THOMAS
FAMILY
| JACOB AND CATHERINE THOMAS | ANDREW AND ANNE UMBEL | Grandfathers Family | Grandmothers Family |
ELIAS AND SUSANNAH THOMAS |
PIERRE |
||
Photos from Sandra Winkler Simon |
|||
Russ Thomas was born in Maryland and his parents, Elias and Barbra
Thomas, were both born in Wales. After comming to this country, Elias taught
languages. They had twelve children.
Russ worked in the coal mines until he was twenty-eight and said he
never saw sunlight until he left Pittsburgh, Pennsyvania. He and Esquire
Pierre were married and moved to Oklahoma where he homesteaded. His grant
deed was given to him by President McKinley. Mr and Mrs. Thomas had a son,
M. G. Thomas born in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Some time later Mr. Thomas moved to Guthrie after marrying Sarah.
He had a hardware and drug store for thirty-five years. There were four children
born to this union: Guy, born December 29, 1900; twins, Ray and Jay, born
September 23, 1907; Fairee, born February 17, 1911. Mrs Thomas died at the
time Fairee was born.
In 1919, Russ Thomas and his family moved to Ochiltree County, where
Mr. Thomas was going to retire, but he was active until his death. He bought
a place east of Perryton, from Milt Goodnight. It was known as the Checkerboard
Ranch. Kim lives on this place now. The house was made of stone blocks, with
every other bloc painted green to resemble a checkerboard. In one bedroom
was a hidden door in the closet that led to a huge room where bunckbeds were
built. The only light and ventilation were little round holes in the roof.
The legend was that the holes were to stick guns through. All kinds of names
were carved on the bunks, including Jesse James. The Thomas children played
hide and seek, and cops and robbers in this room. Mr Thomas tore this house
down and built a new house in the same place.
Soon after moving, Mr Thomas built a barb wire fence around his land
and began to prepare the land for crops. The prarie dogs were a menace.
At the first celebration, August 22, 1919, Guy Thomas was killed in
an airplane accident.
Fariee married Jerry Ritch and has two children, Jerri Laurel Ritch
Graves and Sandra Ann Ritch Calkins.
Jay Thomas died December 4, 1940. Ray Thomas and Patricia Downing
were married in Phoenix, Arizona January 23, 1935. They had two sons, Russ
and Kim. Ray died December 8, 1958.
Submitted by: Fairee Thomas Ritch
The information on Elias and Barbra Thomas is significantly different from their obituaries. In the obituaries, Barbra is Susanah and they both were born & married in Fayette Co, PA. See the Elias and Susanah link for the obituary text. - Scott Thomas
M. GAY |
Daughter named Berniece. |
|