Thomas Thomas Sr. Biography - Grant County Wisconsin

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Submitted by David W. Taft, dtaft@cowtown.net

History of Grant County Wisconsin
Western Historical Publishing, Chicago, July 1881
Town of Wingville, Biographical Sketches, Pages 998-1000

THOMAS THOMAS, Sr., was born in Bristol, England, County of Gloucester, May 26, 
1808. His father and mother were Welsh and removed to Cowbridge, a small island 
town in Glamorganshire, South Wales, the place of their nativity. When he was a 
child nine months old, he was brought up and remained in the town until he left 
for America on board the Nestor, of Plymouth, Captain Smith, and set sail from 
Newport, in Monrnouthshire, South Wales, bound for Philadelphia and arrived there 
on the 1st of May, after a voyage of seven weeks. He was 22 years of age at the 
time; remained in Pennsylvania, and worked in the coal mines in Pottsville about 
three years, an employment which he had not been accustomed to follow. The mine he 
worked in is the one that has been on fire for forty years. About this time, he 
heard of the lead mines, in what was then called the Michigan Territory; and, in 
company with a Mr. Williams, left Pottsville for Galena which was then supposed to 
be the chief town in the mining district. They reached Pittsburgh by going afoot; 
traveled 350 miles, averaging thirty—five miles a day. They took a steamer from 
Pittsburgh to Louisville, and thence to St. Louis. There they took passage on 
board the Winnebago, a boat that piled between St. Louis and Galena. The boat was 
detained by an accident to the machinery at the Rapids; and, while lying still; 
passing boats informed them of the Indian excitement neat Galena. Part of the 
passengers returned; but they went on to Galena in the steamer Olive Branch, 
arriving there May 5. Mr. Thomas hired out to a Mr. Streeter, at $20 a month and 
board, to work a mine he owned on Fever River, neat White Oak Springs. After he 
had worked three days for him, he advanced him $40, to sent for his family, 
consisting of a wife and one child, which, with what he had left with her, was 
sufficient to bring them to him by stage and cabin passage. After working for Mr. 
Streeter awhile, he went into partnership with Morgan Lewis, a native of Wales, to 
preempt some land. He and his family and Mr. Lewis left Galena with two yoke of 
oxen, two cows, a ploy and the necessary implements for farming purposes, with as 
much provisions as would last them four or five months. On the road, they were 
informed my a Mr. Mayfield of the timber and prairie where he now resides. As. Mr. 
Mayfield had already claimed this land, he resigned it to them for a mere trifle. 
Mr. Lewis had a mortal hatred of Indians, owing to some of his friends on Fox 
river being killed by them. He would never give and Indian anything to eat, even 
if he knew that a morsel would save the whole tribe from death.

Mr. Thomas relates the following about their Indian troubles:

