THOMAS
FAMILY
| JACOB AND CATHERINE THOMAS | ANDREW UMBEL Sr. AND ANNE M. THOMAS | ANDERSON AND SUSANNAH LUMPKIN | LONG |
ELIAS AND SUSANNAH THOMAS |
WILSON AND MARY LUMPKIN |
||
Kimmel Kay Thomas was born 11/9/1869 in Garrett County, Maryland. He died 2/7/1955 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Lulu Lumpkin was born 3/31/1875 at Fort Dodge, Webster county, Iowa and died at Baton Rouge Louisiana on 9/26/1967.
They were married 11/29/1893.
As a child, KK was a bond boy. Little is known of this but he may have been
working to pay off a debt of his fathers.
He moved from Missouri to Elton LA, probably around 1900, Jesse was 4, where
he owned a general merchentile store, Thomas and Sons, which sold caskets
amonst other things. There was a public school upstairs in the attic. His
favorite son was Arless. He had been planning on having Arliss help
him run the store after the war but when Arless was killed in WWI, it really
shook him up. Shortly after Arliss died, he decided to sell the store
and move on. Apparently after he sold the store ,Kimmel and Lulu
were in Colorado where KK bought some land that he thought a lumber company
would soon want. He lived on the land in a tent until the lumber company
bought him out. Later they moved to Perryton TX, where his brother,
Russ, was already farming. KK didn't become a farmer but was remembered
as an entrepreneur, known for buying and selling land and dabling in a small
combine selling business.
Peggy Thomas said that Lulu refused to move to Perryton unless her husband agreed that they would live in a brick house, Which Kimmel built for her. They had one of the first brick houses in town, if not the first.
When his son, Jesse Ray Thomas, fell on hard tmes during the depression, KK bought some farm land for Jesse. Jesse used the far to supplement his income and raised his two children on it.
According to Peggy Thomas Bakken, Lulu loved Whitman chocolates. Would say, "Kim, I need more chocolates."
1910 Census, Ward 10, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana (date: 12
May 1910)
Enueration District #50; sheet #12B; p.156; dwelling #239; family
#239:
THOMAS, Kimmel K. (head of family); male; white; age 38; married 16 years;
birthplace: Maryland; father's birthplace: Pennsylvania; mother's birthplace:
Pennsylvania; occupation: General Merchandising Clerk; owns home
mortgage-free
THOMAS, Lula (wife); female; white; age 35; married 16 years; mother of 3
children (3 still living); birthplace: Iowa; father's birthplace: Indiana;
mother's birthplace: Michigan; occupation: none
THOMAS, Arless (son); male; white; age 15; single; birthplace: Oklahoma;
attending school
THOMAS, Ray (son); male; white; age 13; single; birthplace: Missouri; attending
school
THOMAS, Cora (daughter); female; white; age 11; single; birthplace: Oklahoma;
attending school
1920 Census, Jennings, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana (date:
21 Feb 1920)
Enumeration District #75; Police Jury Ward 2; sheet #4A; p.73; dwelling #66;
family #80; address: Cary Ave.
