Two Men Named Thomas Taylor & NC Voucher No. 1083

September 18, 2026

I’m pleased to share that my article, “Two Men Named Thomas Taylor: Who Received NC Revolutionary War Pay Voucher No. 1083?,” appears in the Fall 2026 issue of Ansearchin’ News, published by the Tennessee Genealogical Society.

An old family history claims Thomas Taylor of Chatham County, North Carolina received a Revolutionary War pay voucher for his military service. But Thomas Taylor was a common name in the area at the time — and more than one man by that name lived in North Carolina during the Revolutionary period. This article tests the family history against the documentary record, using handwriting exemplars to help determine which Thomas Taylor actually received Voucher No. 1083.

FEATURED IMAGE: Vanessa Wood, “1976 Bicentennial Flag,” photograph 2025.

About Author

Vanessa Wood is a Certified Genealogist® specializing in American family history, with particular depth in Southern states, California, and families with roots in the United Kingdom. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and the National Genealogical Society (NGS), and holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University. She is a First Prize winner of the 2026 Montana Family History Writing Contest and has 25+ published articles in journals including the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. Vanessa is the author of Pryor Wives: Stories of Family, Fortune, and Fiasco (2023), Board in Venice (2025), and The Kinship Papers, Vol. 1. Her books are available on Amazon.com. She can be contacted via email.