We were now among them – had cut hay and built a cabin. I treated them with 
civility; but Lewis was opposed to this, and frequently gave them just cause for 
resentment. I was gathering some withering grass that I had cut for feathers to 
fill a bed-time, when an Indian accosted me, and pointing his finger to his mouth, 
and signified by his gestures that he wished me to give him something to eat. He 
stood west of me a few paces, and I, supposing that their village was at 
Fennimore, pointed with my pitchfork in that direction, signifying as best I could 
that he must go to his own wigwam if he wanted to eat. He supposed that I 
threatened him, with my fork and cocked his rifle. I then stuck the fork in the 
ground and went good naturedly toward him, offering him my hand, which he rejected 
with disdain, presenting a visage haughty and severe. He turned and left me. It 
was not my nature to request, had I not been instructed by Lewis, who said that if 
we were kind to them once, they would expect us to be so every day. I admired the 
haughty bearing and noble spirit of the Indian, and had a great desire to see how 
they lived in their villages with their families. I did not anticipate trouble on 
account of what had passed; did not mention it to Lewis, and I wished him to 
accompany me to their village. It was Sunday morning and we started in search of 
them but we took the wrong direction. When we were returning about 5 o'clock I 
made for the timber, in search of the oxen. When I was about 200 years from the 
house, I met the same Indian I had seen on Saturday. His face was painted black as 
tar. I spoke kindly to him, and he nodded, I thought, in the same kindly spirit. 
He took his knife from its pouch and drew the back of it across the back of his 
own neck and said in English these works, "Squaw, one papoose kill wicked Sioux!"  
I understood him to mean that his wife and child and been murdered by an Indian of 
that tribe. Just at this moment, a pig, the only one we had, ran by. He appeared 
excited; was about to take aim. I struck the end of the barrel gently with my hand 
to turn it aside from the mark. This made him mad. He stepped back a few paces and 
shot the hog near the heart, and killed it.  I could not help myself, so I 
pocketed the affront and left him. When I got to the house, I learned that he had 
been there the greater part of the day. He helped himself to what he wanted to 
eat. He had gone to the cradle several times, and he appeared to either pity or 
admire the baby. I apprehended no danger; got something to eat, and chopped 
firewood till it was nearly dark, when I heard Lewis running toward the house. He 
at the time gave us to understand we were about to be murdered. We were surrounded 
by fire and sheered by Indian yells, who were made joyful by seeing out dismay. We 
could see them plainly by the light of the fire they had kindled. They were many – 
we but two – with only one gun. The vegetation was waist high in the timber – rank 
and dry – there being no cattle to impede its growth, so that the fire leaped from 
tree to tree, and presented a picture worthy in every sense of the infernal 
regions. Here Lewis disappeared and left us to what he supposed to be our fate. I 
would certainly have followed his example, had I been at liberty like him. He 
believed out case was hopeless, or he would not have acted thus, for he had in him 
bosom a heart of a man. In about an hour and a half for this, perhaps 12 o'clock 
in the night, it became evident to us that it was not the intention of the Indians 
to put us to death; and, supposing the fire would burn up all we had, I carried 
out trunks to a clear spot over which the fire had already passed unnoticed by our 
enemies. We shouldered the rest of our clothing; tied the baby on my wife's back 
with a blanket, and left for Fennimore Grove, a distance of six miles. Here we 
found the Indians acting as they had done with us, so we started in the morning 
for what is now called Linden, in an ox cart. We missed the road, as it snowed 
about six inched, and we made our bed under the cart, and arrived at Linden about 
10 o'clock in the morning.

Mr. Thomas worked in the diggings three years; then purchased 160 acres of land, 
the same where he had previously lived. When he returned, he found Morgan Lewis 
living in the cabin where he continued to live all alone for 20 years. Mr. Thomas' 
children are Thomas, born in Pennsylvania and Mary Ann, Tanner, Elizabeth, Susie, 
Abner, Sarah, Lewis, Benjamin and Mark, all born in Wisconsin. Tanner and Lewis 
were in the 7th W.V.I., and belonged to the Iron Brigade. Tanner fought in every 
battle in which the Seventh was engaged. He reenlisted as a veteran, and was 
pierced by a minnie ball in the forehead, while leading Co. A in a charge at 
Petersburg, Va., June 18, 1864, in his 26th year. He was a Second Lieutenant of 
Co. H, but commanded Co. A in this battle.

Col. Finnicum in his letter on Tanners death says:

"As it was God's will that he should fall, his State can chronicle his name among 
the bravest and most devoted of her patriots, who have fallen in this mighty 
contest for the principals involved; and you can have the cheering intelligence 
the notwithstanding all the temptations of vice thrown around the soldier, he 
never swerved from the path of rectitude and right, and died in the Christian's 
hope.

Lewis enlisted with Tanner Jan., 1, 1864 and was shot in the right lung in April 
when Lee surrendered to General Grant, and has a pension. The ball went clear 
through, within one and a quarter inches of his back bone, and he is, and always 
will be, troubled with his lung. Abner raised a company of 100—day men, and was 
Lieutenant in Memphis under General Washburn.