In the 1850 Marengo, McHenry County, IL census:

William Thompson aged 48 (Farmer) born in England 1802
Lydia Thompson aged 45 born in England 1805)

This childless Thompson couple (William and Lydia Thompson) took in my g, great grandfather George Emerson five years after his father (Mathew Emerson) died in New York. George was 12 years old at the time the Thompson couple took him to Belvidere, IL in 1846.

It is written in our Emerson family information that this Thompson family first lived in Belvidere, Illinois. They raised large flocks of turkeys and George would help drive the large flocks of turkeys on foot and ox carts filled with feed to the Chicago market.

George eventually left the Thompson's to live with his Emerson family. The Thompson's gave George a beautiful horse as a gift which he rode home to Rice County, Minnesota.

It is noted that George Emerson was well read and very well informed about medicine. He often gathered herbs for his medicines. He was a beautiful penman and kept leather diaries for several years. He was a fine carpenter and a good market gardener. He never drank or smoked and seldom swore.
May these be qualities that the Thompson family instilled into young George?

George Emerson married Margeret Finlayson February 18, 1858 in New Richland, Minnesota.
Margeret Finlayson born to James Finlayson and Sarah (Wells) Finlayson.
The Finlayson family also moved to Belvidere, Illinois in 1851 or 1852. I am thinking that George may have met Margeret Finlayson in Belvidere, IL.

If any of this information sounds familiar to your Thompson family information could you please contact me?
Thank you!

Sincerely,

Sandy (Emerson) Tuzinski
2008 Dixon Drive
Bloomington, MN 55431
pstuz@prodigy.net