THOMAS THORNTON YEAGER was born in 1836, in Meigs county, Ohio.  His father was Peter Yeager and his mother was Emeline Glover Thornton.  He was the eldest of ten children.  His father was a native of Mason county, Virginia, and was a farmer.  John H. Thornton had moved to Meigs county with his father and there Peter Yeager met his wife and married her.  When our subject was two years old, his father moved to Kentucky, twelve miles above Portsmouth.  Thomas first attended school in Kentucky, going to Jerome B. Valodin  He also went to school in Portsmouth, first to Mrs. Carr and afterwards to A. J. Rikoff.
     He left school when fifteen years of age, and went into Doctor Hempstead's office to study medicine.  He remained there nine months and then gave up the idea.  He then went  into Stephenson's book store and clerked there about one year.  From there he went to Patterson's book bindery and worked there for five years.  In 1857, he went to Keokuk, Iowa, and started a book-bindery.  The panic of that year broke up everything in Keokuk, including Yeager.  Then he worked at bricklaying for a year and a half in Keokuk.  From there he went to Jefferson City, Missouri and laid brick there for about a year.  He then tried Fulton, Missouri and took a three million brick contract for the season.  He completed the contract and made $500 and returned home in the winter of 1860, with the money, the first he ever saved.  In the spring of 1860, he returned to Jefferson City to go to work.
     The war fever broke up business and he could get nothing to do.  Governor Stewart was drunk and made a speech on the steps of the capitol advising that every Northern man be driven out of the state.  Tom concluded to go home as he appeared to have no other alternative.  He started a book bindery in Portsmouth and then the war broke out.  Yeager played a game of checkers with John D. Wilhelm to determine whether both should go to war, or both stay at home.  The game turned out that both should go to war.  Both of them enlisted in Company G, First O. V. I. as three months men.  Tom got sick in Philadelphia but wold not go to the hospital.  Doctor Bailey, Captain of the Company, prescribed for him in a barn in the Suffolk Park, race course.  He advised Tom not to re-enlist as his health was insufficient and he followed this advice.
     When he returned from Company G, he engaged for McDowell & McColm on the wharfboat for two years.  He was elected wharfmaster Apr. 13, 1863 and served until April, 1866, when he was succeeded by David Gates.  Gates only served six months, and Yeager was re-elected until 1872.  He owned and conducted a wharfboat purchased from Captain John N. Lodwick, from 1863 to 1866.  He had no money to buy but Tom Dugan loaned him $400 and he bought out Lodwick.  In 1866, he took Mr. McColm in the business and firm was McColm & Yeager.  This firm continued to do business till 1871, when Yeager bought a third interest with John Dice and Peter Shafer in Maklem's livery stable.  The conducted the business from 1872 to 1875.  In 1872, he sold out his interest in the wharfboat to James W. Lewis.  He then went into the mill business on Fifth street with Augustus R. Turley.  Yeager & Turley run the mill one year and Turley sold out his half interest to Marshall Anderson.  Yeager & Anderson built a roller process mill and it turned down on Sept. 24, 1883.  They then purchased the lot where the Frick Mill now stands. 
     In 1886, he was elected Sheriff of Scioto county.  He received 3,151 votes to 2,676 for his competitor, James Skelton, majority 475.  In 1886, he was re-elected, receiving 4,042 votes to 3,139 for John C. Bauer, majority 903.  In 1840, his grandfather John H. Thornton was Sheriff when William H. Harrison was President.  In 1886, our subject was Sheriff when Benjamin Harrison was President.  In 1892, he was appointed District Factory Inspector and served three years.  In 1898 and 1899 he was a member of the City Council of Portsmouth.
     He was married in July, 1869, to Mrs. Ella Fritts, widow of Thomas J. Fritts, who was a daughter of James Simpson.  They have one son Thomas Hyatt, aged twenty-two years.  He is a Rural Free Delivery mail-carrier, on the rout north of Portsmouth and down Munn's Runn.  Mr. Yeager is a republican.  For ten years, he wsa chairman of the County Republican Central Committee.
Source:  History of Scioto Co., Ohio - Publ. 1907 - Page 1194