I'm making this suggestion even though I think you have probably already done this. If Tom as not a slave than he and his family should be on the 1850 and the 1860 census. Do a search on his wife Panthea only using her birth date and first name. First try, Mecklinburg Co., then spread out to the state of VA and if you don't find her there try the entire US. When doing an advanced search you can enter Tom's name as spouse and also her children's names. There were probably not alot of women with her given name in the area. By process of elimination, you might find them in the earlier census. Good luck, Linda