Thomas Ervin & Sarah Hogsett (Hogshead)

Thomas Ervin, father of Edward Osborn Ervin, and my wife's 4th Great Grandfather was born about 1784 in Augusta County, Virginia.  Augusta county is in the Shenandoah Valley in the Northern portion of Virginia and was originally formed from Orange county in 1738.  The primary inhabitants were Scottish-Irish.  The first Ervins (Erwins) came to the area in the 1740s from Ireland.

Thomas married Sarah Hogsett (Hogshead) on March 5, 1804.  She is also thought to be from Augusta Co.  In 1810 they lived in that county with four children and 2 slaves.  Sometime between 1810 and 1820 they moved to Christian County Kentucky, specifically Hopkinsville.  This may in part have been prompted by the death of his father, John "Erwin", who died in 1814.  His will dated March 28, 1814 refers to him as Thomas "Ervin" whereas he and the rest of the males in the family have the last name "Erwin".   It seems the name change was done on purpose and recognized legally at the time.  The name Ervin was used from then on by Thomas' and Sarah's descendants.  By 1820 they had 7 children and 2 slaves, and in 1830 they had seven children (some were young adults).  The slaves were gone by 1830.  Most of the family moved to Hancock, IL in the 1830s.  It is not known if Thomas and Sarah moved with them.  I have no record of them after 1830.