Coleman County Texas -  Photo - Thomson, Harry McDonald 
May 1, 1929

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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Douglas McCrum doug@gsrisk.com July 3, 2007, 5:36 pm

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Source:             Personal Archives Of Douglas McCrum
Name:               Harry McDonald Thomson

Date Of Photograph: May 1, 1929

Photo can be seen at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/coleman/photos/thomson4457gph.jpg
Image file size: 90.4 Kb

Harry McDonald Thomson was born on April 7, 1879 in Oenaville, Bell County, 
Texas, the sixth child of Alexander Cromwell Thomson and Sara Ann Bray.  The 
Thomson family is well known in Texas lore and history as his great 
grandfather, Alexander S. Thomson, Jr., was an early pioneer and colonizer of 
Texas having brought over 100 settlers from Tennessee in 1832.  He received 
some of the first land grants from the newly formed Mexican government and he 
and his family later became instrumental in the Texas revolution and 
subsequently in the government of the new Republic of Texas.  
In 1889, Harry and his family moved to Coleman, Coleman County, Texas, and he 
remained a citizen of that county for 81 years.  In early life he served as a 
school teacher before going into business for himself as a grocer, merchant and 
also in real estate.  Later, after retiring from business, he was appointed 
Coleman Postmaster by Franklin Roosevelt, and served in that capacity until his 
final retirement.

On May 12,1898, at the age of 19, he became the first volunteer from Coleman 
County to enlist for service in the Spanish-American War, being mustered in 
Austin, Texas.  He served as a private in Company A, 2nd Texas Regiment, 
Volunteer Infantry, Mabry Grounds, until his discharge on November 9, 1898.  
Upon his return to civilian life, he played semi-professional baseball in the 
Texas leagues as a pitcher and catcher and competed against such notables 
players as Honus Wagner.

Harry was active in local, state and national politics having served as a 
councilman for a number of years and as a national delegate.  He was a close 
political ally of Lyndon Johnson and assisted him in a number of his campaigns 
for various state and national offices.

He was married to Ms. Jessie Alice Melton on September 9, 1904 and they had one 
son and two daughters.  Harry had 8 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.  
He died in Coleman on July 7, 1970 was buried in the Thomson plot in the city 
cemetery.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/coleman/photos/thomson4457gph.txt

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