1.  1790 Census.  Not yet found (or, rather, there are too many James THOMPSONs to tell which one is our subject).

2.  1800 Census.  Kentucky census lost/destroyed. 

3.  1810 Census (as extracted by A. Robert Matthiesen; see 1810 Table): 

1810

Christian Co., KY

p. 64

10101-00110-00

These data indicate:

No. & Sex	Age Class	Therefore Born	Individuals Inferred
1 male	9 or under	1800-1810	=
1 male	16-25	1784-1794	= Son A (b. 1788/9)
1 male	45 or over	in or bef. 1765	= James (b. 1757)
1 female	16-25	1784-1794	= Daughter A
1 female	26-44	1765-1784	= Wife

Sons John and James Jr. have left home, as has daughter Sarah.
James' wife appears to be fibbing about her age — because she cannot be this young and have birthed John.  Or is this a second wife?

4.  1820 Census.  Not found.

5.  James Thompson in Christian County Court Order Books A & B.  Synopsis: 

A James THOMPSON (either our subject or his father) first appears in Christian County Court Order Book A on 21 Jul 1798.  That he is signing approval of a mill seat on Pond River suggests this is the James THOMPSON who settled on Pond River. James THOMPSON became a Justice of the Peace for the County on 18 Mar 1800, and on 20 Mar 1800, he was given the authority to conduct marriages.  On several occasions, James posted bond for William THOMPSON to hold the office of Constable. In 1802, James Thompson, "Sr.," was exempted from working on public roads, and exemption usually granted for old age or illness.  In 1804, he is called one of the two "eldest" of the Justices of the Peace and is recommended to the Governor for the office of Sheriff.  In 1806 and 1808, James is again recommended to the Governor for Sheriff.  In 1809, James received a commission from the Governor to become Sheriff of Christian County (William THOMPSON was one of the securities for his bond).  From 1800-1809, James had been in regular attendance at the County Courts, but once he had received his commission to be Sheriff, he resigned his position as J.P. and ceased his attendance at the County Courts.  Some time between January and August of 1811, James ceased to be Sheriff and ended up in litigation with his securities for that office and with the County Undertaker.

The many associations between James and William THOMPSON suggest they are brothers.  Presumably this is the William THOMPSON who also lives on Pond River.

6.  From The Kentucky Land Grants by Willard Rouse Jillson (1925, Filson Club Publ., Louisville, KY; reprinted 1994 by Genealogical Publ. Co., Baltimore, MD; online at Ancestry.com).

Name	Acres	Date	Watercourse	County
Thompson, James, Sr.	120	15 Feb 1799	West Fork Pond River	Christian
Thompson, James	100	18 Apr 1803	Pond River	Christian
The West Fork of the Pond River runs from north central Christian Co. northeastwards to join the Pond River as the boundary between Hopkins and Muhlenberg Cos.

