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OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS
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PUTNAM COUNTY,
OHIO
History & Genealogy
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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Putnam County, Ohio,
by George D. Kinder,
Publ. B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana
1915
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JAMES G. THOMAS.
The farmer of today must needs be more than the
farmer of a half century ago, or even a decade past.
He must be broader and more intelligent, his
sympathies must be more diversified and his ideals
must be higher and his ambitions wider. The
farmer of today needs good, intellectual training,
he needs scientific training, in fact. He,
however, needs the practical science of education,
somewhat different from that which the agricultural
colleges are giving, and which are training young
men to be agricultural scientists rather than
practical farmers. The agricultural colleges,
however, have done something to demonstrate that
intellectual vision and mental activity are quite as
necessary to successful farming as physical energy.
James G. Thomas, a prominent farmer of Sugar
Creek township, Putnam county, Ohio, is a man who
especially believes in scientific training for the
farm. Mr. Thomas is one of the
well-known farmers residing near Vaughnsville.
James G. Thomas was born in Jennings township,
Putnam county, on Sept. 4, 1881, and is the son of
John and Sarah (Good) Thomas. John
Thomas was born in Sugar Creek township, Putnam
county, in 1845, where he died at Rimer in 1882.
John Thomas was the son of James
and (Morgan) Thomas. James
Thomas was born in Wales and came to America in
the early days, settling near Gomer, in Sugar Creek
township, Putnam county. John Thomas
spent his childhood and youth on his father's
homestead farm. Here he received his early
education and here he remained until his marriage.
His occupation was thrashing, which he followed
until the time of his death. He was married,
at the age of about thirty, to Sarah Good,
who was born in Sugar Creek township, Putnam county,
Ohio, in 1858, and who was the daughter of Isaac
and Mary (Rhinehart) Good, the former was a
native of Fairfield county, as well as his wife.
They settled in Putnam county in the early days and
lived in Sugar Creek township, and Jennings
township. It was in the latter township that
he lived at the time of his marriage to James G.
Thomas's mother. They had two children,
James G. and Bertha M., the latter of whom is
the wife of Ellis Hess, and resides in
Darke county, Ohio.
A few years after his marriage John Thomas
died, in 1882, and after this his wife Sarah
remained single until 1898, when she was married to
Isaac Krouse. No children have
been born to this last union. They now reside
in Darke county, Ohio.
James G. Thomas spent his childhood on the home
farm of his grandfather Good, where he lived for
nine years. After this, his mother moved to
Kalida, where he also lived for the ensuing four
years. After his mother's second marriage, he
moved to the farm of Isaac Krouse, in
Jennings township, where they remained three or four
years, when his mother and stepfather moved to Darke
county. This was his residence until he was
twenty-one years of age.
At this time, on Sept. 17, 1902, Mr. Thomas
was married to Cora Leona Sherrick,
who was born in Sugar Creek township, Putnam county
Ohio, on Feb. 1, 1882, and who is the daughter of
David and Aseneth (Parcher) Sherick.
The former was born in Crawford county, Ohio on Oct.
29, 1837, and died in Sugar Creek township, Putnam
county, on June 1, 1912. He was the son of
Joseph and Rebecca (Bibler) Sherrick both of
whom were natives of Pennsylvania, and who settled
in Crawford county. They came later to Putnam
county about 1865, and settled first near Rimer, and
then near Columbus Grove, where he died. His
wife Rebecca spent her last years with her
son, David, in Sugar Creek township David
Sherrick came to Putnam county about 1863, and
settled first at Pleasant valley, Jennings township.
Later, he moved two and one-half miles north of
Rimer, and here he and his wife resided for the
remainder of their lives David Sherrick
was a successful farmer and owned one hundred and
seventy-six acres of well-improved land. He
was a member of the Pleasant Valley Methodist
Episcopal church. His wife, Aseneth,
was a member of the Ottawa River Christian church.
Aseneth (Parcher) Sherrick was
born on Apr. 3, 1841, and died in Sugar Creek
township, Putnam county, Ohio, March 31, 1906.
After his marriage, James G. Thomas took up his
residence on the Sherrick home place
and has resided here ever since. He has always
done general farming, and has been an advocate,
especially, of diversified farming. His home
farm of one hundred acres is one of the
best-improved farms in Sugar Creek township.
It has a beautiful seven-room residence and a large
and commodious barn and other buildings in keeping
with the surroundings.
To James G. and Cora Leona (Sherrick) Thomas and
wife have been born the following children: David,
on July 15, 1903; Dale, April 22, 1906, and
Devere, May 22, 1910.
Mr. Thomas is a member of the Pleasant
Valley Methodist Episcopal church and is a trustee
in this church. Mrs. Thomas is
also a member. Mr. Thomas is a
Republican. He is one of Sugar Creek
township's progressive young farmers. He is
well and favorably known and well liked by all his
neighbors, not only in Sugar Creek township, but in
adjoining townships.
