Northampton County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Biographies.....Thomas, William Edward 1860 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031 February 17, 2008, 4:48 pm Author: Leonard Wilson (1916) WILLIAM EDWARD THOMAS THE Thomas family name comes from Wales. The Welsh, survivors of the ancient British stock, are an earnest people, and when, centuries back, they became converted to Christianity, they accepted the new faith with great thoroughness and zeal. In taking family names they were exceedingly partial to the College of Apostles. It is said that the name of Jones which family is now so numerous, is the Welsh form of "John" so named after the apostle John, and that the Thomas family drew their name from the apostle Thomas. Of the many racial strains which make up our American people we have not had one superior to this virile Welsh stock. While Welshmen in the early Colonial period took part in the general emigration from Great Britain to the new colonies, they appear to have been more partial to Maryland and Virginia than they were to some other colonies. Resulting from this, several Thomas families became very prominent in the Colonial and Revolutionary periods, both in Virginia and Maryland. It is of record that one Hugh Thomas came from Wales to Maryland and settled in Kent County in 1651. In the Pritchard genealogy, which sets forth the history of this Welsh family of Thomas, it is traced back to the year 1345, when Thomas, Lord of Gwernddu, was living at Perthir, near Monmouth. A little later than the Maryland settlement George Thomas was a resident of Northampton County, on Eastern Shore, Virginia, certainly prior to the year 1700, but whether he was an original immigrant or a descendant of Hugh Thomas, who had settled higher up the bay in Maryland, is not now known. John Thomas, son of George, served the English Crown as a Colonial Revenue officer. He died in 1785, and must have been a very old man at the time of his death. By his wife Mary he had a son Harrison Thomas, who served in the Third Virginia Continental Regiment during the Revolutionary War. He died in 1808. For many years he was a Collector of Revenues on tobacco for eastern Virginia, receiving his appointment from Governor Patrick Henry, who was the first Governor of Virginia after the Declaration of Independence and the organization of the State as an independent commonwealth. Harrison Thomas married Tabeth Joynes, a member of the family of that name which settled in Accomac County. Of this marriage was born a son, Levin Joynes Thomas, who married Sarah Core, member of an old and prominent Virginia family. Levin J. Thomas died in 1821. His son, Colonel George Levin Joynes Thomas, was a farmer and merchant by occupation, prominently identified with public affairs in his section of the State, and a colonel of the Virginia State Militia. He married Mary Ann Ward, daughter of Albert D. and Lettie (Badger) Ward, and a granddaughter of Golden and Nancy Turner Ward. He died in 1882. William Edward Thomas, the special subject of this sketch, is a son of Colonel George L. J. Thomas, and his wife Mary Ann Ward. He was born in Northampton County, October 6, 1860. His education was acquired mainly in the public schools of Baltimore, Maryland. Arriving at manhood he devoted himself to farming, became signally successful and developed marked financial ability. His name stood for business integrity and high personal character. He became President of the Bank of Northampton at Nassawadox, which position he still holds. A bank presidency, outside the great commercial centers, carries with it a world of meaning. To attain to that position of trust and honor implies that a man is a successful financier, that he is esteemed and known for his integrity, that he is of high personal standing, and that he is influential because of his personal worth. But to succeed in such a position implies even more. It means personal acquaintance with the patrons of the bank, personal knowledge of their affairs, and the ability to take into account the moral risk involved. This is a much larger factor in the operation of a country bank than it is in the large city banks, where men are rated more for what they have than for what they are. In the last analysis the successful country banker is a rare judge of men and of business operations, and, withal, no mean diplomatist. Mr. Thomas has never aspired to public office. Originally a Democrat by family inheritance, or as he puts it "by force of habit," he is now a believer in the governmental principles for which the Republican party stands. In the fraternal world he holds membership in the great Masonic order. Mr. Thomas was married on March 24, 1891, at Laurel, Delaware, to Annie May Collins, born in Laurel, July 31, 1865, daughter of James Emory Collins and his wife Nancy Alice Calloway. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are the parents of one daughter, Nancy Adah Joynes Thomas, who was a student at Stuart Hall, Staunton, Virginia, and who was graduated from the Virginia College at Roanoke. William E. Thomas is preserving in his generation the character for good citizenship established by his ancestors for generations back, and enjoys, in fullest measure, the confidence of the community. The Thomas Coat of Arms, preserved on silver and seal rings in the possession of Mr. Thomas is thus described: Arms: Sable, a chevron and canton ermine. Crest: A demi unicorn ermine armed, crined and unguled or, supporting a shield sable. Motto: Virtus invicta gloriosa. This is the coat of arms of the Thomas family originally settled at Wenvoe, Glamorganshire, England. A branch of this Thomas family is in the present generation settled at Santa Barbara, Cal. Additional Comments: Extracted from: MAKERS OF AMERICA BIOGRAPHIES OF LEADING MEN OF THOUGHT AND ACTION THE MEN WHO CONSTITUTE THE BONE AND SINEW OF AMERICAN PROSPERITY AND LIFE VOLUME II By LEONARD WILSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ASSISTED BY PROMINENT HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WRITERS Illustrated with many full page engravings B. F. JOHNSON, INC. CITY OF WASHINGTON, U. S. A. 1916 Copyright, 1916 by B. F. Johnson, Inc. Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/northampton/photos/bios/thomas36gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/northampton/bios/thomas36gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/ File size: 6.7 Kb