7.  Christian County, Kentucky, Tax Rolls, 1797-1816.  Heritage Quest, Microfilm No. V20-72 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Year	District	Dates of  Receiving Lists	Persons Names  Chargeable with the Tax	A	B	C	D	E	F	Acres			Watercourse	In Whose Name Entered	In Whose Name Surveyed	In Whose Name Patented
										1st	2nd	3rd
1798		-	Thompson, Jas.	1		-	-	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1799	No. 2	[unreadable]	Thompson James	2	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1800		May 6	Thompson James	1	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	120	Pond R	J Thompson	Same	-
1801	North	March 11	Thompson Jas	2	-	-	-	10	-	-	120	-	West fork P River	John Thompson	John Thompson	-
1802		July 29	Thompson James	1	-	-	-	10	-	- -	120 -	- 100	Pond R Pond R	J Thompson J Thompson	Same -	- -
1803		Sept 16	Thompson James	1	-	-	-	4	-	- -	120 -	- 100	Pond R Pond R	J Thompson J Thompson	Same Same	- -
1804	North	Apl 9	Thompson Jas Senr	1	-	-	-	10	-	- -	120 -	- 100	Pon R Pon R	J Thompson J Thompson	Same Same	- -
1805	North	August 7	Thompson Jas	1	1	-	-	10	-	-	220	-	Pond River	Jas Thompson	Same	-
1806	North	June 3	Thompson James Senr	1	-	-	-	15	-	-	-	220	Pond River	his own name	same	-
1807	East	Sep 26	Thompson James	2	1	-	-	10	-	- -	120 -	- 100	Pond river same	J Thompson same	same same	- -
1808	No. 1	July 20	Thompson James Senr	1	1	-	-	11	-	- -	120 100	- -	Pond R same	Jas Thompson same	same same	- -
1809	No. 1	July 27	Thompson James	1		-	-	13	-	- -	120 100	- -	W F P R -	J Thompson J Thompson	same same	same -
1810		July 11	Thompson James	1		-	-	3	-	-	-	120	Pond River	Jas Thompson	Same	Same
1811		May 22	Thompson James	1	-	-	-	3	-	- -	120 100	- -	Pond River T Water	Jas Thompson same	same same	same same
1812			Thompson James	1		-	-	3	-	- -	- -	120 100	P River Same	Same Same	Same Same	Same -
1813			Thompson James	1		-	-	2	-	- -	- -	120 100	P River same	self same	same same	same -
1814			Thompson James	1		-	-	2	-	- -	- -	120 100	Pond R same	self self	same same	same same
1815			Thompson James	1		-	-	2	-	- -	- -	120 100	Pond River same	Jas Thompson Jas Thompson	same same	same same
1816			Thompson James	1		-	-	-	-	- -	- -	120 100	P River same	Jas Thompson same	same -	same -
Legend for numerical data [grey indicates that particular datum was not taken that year]:  A = White Males 21 or over; B = White Males 16-20; C = Blacks over 16; D = Total Blacks; E = Horses & Mares (gelded male horses and female horses); F = Stud Horses (intact male horses); 1st/2nd/3rd refer to 1st Rate, 2nd Rate, or 3rd Rate land.

James is often taxed on the same day as William Thompson of Pond River, suggesting they lived in close proximity.
James' fortunes appear to have taken a drastic turn in 1810, when he ceased to be a JP and became County Sheriff.  By 1811 he had ceased to be Sheriff and had became involved in litigation of some kind.

8.  A.B. Willhite.   [n.d.]  Christian Co., Kentucky, Tax List, 1819-1823.   (Self-published; available from author at 4396 Coopertown Rd., Russellville, KY 42276, or from the Christian County Genealogical Society, Hopkinsville, KY).

Pg. in Willhite	Year	First  Name	Last  Name	A	B	C	D	Acres	Watercourse
64	1819	Jas	Thompson	1	-	-	1	120 100	W F of P R "
-	1820-23	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Legend for numerical data: A = White Males 21 or over; B = Blacks over 16; C = Total Blacks; D = Horses
Abbreviations:  W F = West Fork; P R = Pond River

9.  Anon.  1993.  Christian County, Kentucky, Wills and Estates, 1815-1823:  Christian County Will Book C.  T.L.C. Genealogy, Miami Beach, FL.

