-25; 1f 45+
neighbors - Robert Jones, John Oliver, John Falwell, Joseph Gordon
page 803
Roland Flowers

1830 Census of Overton county Tennessee
- some Garrett family members, and their neighbors, on page 201-204
page 201 neighbors - Eliza Freman, Thomas Cope, Joseph Garrett, John Stafford, William Padgett, James Webb, James Flowers, Sarah Grayham, Robert Stafford, James Zachry, Meredith Stone . .
page 202 neighbors - Huddleston (Garrett, Simon, Willis), Anthony Davis, Ned Dalton, James Crockett, Elijah Garrett, Stephen Garrett, Nancy Walker, John Reeder, Samuel Dale, Carter Dalton, Samuel Poor, John Garrett, Lucy Garrett, Absolom Garrett, William Miller, Benjamin Wilson, James Zachary, Cornelius Nichols, William Garrett, Joel Brank, Anthony Flowers . .
page 203 neighbors - Field Huddleston, Roland Story, Abraham Jones, Flowers (Samuel, David), Henry Grayham, Moses Tuck, Isaac Bullard, Isaac VanHoozer, James Coleman, Thomas Garrett, Mary Crouch, Reuben Padgett . .
page 204 neighbors - David Clark, Frederick Maybury, Davis, Martin, Ledbetter, Butts, Richard Lee, John Garrett, Thomas Brown, Joseph Bates.
Garretts in the census -
Joseph Garrett age 40-50 (1780-1790); wife age 30-40 (1790-1800); five children
Stephen Garrett age 20-30 (1800-1810); wife 20-30, male 0-5
Lucy Garrett (?) age 70-80 (1750-1760); male 10-15; female 30-40
Absolom Garrett age 50-60 (1770-1780); wife age 40-50 ; male 0-5; female 15-20; female 0-5
Elijah Garrett age 50-60 (1770-1780); wife age 40-50; six children
William Garrett age 40-50 (1780-1790); wife age 40-50; six female children
John Garrett age 40-50 (1780-1790); wife 30-40; male 5-10
Nancy Walker age 30-40 (1790-1800); 3 males, 7 females
Thomas Garrett age 50-60 (1770-1780); wife age 30-40; six children
John Garrett age 40-50 (1780-1790), wife age 30-40, one male child age 5-10

1840 Census of Fentress county Tennessee
- some Garrett family members, and their neighbors, on page 3
page 3, neighbors - Joseph Moreland, Isaac Napier, Sarah Garrett, Robert Clark, Hezekiah Taylor, William Padgett, Henderson Garrett, Absolom Garrett, Carter Dolton, Andrew Shortbridge, Leonard Huddleston, Thomas Garrett, Spiny Smith, Colum Jackson
Garretts in the census -
Sarah Garrett; 1f 50-60 (1780-1790); 2m 0-5; 1m 10-15; 1f 5-10; 1f 20-30
Henderson Garrett; 1m 20-30 (1810-1820); 1f 20-30; 3 male children
Absolom Garrett; 1m 60-70 (1770-1780); 1f 40-50
Thomas Garrett; 1m 70-80 (1760-1770); 1f 30-40; 3 male, 4 female children

1850 Census of Fentress county Tennessee #133
Joana Garrot (f); 53 (1797) Tennessee
Rebecca Garrot; 19 (1831) Tennessee
Doctor Garrot; 15 (1835) Tennessee
Jas Garrot; 11 (1839) Tennessee
neighbors - Pritchett, Clark, Huddleston

Joana Garrett is probably thirty years younger than her husband Thomas Garrett. It seems likely that she is a second (or later) wife. The 1840 census suggests that Thomas Garrett may have had a number of children in "late" life. It seems possible that he may also have older children. In the 1850 census Joana Garrett is living near the family of John Garrett (born 1790 North Carolina), and the family of Daniel Garrett (born 1825 in Tennessee). John Garrett and Daniel Garrett (below) may be son and grandson of Thomas Garrett, but that is not proven.

Likely children of Thomas and Joana Garrett (appear in the 1850 census of Fentress county Tennessee):
Rebecca Garrett (1831)
Doctor Garrett (1835-aft 1880); married Elizabeth Maloney; to Casey county Kentucky
James Garrett (1839)

"Suggested" children of Thomas and Joana Garrett:
John Garrett (1790); married Louisa; appears in 1850 census of Fentress county Tennessee
Henderson Garrett (1810); married Elizabeth; appears in 1830, 1840, 1860 census of Fentress county Tennessee

1850 Census of Fentress county Tennessee #148
John Garrott; 60 (1790) North Carolina
Louisa Garrott; 55 (1795) North Carolina
Hannah Garrott; 16 (1834) Tennessee

1850 Fentress county Tennessee #147
Daniel Garrott; 24 (1826) Tennessee
Susan Garrott; 17 (1833) Tennessee
Amy Whitehead; 26 (1824) Tennessee
William Whitehead; 2 (1848) Tennessee
neighbors - Huddleston, Poor

Do you want to know more?
Link to Thomas Garrett

Timeline of Thomas Garrett; compiled by Pamela Hutchison Garrett, 2017; for Family Stories at pamgarrett.com.