Dr. William Terrance "Terry" Thornton

He was a wonderful man and a thorough scholar. His work is a family treasure for all us Yanc(e)ys.

Dear Family, I just learned last night about Mr. Thornton's death and I am so sorry. Mr. Thornton and I had exchanged many emails, and I sent him a picture of a bottle tree and he had it on his website. I will keep you all in prayer.

Dear Thorton Family, I am so sad. Terry and I emailed for several years about genealogy. He helped me so much. He was the kindest person. Recently we discovered that we were distant cousins. Without him I would not have been able to discovered so many things about my family in Monroe County. His good heart reached all the way to California.
Jane Diano (San Diego, Ca.0

Dear Betty and the Thornton Folks...

Terry helped me to appreciate Itawamba and Monroe counties, where many of my ancestors lived. When I started my genealogical search, he was such a help and encouragement. His writings have inspired me and many others. God Bless You!

Dear Thornton Family,
I was very sad to hear of the passing of Terry through the Geneablogging community. Mr. Thornton's blog was a true inspiration. His contribution to the world of genealogy for his beloved Monroe County, Mississippi amazing. He will be missed greatly! My thoughts and prayers are with you in this time of sorrow.
Terri Kallio

Betty and Sons,
I am deeply saddened at the loss of Terry. His generous giving of time and effort to those of us who needed a push to pursue our genealogy seemed endless. His intelligence and wit were unsurpassed. Most of all, the courage he found to continue his passion was remarkable. I know that this couldn't have happened without his "Sweetie."

Dear Thornton Family,

What a sad day it has been to learn about the passing of Terry. Please accept my condolences. What a story teller, historian and true Southern Gentleman he was. He will be deeply missed. A little part of him will always remain in his stories and the support he gave so many genealogy researchers and his community for years to come. Rest in peace dear friend.

We were fortunate to have been neighbors of the Thornton's for a brief period. Although we did not spend as much time as we would have liked, we cannot imagine having better neighbors during hurricane Katrina than Dr. and Mrs. Thornton. The world has lost a true gentleman. Our heartfelt sympathies to Mrs. Thornton and her family. May he rest in peace.

Dear Thornton Family,
Terry warmly wrote me several times about genealogy and writing. I appreciated him very much and wish it had been possible to know him better. I pray your sadness and grief will be tempered by having had such a special person as your family. May God truly bless each of you.
Sue Edminster, Granite Falls, WA

Dear Betty and the Thornton Family,

Please accept my deepest condolences. Terry was so talented, kind and supportive, This is such a loss. He will be sorely missed.

Robin Linn
New Orleans

What a sad surprise!!! I have known Terry only from a distance--Winchester, Virginia to the hills of Northeast Mississippi. I never lived in Monroe County, but during boyhood we visited the Pearce Chapel community twice a year. It was the childhood home of my dad, Dr. Rex R. Pearce, and others of our Pearce chain. Terry left a great legacy for those of northeast Mississippi Hill Country and those of us still distantly connected. My condolences to his entire family, particularly his wife Betty.

My deepest condolences on the loss of a wonderful man. I was one of many whom he befriended and encouraged online. His writing was my gold-standard model. He has left such a positive mark on the entire genealogy and genea-blogging community. Memory eternal.

When Terry returned to the beautiful hills of his native northeastern Mississippi, the region he loved so much was greatly blessed. Terry was more than a resident - he was a valued citizen. His noble works with the promotion and preservation of the rich history and heritage of this region never wavered. From his volunteerism with the Gaither House Project in Fulton, and numerous projects with the Itawamba Historical Society, to his teaching students in the A Way Out after school program about their cultural heritage, he never strayed from those noble deeds.

Terry was also a master story teller and through his wonderful and vivid pen pictures he wrote, readers have experienced the rich history, heritage and beauty of his beloved hill country.

Above all else, Terry was a close friend - a friend I admired and respected - that rare type of person who can pick you up when you are down, make you laugh when you are sad, and motivate you when things get slow. And I have lost a good friend. But when a good friend becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure that will last forever. My life has been richly blessed for having known Dr. William Terrance Thornton.