p. 8	Page 21.  The estate of Abraham Adams, deceased, exposed to sale on Nov 29, 1815.  Purchasers... James Thompson... Recorded Dec Term 1815.
p. 30	Page 108.  Appraisement of the estate of Fredrick Holland deceased, taken Feb 10, 1817... Per [Christian County] Court order of Feb Term 1817, on Feb 10, 1817, appraised the estate of Fredrick Holland deceased.  Signed... James Thompson.  Recorded Jan Term 1818.
p. 37- 42	Page 138.  No. 1.  List of store accounts due Doct. Moses Steele, decd, at the store in Hopkinsville, marked #1, and comprising part of the inventory of the estate of sd Steele.  People in the list... James Thompson... Recorded May Term 1818. Page 142.  No. 2.  Part of the inventory of the estate of Moses Steele decd.  A list of Notes.  Nov 26, 1817.  Notes due: ... James Thompson.  Recorded May Term 1818. Page 144.  No. 3.  A memorandum of Medical Acct in 1815, 1816, & 17, as they appear due, at the death of Dr. Steele.  This acct comprises part of the inventory of the estate of Moses Steele, decd.  Persons named: ... James Thompson Esq... Recorded May Term 1818.
p. 65	James Thompson witnesses the will of Francis Buckner of Christian Co., 31 Aug 1818.
p. 94	Page 386.  A statement of the sale of the estate of David Pyle decd, sold on Sep 15, 1820. Purchasers:  ... James Thompson... Recorded Jun 4 1821.
p. 119	Page 479.  The estate of Geo Buckner deceased...  Disbursements mention:  taxes & levies for 1820, James Thompson...  Credits: ... James Thompson ... Recorded Jan Term 1823.
p. 129	Page 521.  Sep 15, 1822.  List of notes of hand and money of JW Cocke.  People mentioned: ... Jas Thompson...

There is no certainty all of the above entries apply to our subject, especially as the tax rolls suggest he died ca. 1819.

10.  National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Lineage Books of the Charter Members. Vols. 108, 124; DAR ID Nos. 107266, 123072.  (Online at Ancestry.com):

John Thompson (b. 1778-1834) m. 1806 Amy Bobbitt…     James Thompson m. — Patterson; Isham Bobbitt m. 1775 Elizabeth —. "Sergt. James Thompson (1757-1803) served as quartermaster in Colonel Hazen's regiment at Yorktown. He was born in Ireland; died in Christian County, Ky."

He cannot have died in 1803.  This must be a mistake.  Either that, or I've made one.

11.  Letter from Mrs. Fred R. Jueneman (223 East Oakland, Rapid City, SD) to Winnifred Ranford (10607 Pinyon Ave., Tujunga, CA) dated 11 June 1964, a photocopy of which was passed on from Winnie Ranford to my aunt, Betty Ann (Matthiesen) Cogliati, who passed it on to me.

My husband's ancestor was James Thompson who had a brother John Thompson, they came from Ireland to America prior to the Revolutionary War and settled near Philadelphia, Pa.  James served in the War and then moved to So. Carolina and on to Tenn. with his brother John.  From Tenn. they moved on to Christian Co. Ky.  I have a list of children for James Thompson who married a Miss Patterson.  Correction- I have only the name of 1 son.                1.  John Thompson b. 1778...

12.  Pedigree of Joshua Daniel Bobbitt:  The Bobbitt Line. by Joshua Daniel Bobbitt.   [link died] James Thompson, the JP who married William James BOBBIT and Elizabeth HAILE, is said to be the brother of the John Thompson who was married to William Bobbitt's sister, Amy Bobbitt.  However, this JP is referred to in court records as the eldest of the JPs, which makes me think the JP was James Sr. (i.e., Sgt. James), which also means he couldn't have died in 1803.

13.  Cordelia C. Gary.  1970.  Marriage Records, 1797-1850, Christian County, Kentucky.  LDS Film No. 0496899.  List of marriages for those requiring parental permission (i.e., underage marriages).  A James THOMPSON gave permission for an underage Sarah to marry; he is most likely Sarah's father, but could be an uncle or older brother, etc.

THOMPSON, Sarah to Simon KUYKENDALL, 28 July 1802, James THOMPSON

Our subject is the only James THOMPSON in Christian Co. old enough to have a daughter of marriageable age.

14.  Query at Christian Co., KY, GenConnect Query board, posted under the title, "James Thompson."  The James Thompson who was Justice of the Peace in Christian Co., KY, is said to have sold a family of slaves in 1816.  But the tax rolls show that he owned no slaves.  The James Thompson who sold the slaves in 1816 was the one who came to Christian Co. in 1815 (husband of Sarah Steele) and settled on Little River, in what later became Trigg Co.