My Genealogy Hound

EDWARD W. THOMAS is one of the oldest pioneers of Buffalo county. He was born at Brownsville, Maine, April 24, 1828, and is the third of seven children born to Jonah and Sarah (Wilkins) Thomas, as follows — Charlotte C., Artemus C., Edward W., Moses S., Bray W., Susan S. and Louisa. His father was a native of Maine, born at Sidney, March 26, 1796, and was by occupation a farmer; his mother was born in Billerica, Mass., December 25, 1794; his paternal grandfather, Schabed Thomas, a farmer by occupation, was born in 1756, and was a soldier and pensioner of the Revolutionary war. Of his paternal grandmother, Mehitable (Crosby) Thomas, little or nothing is known.

Edward W., the subject proper of this memoir, resided at home, in Maine, until twenty one years of age, attending school, helping on the farm and working in the pineries. Arriving at his majority, and being the possessor of quite a little sum of money, he set out for himself, finally locating in Cabell county, Va.. where he engaged in the timber business. He continued in this business for some three years, and lost $2,200, all the money he had. He moved his family to Greenup, Ky., and he secured employment on a flat-boat, on the Ohio river, which he followed for twenty-five years, moving his family, in the meantime, to Ironton, Ohio, and thence to Portsmouth, Scioto county, Ohio, where he enlisted in the three months’ call, April 21, 1861.

Mr. Thomas was one of the first to respond to his country’s call when the rebellion broke out, enlisting in Company D, Twenty-second regiment Ohio volunteer infantry, and was made second lieutenant, April 18, 1862. He was transferred to the Thirteenth Missouri regiment, in September, 1861, and sent to protect St. Louis. He continued with this regiment one year, participating in battles at Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, siege of Corinth and Iuka. He was then transferred to his former regiment, with which he participated in the battle of Corinth, siege of Vicksburg and the engagement at Little Rock, Ark. He was in command of his company at Iuka, and at both the siege and battle of Corinth. At the battle of Shiloh, a shot in the right leg inflicted a severe flesh wound; he also had five bullet-holes put through his blouse, and his gun-stock shot off in the same battle. While on picket duty at Trenton, Tenn., in the fall of 1862, he had two bullet-holes put through his overcoat. He veteranized in the Fifth United States volunteers, First army corp, and was mustered out of service March 25, 1866, having served his country faithfully for five years, lacking but a few days.

He emigrated West, and landed in Buffalo county, Nebr., October 18, 1873, and filed claim on a quarter-section in Divide township, on which he erected a frame shanty, twelve by twenty feet. In those days, that portion of the country was very sparsely settled, and wild game (deer, elk, antelope and some buffalo) was quite plentiful. There were a few Pawnee Indians along the Platte and Wood rivers. For the first three years, crops, on account of droughts and grasshoppers, were almost a total failure; but since 1877, with the exception of 1880, Mr. Thomas has had fine crops.

He was married in Cabell county, Va., February 2, 1851, to Eliza Smith, who was born at Newport, Ky., March 15, 1838, and is the fourth of seven children born to Andrew and Mary Smith. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas has resulted in the birth of seven children, as follows — Charles T., born November 9, 1851; Mary S., born September 2, 1854; George E., born September 2, 1857; Ida L., born February 9, 1860; Emma, born June 3, 1867; H. Esworth, born November 2, 1869, and John W., born July 22, 1872. In political matters, Mr. Thomas is a republican.