THOMAS BIOGRAPHIES, Henry County, Missouri ==================================================================== THOMAS, James S. source: 1919 History of Henry Co MO, Uel W. Lamkin, Historical Publishing Co - page: 596 residence: Tebo Twp James S. Thomas - The history of Henry County is founded on the histories of those intrepid men and women who came to her fertile lands when the buffalo and wild deer were unmolested in their native haunts. When the slow ox team was the safest and fastest means of locomotion, and neighbors few and far between. The homes were hewed from the native logs and the clearing plowed to plant the corn and wheat. Among such surroundings James S. Thomas was born March 21, 1856, the son of Cornelius and Sarah (Neathery) Thomas. Cornelius Thomas was born in Virginia August 12, 1813, and was reared in Cumberland and Clinton Counties, Kentucky, where his parents lived during his childhood. Cornelius Thomas was married to Sarah Neathery, who was born in Clinton County, Kentucky, November 23, 1823. In 1844 they left their home in Kentucky and by steamship came up the Missouri river to Lexington, Missouri, where they loaded their household effects and farm machinery, such as it was, upon ox driven wagons. Upon their arrival in Tebo township they commenced their home building and Mr. Thomas was kept very busy in clearing the land and reclaiming it for the production of the corn and wheat which has placed Missouri in the front ranks of States excelling in the production of foodstuffs. Cornelius Thomas did a great deal of carpenter work and helped the incoming settlers in erecting their buildings and was away from his family over many days and weeks at a time. During the Civil War, the conditions were very hard for those left at home as well as for those at the front, but the men and women, by strict economy braved those stressful times and continued after the war in the rebuilding of the farms and homes. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas lived to see the results of their early struggles and enjoy the pleasures of peace and plenty in later years. Mr. Thomas was laid away May 15, 1876, and his wife survived him until February 12, 1898. They were the parents of ten children, eight of whom are living, as follow: Elizabeth, resides with her brother, James; Exeoney, wife of Esley Hornbarger, living in Big Creek township; Martha A., widow of F. Land at Rockyford, Colorado; Harriet F., widow of W. M. McBride, Fort Morgan, Colorado; James, subject of this sketch; Walter, farmer of Tebo township; Charles, Denver, Colorado; Nannie, wife of Seymour S. Morgan, Juneau, Alaska. James Thomas was reared and educated in Tebo township and knows every crook and cranny of his farm, as it has been his home all of his life. He began his farming career very young, as he was only nine years of age when he, with the help of an older brother, plowed, his brother guided the plow and he drove the oxen. In 1890, Mr. Thomas commenced to buy the land of his present farm from the heirs and in 1898 it was all his own, consisting of 180 acres He has since added 206 acres, making 386 acres in all. March 8, 1899, James Thomas and Addie McAfoose were married and have two children: Winona, born August 16, 1902, and Arthur, born June 9, 1909. Mrs. Thomas was born September 6, 1874, in Henry County, the daughter of Daniel and Maggie (King) McAfoose. They were natives of Pennsylvania and came to Henry County in 1868. They lived in Lewis Station and are now deceased. Mr. Thomas has raised great numbers of hogs and cattle for the market but has not raised so many in recent times. He owns 386 acres of land, twenty acres of which is in the natural timber. He is a stockholder of the Calhoun Elevator and also a stockholder in the packing plant at Sedalia, Missouri. He fraternizes with the Modern Woodmen of America, located at Calhoun, Missouri, and politically is a Democrat. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by the Henry County MOGenWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~mohenry/henryco.html Contact the Henry County Coordinator for comments or corrections. ====================================================================