THOMAS, Kimball K. (Head of family); owns home mortgage-free; male; white;
age 49; married; birthplace: Maryland; father's birthplace: Maryland; mother's
birthplace: Maryland; occupation: Merchant, Dry Goods
THOMAS, Lulu (Wife); female; white; age 44; married; birthplace: Iowa; father's
birthplace: Indiana; mother's birthplace: Michigan; occupation: none
THOMAS, Ray (Son); male; white; age 23; single; birthplace: Missouri; father's
birthplace: Maryland; mother's birthplace: Iowa; occupation: Clerk, Dry
Goods
1930 Census, Perryton City, Ochiltree County, Texas (date:
9 Apr 1930)
Enumeration District #3; Justice Precinct 2; sheet #5B; p.23; dwelling #105;
family #119; address: 703 Cox Street
THOMAS, Kimmel K. (Head of family); owns home worth $5000; doesn't own a
radio set; doesn't live on a farm; male; white; age 60; married; age at first
marriage: 22; birthplace: Maryland; father's birthplace: Maryland; mother's
birthplace: Pennsylvania; occupation: Farmer, Wheat
THOMAS, Lula (Wife); female; white; age 54; age at first marriage: 18;
birthplace: Iowa; father's birthplace: Indiana; mother's birthplace: Michigan;
occupation: none
Information about Arless from
http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~worldwarone/WWI/Louisiana/notes.html#KILLED%20IN%20ACTION
THOMAS, Arless, Elton. (Jefferson
Davis Parish)
Note #1:
Arless E. Thomas
Corporal, U.S. Army
11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry
Division
Entered the Service from: Louisiana
Died: October 14, 1918
Buried at: Plot B Row 22 Grave 18
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
Romagne, France
Source: ABMC - Search the World War I
database
(http://www.abmc.gov/home.php)
SJT - Elton refers to Elton, LA, not a middle name. I found that on September 26, 1918 the Meuse-Argonne offensive opened, which was the final Franco-American offensive of the war, it looks like this was the battle he died in. An interesting web site about the 5th Infantry Division: http://ranger95.com/divisions/5th_div_beginning_ww1.html
An invitation for Lulu to vist Arless' grave, from
http://www.txgenweb9.org/goldstar/TexasGSMsCo.txt:
TEXAS GOLD STAR MOTHERS AND WIDOWS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A PILGRIMAGE
TO EUROPE 1930-1933 TO VISIT THEIR LOVED ONES GRAVES
| NAME | ST | COUNTY | ADDRESS | REL | CASUALTY | RANK | ORG | CEM | PIL 1930 ? | GR |
| Thomas, K. K., Mrs. | TX | Ochiltree | Box 456, Perryton | M | Thomas, Arless E. | CPL | M. G. Co., 11th Inf | MA | Y |
Kimmel K. Thomas was born in Maryland in 1869. While he was a small child, his family moved to Ohio where he received his education. He went to Oklahoma to visit his borther, Russ Thomas, and tought school there. He met Lulu Lumpkin, whose father from Fort Dodge, Iowa, had made the run in opening of the Indian Territory of Oklahoma. He and Lulu were married in November, 1893. They had three children, Arless Emroy, Jesse Ray and Cora Wilma. In 1903, they moved from Oklahoma to Louisiana where Mr. Thomas became a successful business man. They lost their oldest son in World war I.
Mr Thomas went to see his brother in Oklahoma again and Russ told him about the butiful land in the Texas Panhandle., in Ochiltree County. They started there by way of Canadian and went by wagon to Old Ochiltree. It was in the late fall and a snow storm cought them, but Mr. Thomas bought a farm North of what is now Perryton, and some people called him "crazy Thomas" because he bought it covered with snow. He went homeand slod his store and other holdings, moved to Perryton, bought a small house behind Judge Perry's home.
In the spring of 1921, Cora went to vist her parents and they were buying water for the household for 50cents per barrel. Mr Thomas owned and sold several farms around Ochiltree County.
In 1924, Mr Thomas' son-in-law, C. J. Hutchinson and his wife Cora, came to Perryton, in the spring of 1924, and Mr. Hutchinson was hired to be county agent; he was the first one Ochiltree ever had. He served three years or so, then they went to Louisiana in 1929 where he was Agriculture Engineer of Extension Division of Louisiana State University.
J. R. Thomas and his family came to Perryton in 1927, and bought half intrest in the McLain Real Estate business. He lived here until his death in 1953. K. K. Thomas died on February 7, 1955, and his wife died on September 26, 1967.
Submitted by: Mrs. Cora Hutchinson
Note: Bill Thomas (son of J.R. and Juanita Thomas) claims there are some inaccuracies in this. Also according to Peggy Bakken (daughter of JR and Juanita Thomas), Cora Hutchinson had a bad memory and the biography has mistakes in it.
ARLESS EMROY |
Died in W.W.I. October 14, 1918 |
|
JESSE RAY |
Born Aug 5, 1896. Married Juanita Johnson. Had two children, William and Peggy. | JESSE AND JUANITA CELESTE THOMAS |
CORA WILMA |
Married CJ Hutchinson in 1924. Had sons: Arless, Charles, and Don. | JEFF AND CORA HUTCHINSON |
Thomas References:
USGENWEB for Fayette Co PA: http://www.rootsweb.com/~pafayett/
USGENWEB for Garret Co MD: http://www.rootsweb.com/~mdgarret/garrett.html