Charles Mynn Thruston (November 6, 1738 – March 21, 1812) was an American farmer, priest, military officer, politician, slaveowner and judge. He represented

Frederick County, Virginia Frederick County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,419. Its county seat is Winchester. The county was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. It is Virginia's northernmost count ...

in the Second, Third and Fourth Virginia Conventions, then fought as an officer in the Continental Army during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

, then represented Frederick County in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

for several terms before moving to the Louisiana Territory, dying in New Orleans.

Early and family life

Charles Thruston was born in

Gloucester County, Virginia Gloucester County () is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,711. Its county seat is Gloucester Courthouse. The county was founded in 1651 in the Virginia Colony and is named for Henry Stuart, ...

on November 6, 1738 to Col. John Thruston and his wife Sarah Mynn. Thruston attended the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William II ...

in 1754. He first married Mary Buckner, daughter of Colonel

Samuel Buckner Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

, in 1760. She died in 1765, but their son Buckner Thruston would become U.S. Senator from Kentucky, and later a U.S. District Judge. In 1766, Thruston remarried, to her cousin, Ann Alexander. He became a

vestryman A vestryman is a member of his local church's vestry, or leading body.Anstice, Henry (1914). ''What Every Warden and Vestryman Should Know.'' Church literature press He is not a member of the clergy.Potter, Henry Codman (1890). ''The Offices of Wa ...

of Petsworth parish in 1764 and elected as a minister in 1767 and continued until 1768 when he moved to

. He then farmed as well as served as minister of Christ Episcopal Church until 1776.

American Revolutionary War

In 1775 and 1776, Frederick County voters elected Thruston and Isaac Zane Jr. as their delegates to the Second, Third and Fourth Virginia Conventions. In 1776, Thruston organized a company to help George Washington in New Jersey as a part of the

. Wounded during the Battle of Punk Hill (March 8, 1777), Thruston lost the use of an arm.

Politician, judge and planter

After the war, Thruston returned to farming in Frederick County, using enslaved labor. With one exception, Frederick County voters elected and re-elected Thruston to represent them (part time) in the

from 1782 through 1788. He served alongside Alexander White, then with

John Smith John Smith is a common personal name. It is also commonly used as a placeholder name and pseudonym, and is sometimes used in the United States and the United Kingdom as a term for an average person. It may refer to: People :''In chronological ...

in 1786-1787, and finally alongside

John Shearman Woodcock John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, then became a county judge. He owned 7 adult and five child slaves in Frederick County in 1787, and an additional five enslaved children in Gloucester County.Netti Schriener-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love, The 1787 Census of Virginia (Springfield, Virginia: Genealogical Books in Print 1987) pp. 521, 1023. In 1808 Thruston moved to Louisiana where he resided until his death in New Orleans on March 12, 1812.

References

1738 births 1812 deaths Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Continental Army officers from Virginia Virginia colonial people {{mil-hist-stub