Marin-Sonoma County CA Archives Biographies.....Ables, Thomas J. 1835 - 
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Author: Alley, Bowen & Co. Publishers (1880)

  Thomas J. Ables, Whose portrait appears in the body of this history, was born
in Guernsey county, Ohio, January 28, 1835, where he was educated in the common
schools of that State. He commenced teaching a school when only seventeen years
of age, and remained in Ohio until 1857, in which year he started across the
plains for California, in company with two uncles and his brother Benjamin
Ables. After leaving Ohio, Mr. Ables went to Booneville, in Missouri, where the
necessary preparations were made for the trip to the Golden State. Here he made
a contract to drive loose cattle, receiving in payment for this labor his board,
as his funds were insufficient to enable him to succeed in any other way, having
but forty dollars when leaving his native State. He left Booneville on May 8,
1857, and reached Bloomfield, Sonoma county, October 10th of that year. Here he
again resumed the business of teaching in the then Union District, Green valley,
where he remained for fifteen months, after which he taught for one term of four
months in the Iowa District. In the Fall of 1858 he and his brother bought two
hundred acres of land in Tomales township, which they occupied about the
beginning of 1859. Benjamin Ables carried on the farm, and the subject of this
sketch still continued the profession of teaching. In the year 1860 he was
nominated by the Republican party as Superintendent of Schools for Marin county,
to which office he was elected by a majority of twenty-five, he being the only
successful candidate on the ticket. The schools of the county, up to this time,
had not been organized and had not drawn any public money. The task of
organizing them was a laborious and tedious one, but was accomplished in the one
term that Mr. Ables occupied the position. For this one year's work, the Board
of Supervisors, who then fixed the compensation of Superintendent, in the
fullness of their hearts, allowed him three hundred dollars. County warrants
being then worth only ninety cents on the dollar, his salary for one year was
reduced to two hundred and seventy dollars. On January 16, 1861, he was married
to Miss Mary E., second daughter of S. M. Martin, of Two Rock valley, Sonoma
county. From this union three children have been born, two daughters and a son.
Mrs. Ables was born in Birmingham, Van Buren county, Iowa, July 2, 1841, and
crossed the plains with her parents in 1852. After his marriage Mr. Ables
engaged in dairying and farming in Tomales township. Was elected Justice of the
Peace in 1865, and filled the position for two years. The Republican party
nominated him for the Assembly in 1867, a position to which he was elected and
was a member for the sessions of 1867-8. In 1870 he was nominated by the
Republicans of the Third Supervisorial District for the office of Supervisor, to
which position he was elected and served for three years. During his term as
Supervisor the present County Court House was built, many of the most important
public roads constructed, and the North Pacific Coast Railroad Company
organized, and induced, by a subsidy of sixty-one thousand dollars from the
county, to locate the line of their road where it is now built. Up to the time
of the completion of the line to Tomales, the northern end of the county had no
connection with the southern portion, save via Petaluma by stage, or by way of
Petaluma and San Francisco. In 1873 he was again elected to the Assembly and
served during the twentieth session as an Independent, voted and supported
Governor Newton Booth for the position of United States Senator, and advocated
all the reform measures which brought into existence the Independent party. Mr.
Ables at present fills the position of Cashier of the Bank of Tomales, to which
office he was elected at the inaugural meeting of the Directors of that
institution, September, 1875. His children's names are:-Clara I., born October
17, 1861; Zilla L., born November 20, 1865; and Thomas H, born November 22, 1874.

Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA;
INCLUDING ITS
Geography, Geology, Topography and Climatography;
TOGETHER WITH
A Full and Particular Record of the Mexican Grants; Its Early History and
Settlement, Compiled from the most Authentic Sources; Names of Original Spanish
and American Pioneers;

A Full Record of its Organization; A Complete Political History, including a
Tabular Statement of Office-holders since the Formation of the County;

Separate Histories of Bolinas, Nicasio, Novato, Point Reyes, San Antonio, San
Rafael, Saucelito, and Tomales Townships;

Incidents of Pioneer Life, and Biographical Sketches of its Early and Prominent
Settlers and Representative Men;
ALSO
An Historical Sketch of the State of California,
In which is embodied the Raising of the Bear Flag

ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 
ALLEY, BOWEN & CO., PUBLISHERS.
1880.


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