My Genealogy Hound

THOMAS A. WAKEFIELD was born January 16, 1839, in Williamson county, Tenn. His father (Charles) was a native of Tennessee; his mother’s maiden name was Margaret Thompson, also a native of Tennessee. On the father’s side they were of English descent; on the mother’s of Scotch. They immigrated from Tennessee to Polk county, Mo., in 1840, where his father now lives, his mother dying in 1857. The subject of this sketch was raised a farmer, and having very poor facilities for acquiring an education after he was grown he educated himself. In 1860 he cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln for President, Sample Orr for Governor, and James S. Rains for Congress, against the Democratic ticket. Only four votes were cast in Polk county for Lincoln in 1860. He enlisted in the Fifteenth Missouri Reserve on May 4th, 1861, for six months, served out his time, and re-enlisted at Jefferson City, Mo., on Dec. 18th, 1861, for three years or during the war, as a private in Company A, Eighth Regiment Missouri State Militia, and was discharged May 20, 1865, as first lieutenant of said company. A portion of his time he was brigade quartermaster under Brig.-Gen. Holland, and when mustered out was on the staff of Brevet Maj.-Gen. John B. Sanborn. He was engaged in several hard-fought battles, besides having many hand-to-hand engagements with the rebels, in which he always came out on the side of victory. In May, 1864, he was married to Miss Carrie C. Knowles, of Polk county, Mo. They have eight children, six boys and two girls. In August, 1865, he was commissioned by Governor Fletcher, of Missouri, as captain of Company B, Seventeenth Regiment of Missouri State Militia. In 1865-66 he was engaged in the mercantile business at Fair Play, Mo.; in 1867 he bought a farm in Jasper county, Mo., and lived on the farm until 1872, when he was nominated and elected county collector of said county by the Republican party. He served out his term as collector, and then engaged in the livery business. He was appointed by the county court county collector in 1877, and for two years after the expiration of his second term he engaged in railroad contracting on the Missouri Pacific Railroad, and is now engaged in zinc mining at Webb City, Mo. He organized the first post of the G. A. R. at Carthage in May, 1882, and was elected its commander. He voted for Lincoln in 1860 and 1864, for Grant in 1868 and 1872, for Hayes in 1876, and for Garfield in 1880; was a Grant man before the nomination in 1880, and has always been a stalwart Republican. His father before the late war was a slaveholder by inheritance, but was then, as now, a Republican.