Source: History of Putnam County,
Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen
& Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1234 |
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JOHN E. THOMAS.
Success is achieved only by the exercise of certain
and distinct qualities of nature and it cannot be
achieved without effort. Those to whom great
epochal changes have been made in the political and
industrial world, began early in life to prepare
themselves for their peculiar duties and
responsibilities. It was only by the most
persevering and continuous endeavor that they
succeeded in rising superior to the obstacles in
their ways and reaching the goal of their ambition.
Such lives are an inspiration to others who are less
courageous and more prone to give up the fight
before their ideal is reached or definite success
attained. In the life history of John E. Thomas,
there is positive evidence of those peculiar
characteristics which make for achievement and
persistency coupled with fortitude in cordial and
genial temperament. As a consequence of
exercising these qualities, Mr. Thomas
is today one of the leading farmers and most
respected citizens of Sugar Creek township, Putnam
county, Ohio.
John E. Thomas was born in Sugar Creek township,
Allen county, Ohio, Mar. 23, 1859. He is the son of
Evan and Jane (Evans) Thomas. Evan
Thomas was born in South Wales in 1827, and was
the son of John Thomas and wife, who
were natives of Wales.
John Thomas came to America when Evan
was twelve years old, in 1839. He came first
to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and here he remained
for a short time, subsequently, coming to Sugar
Creek township, Allen county, where he settled two
miles east of Gomer. Here he established a
home in the virgin forest, building quite a
pretentious hewed log house with two large rooms and
a center hall on the ground floor. He then
proceeded to clear his land, and it was here that he
remained until his death. John Thomas
and wife had fourteen children, all boys, all of
whom grew to maturity, rearing large families
themselves.
Evan Thomas, the father of John E.,
was one of the fourteen boys. He was twelve
years of age when he came to America. He
remained in Pittsburgh for a few years and here
learned the carpenter trade in which he became very
proficient. He was married in Pittsburgh to
Jane Evans, who was a native of Wales and
who came as a girl with her parents to America.
They settled on a farm in Cambria county and
remained there for the balance of their lives.
Jane Evans was one of six children,
four sons and two daughters. After Evan
Thomas's marriage, he moved to Allen county,
locating in Sugar Creek township, three miles east
of Gomer. Here he bought eighty acres which
was heavily timbered. He first built a
two-roomed log cabin with a shed lean-to and this
served for a good many years. Later, he built
a very substantial house of six or seven rooms,
which a few years later was added to until it
contained ten rooms, which house was built entirely
of native timber. It had a center hall and a
full basement. It is a noteworthy fact that
John E. Thomas's father was a skilled carpenter
and made all the material from the rough lumber.
His house was built largely of black and white
walnut, the doors, windows and other parts being
worked out by hand. So well was it constructed
that it is still in an excellent state of
preservation and is still occupied as a residence.
Evan Thomas, the father of John E.,
was a very industrious man. He managed to
clear practically all of his farm during his
residence here and, in addition, followed his trade
as, a carpenter in the nearby towns and counties.
He finally retired and moved to Gomer, at which time
he owned one hundred and twenty-five acres of
well-improved land. He was an active member of
the Congregational church at Gomer, of which he was
a deacon. He was a Republican in politics.
Evan Thomas was a man of strong will
power and high ideals, and of unquestioned
integrity. His wife, Jane Evans,
who lived a most useful and consistent life, a
member of the Congregational church, a devoted and
loving mother, died in the spring of 1911. Her
husband had preceded her by two years, having died
in April, 1909. They were the parents of ten
children, seven daughters and three sons, two sons
and two daughters dying in infancy. Those
surviving were Elizabeth, the wife of
David Price, of Gomer, Allen county;
Mary, the wife of Robert Jones, of
Lima, Ohio; Anna, deceased, the wife of
Thomas James, of Stella, Nebraska;
John E., the subject of this sketch; Margaret,
the wife of William Humphries, of Van
Wert, Ohio; and Katie, who died unmarried at
Gomer in 1892.
John E. Thomas was born on his father's old
homestead farm, three miles east of Gomer, in Sugar
Creek township, Allen county. Here he spent
his childhood and youth. He attended the old Leipsic
district school after which he attended school at
the Ohio Northwestern University, at Ada, for two
terms. After finishing school, Mr.
Thomas continued to help his father on the old
home farm. Here he remained until his marriage at
the age of twenty-five.
John E. Thomas was married on Feb. 24, 1887, to
Lovetta M. Weaver, who was born in German
township, Allen county, near Lima, Oct. 13, 1862,
and who was the daughter of John and
Sallie (Bowers) Weaver.