Dear Betty and the Thornton Family,

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I am another of the many members of the genealogy blogging community that will miss Terry and his writings. I had the privilege of knowing him as a good blogging friend and colleague, e-mailing him fairly often and talking a couple of times with him via Skype. Just this small amount of contact with him over the past few years is nothing, I know, compared to how deeply you all knew and loved him. But please know that our community is at a great loss without him, too, and we send our condolences to and prayers for you.

A great spinner of yarns, and teller of tales has left our midst. No one needed to tell Terry that the stories were important and needed to be told. His writing showed us by example what we should be doing. My deepest sympathy to his family, may God bless.

My deepest condolences to the family. I never met Terry in person, but that does not diminish the effect his writing had on me. I'm so sorry.

I had only known Terry for a short time, but it seemed as though we had known each other for years. It is wonderful to have been acquainted with such a creative, talented and supportive friend.
I am deeply saddened to hear of his passing. He will be sorely missed.
Patricia Neely-Dorsey(Tupelo, MS)

I sadly did not have the chance to meet him. But I was an avid reader of his blog. My deepest sympathy goes out to those who will miss him.

I never met Terry but loved reading his blogs on a regular basis. I am so sorry for our loss. I was a genealogy email friend of Terry's. Blogger friends are sometimes closer than "real" friends. We will miss the great stories that he narrated on his blog. He touched our lives and our hearts through his writings. May he rest in peace.

Unfortunately, I never got a chance to meet Terry in person. I knew him through his wonderful writing on his blog and through email. He was smart and witty, and he encouraged me greatly as I began blogging. He was a true gentleman, and he will be missed. I will remember him and his family in my prayers.

I am so upset to read of Mr. Thornton's passing. I am better for having known him but I will miss my genealogy friend.

I am proud to say that I knew Dr. Terry Thornton, and was able to experience all of the progressive ideas and motivations that emerged from his passion for historic preservation. His caring heart and creative mind will be a large void at the Itawamba Historical Society. I pray that God watches over the family and many friends who loved and appreciated him. My sympathies to the Thornton family.

Deepest sympathies to the Thornton family from Ohio. Terry was such a positive influence on the genealogy blogging community. I will always be grateful for his mentoring. He touched so many lives.

Betty and Thornton Family,

I so enjoyed Terry's Hill Country Blog and all his wonderful stories. Thanks for sharing him with the online world. Condolences to each of you. Rest in Peace Terry! Margaret Tull (Selmer, TN)

May I offer my deepest sympathy to the family. He will be missed by many.

May his memory be eternal.
My condolences to Terry's family. Although we never met in person, Terry was a friend and supporter. As I told him last year in an email "We're physically, politically, culturally and probably other "ally" ways, miles apart but we have found common ground with genealogy and writing and eels."
Rest in peace, Dr. Thornton.

Terry was one of the first to encourage me in my genealogy blogging, and it meant so much to me. I enjoyed reading his blog, and chatting with him via email. I will certainly miss him, his humor, his writing, and his charm. My deep sympathies to his family and friends.

My deepest sympathies. Terry will most certainly be missed.

Ruth Stephens
Bluebonnet Country Genealogy

I am so so sorry for your loss. I was a genealogy friend of Terry's - and he always had such kind and uplifting words for me. He was a very kind man with such great stories to tell. I will miss the great stories that he told on his blog so much. I know nothing I say will lessen the pain - but I just wanted to tell you how he touched my life. May he rest in peace and may God give you comfort during this most difficult time.

Terry,You were truly a gentleman and a scholar. I will miss your stories and your sense of humor.
Our geneablogger community is a poorer one for your passing. My deepest condolences to your family.

I'm so sorry that I cannot make it to Mississippi to be with the family. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to all of you. Terry was a born storyteller. I'll miss having him around to share the discoveries of the Thornton family history.

Offering our deepest condolences during this difficult time.