John Weaver was born in Rockingham
county, Virginia, in November, 1812, and was the son
of Peter Weaver and wife, both of whom
were natives of Germany, the former of
Metz-on-the-Rhine. Peter Weaver
came to America when a young man and settled first
in Virginia, where he engaged in farming and where
he remained until his declining years which, in
company with his wife, he spent with his son,
David, in Allen county. They had three sons,
Peter, David and John, the latter
the father of Mrs. Thomas.
John Weaver was born in Virginia and
spent his early life there. He learned the
cabinetmaker's trade and received a good practical
education. He was married to Sallie
Bowers, also a native of Rockingham county,
Virginia, who was a daughter of John
Bowers and wife, the former a native of Germany
and the latter of Pennsylvania of German descent.
John Bowers lived and died in the
Shenandoah Valley. When Sallie
Bowers was sixteen years of age, her father died
and her mother spent the latter years of her life
with her daughter, Lydia, at Petersburg,
Illinois. Sallie was one of
four daughters, Helena, Lydia,
Sallie and Mary. Sallie
spent her early life in Virginia and was married, at
Lacey Springs, to Mr. Weaver.
After their marriage, they resided at this place for
several years and then moved to Allen county, Ohio,
making the trip overland in a covered wagon.
They settled in German township, three miles north
of Lima, where John Weaver bought one
hundred and sixty acres of land and to which he
added thirty acres in later years. This farm
he bought of a Mr. Custard, for forty
dollars an acre, a record price in those days, the
transaction causing considerable comment. It
was here that John Weaver remained
during the rest of his life, dying in November,
1892. His wife had preceded him by about
twelve years.
Although not a practical farmer, John Weaver,
nevertheless, was an active man. He was a
notary public for many years and a justice of the
peace for about forty years, the duties of these
offices requiring all of his time. He was. a
successful man, financially, and a man who enjoyed
the universal respect and confidence of his fellow
citizens. In politics, he was a Democrat.
He was a charter member of the Christian church at
Cairo and was a deacon in that church until his
death.
John and Sallie (Bowers) Weaver had ten
children, eight daughters . and two sons, Mary,
who became the wife of Frank Cupp, of
Ava, Illinois; Hannah, who married Doctor
Croney of Columbus, Ohio; Sarah, deceased,
who was the wife of Henry Irvin, of
Lima, Ohio; Samantha, who married Dr. G. H. Irvin,
of Lancaster, California; Ollie, who married
Nicholas Pfeifer, of Elida, Ohio; Frank,
who is a farmer at Beaver Dam, Ohio; Ida, who
became the wife of Eugene Ritenour, of
Elida, Ohio; Lydia, who married Edward
Enslen, of Gomer, Ohio; Lovetta, who
is the wife of Mr. Thomas; and
William, of Lima, Ohio.
Prior to his marriage, Mr. Thomas spent
four or five years as a clerk at Lima, Ohio.
After his marriage, he settled on eighty acres of
his father's land in the southwestern part of Sugar
Creek township, Putnam county, only ten acres of
which land was cleared. Mr. Thomas
built a four-roomed frame house to which he moved
later, where he and his wife have resided since. Mr.
Thomas proceeded to clear and drain the land
which has practically been completed. In addition to
the original eighty, some years later, Mr.
Thomas purchased eighty acres on the south,
about twenty-five acres of which was cleared, the
remainder having since been put under cultivation.
In addition to other improvements, Mr.
Thomas has added five rooms to his residence,
built a large frame barn, a cattle shed and other
buildings. Today he has one of the finest and
best-improved farms in Putnam county.
John E. and Lovetta M. (Weaver) Thomas have had
four children, Grace and Glenn, twins;
Juanita and Bernice. Grace
and Glenn were born on Apr. 7, 1890, and the
latter died on Sept. 7, 1890; Grace, who
graduated from Defiance College, is now a member of
the faculty of the Paulding high school; Juanita,
Jan. 25, 1892, is now the wife of J. C. Slusser,
of Ada, Ohio, and has one child, Roger
Weaver; Bernice, Mar. 23, 1896, is a
graduate of the Vaughnsville high school.
John E. Thomas has always done general farming
and has been very successful. He is a member of the
Knights of Pythias Lodge No. 711, of Vaughnsville.
John E. Thomas and wife are members of the
Ottawa Christian church where Mr. Thomas
is treasurer of this congregation. John E.
Thomas is one of Sugar Creek township's
well-known and progressive farmers; in fact, he is
rated as one of the best farmers in this section of
the state. His standing in the community is of
the very highest and he is popular with all classes
of people. Mr. Thomas has served
as justice of the peace for one term and for several
terms as a member of the township school board. In
addition to his interests in farming, he had
considerable success in buying and selling live
stock.
Source: History of Putnam County,
Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen
& Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 734 |
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