This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: jhorsley46 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.georgia.counties.spalding/1132.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: The only William Thomas I've found in Griffin in the 1850 and 1860 censuses appears to be a brother or half-brother of B. G. Thomas, my g-g-grandfather. B. G. Thomas, a shoemaker, and his newly-wedded wife Eunice/Emma, a seamstress, were living in Griffin by 1850 (then Pike Co.). Some of the census information I've found is confusing, so I've included it here for you to see where my search for this Thomas family has led so far. It looks to me like JAMES L. THOMAS (b. c1825, NC), B. G. THOMAS (b. c1828, GA), and SUSAN E. THOMAS DAVIS (b. c1831, GA) were children of GEORGE W. THOMAS (b. c1801, SC) by a first wife, then WILLIAM THOMAS (b. c1842, GA) was a later son by the same or a second wife. George married again abt. 1855, and again abt. 1863. The relationships of the older ones aren't fully proved, but they were obviously related. Also, all three older males--George W., James L, and B. G.--were shoemakers, a skilled craft that often ran in families. BG's and JL's wives were dressmakers, and Susan Thomas Davis was a milliner. In 1840, G. W. THOMAS in Butts Co, GA (adjacent to Pike and later to Spalding) was the only Thomas household in the area with children who could be all three--James L., BG, and Susan. George W. Thomas was likely a brother of Thomas Thomas, b. c1797 in SC, the only other Thomas family in Butts Co. that census. (Thomas Thomas was in Butts by 1830, but I can't find George that census. Thomas Thomas was still in Butts Co. in 1850 and 1860, and he had a son William Thomas, but that William was b. 1844 and later named as William D. Thomas, married to Mary in 1870.) 1840 - Butts Co, GA - Dist. 614 G. W. THOMAS - Males: 1(10-14), 1(15-19), 1(40-49); Fem: 1(5-9), 1(30-39), 1(60-69) In 1850, except for B. G. Thomas, the only other Thomas entries I found in Griffin are these (below) that are listed two pages apart. The information is confusing, but they could be for the same G. W. Thomas and son William. I can only find one G. W. Thomas and one William of the right ages in 1860. (I've seen duplicate entries several times in the census, apparently because one respondent is naming the household as it was on the official "census day" as they were supposed to be instructed, while the other respondent is naming the household as of the visitation day. In 1850, the official "census day" was June 1, but these two households weren't visited until December 1850.) 1850: Pike Co, GA - Dist. 68 [Griffin] - listed 4 families from B. G. Thomas - p. 218: Davis, J. M. - 28 - Carpenter - VA . . . . .Susan - 20 - GA THOMAS, G. W. - 41 - Shoemaker - SC . . . . . .WILLIAM - 7 - SC J. M. Davis and wife Susan apparently are G. W. Thomas' son-in-law and daughter: Butts Co, GA - Marriage of Susan Elizabeth THOMAS & James M. DAVIS - 5 Jul 1846 [Source: Dodd, Jordan. Georgia Marriages to 1850; Ancestry.com Database, citing original data from electronic transcription of marriage records held by the individual counties in Georgia."] 1850: Pike Co, GA - Dist. 68 [Griffin] - p. 220 THOMAS, G. W. - 50 - Shoemaker - SC . . . . . . . . . .F. J. - Female - 46 - NC [not necessarily a wife] . . . . . . . . . .WM - 7 - GA ------------------------ 1860: Spalding Co, GA - Africa Dist. - PO: Griffin THOMAS, GEORGE W. - 58 - Shoemaker - Real Est: $300 - Pers. Est: $500 - NC . . . . . . .Nancy C. - 36 - SC [she was widow Nancy Mitchell in 1850] . . . . . . .WILLIAM - 19 - GA . . . . . . .George W. Jr - 3 - GA . . . . . . .Nancy E. - 2 - GA . . . . . . .Joseph - 2 mos - GA Mitchell, Sarah A. - 18 - GA [Nancy's children by a former marriage] . . . . . .Casandra - 13 - GA [1850, Pike Co, Dist 68 (Griffin) - widow Nancy Mitchell (age 23, b. SC) and two daughters Sarah A., age 8, and Elxa C., age 3] 1860: Spalding Co, GA - 1001st Dist - PO: Griffin Thomas, B. G. - 32 - M - Shoemaker - $200 - GA . . . . . Eunice S.- 26 - Mantua [cloak] maker - GA . . . . . Nancy L. - 9 - GA . . . . . .Georgia O. - 6 - GA 1860: Spalding Co, GA - 1001st Dist - PO: Griffin Davis, Susan E - 28 - Milliner - GA [Susan Eliz. Thomas, widow of James M. Davis] . . . . .James A - 10 - GA . . . . .George T - 5 - GA -------------------- 1870 - Butts Co, GA - PO: Indian Spring THOMAS, GEORGE - 69 - Boot & Shoe Maker - SC . . . . . .Jane - 35 - Keeping house - GA [named Elizabeth in 1880] . . . . . .George W - 13 - Farm laborer - GA . . . . . .Nancy E - 11 - Attending school - GA . . . . . .Joseph - 10 - Farm laborer - GA . . . . . .Mary J - 6 - GA . . . . . .John - 4 - GA . . . . . .Dozier - 1 - GA B. G. Thomas died 1862-1870. The first time I found James L. Thomas in the census was in 1870 (below), but online information says he married Nancy A. Coker 14 Nov 1847 in Pike Co, GA, and they were living in Griffin at least by 1860. (B. G. Thomas was listed eight households from a James Coker family in Griffin in 1850.) 1870 - Griffin, Spalding Co, GA Thomas, J L - 45 - Boot Maker - Real Est: $1000; Pers. Est: $150 - NC . . . . .Nancy A - 45 - Dress Maker - SC . . . . .Mattie - 18 - GA . . . . .Mollie - 12 - GA . . . . .Sallie - 7 - GA . . . . .James - 5 - GA Coker, Mate [Mattie?] - 25 - F - GA WILLIAM THOMAS and wife NANCY were living in adjacent Henry Co, GA in 1870: 1870 - Henry Co. GA - Militia Dist. 641 - PO: Bear Creek THOMAS, WILLIAM - 28 - Farm hand - GA . . . . . .Nancy - 27 - Keeping house - GA . . . . . .Robert - 5 ------------------------------- 1880 - Butts Co, GA (Dist. 552) - Widow of GEORGE W THOMAS & family Thomas, Elizabeth - 47 - Farmer - b. GA; Father b. VA; Mother b. SC . . . . .Mary J. - 16 - dtr - keeps house - b. GA; Father b. NC, Mother b. GA . . . . .John D. - 14 - son - works on farm - ditto . . . . .Dozier T. - 11 - son - works on farm - ditto . . . . .George - 22 - stepson - works on farm - ditto [s/o G W & Nancy C. Thomas] . . . . .Joseph - 19 - stepson - works on farm - ditto [s/o G W & Nancy C. Thomas] Elizabeth Thomas and family are living next to the family of John B. Thomas. The 1850 census shows him to be a son of Thomas Thomas (b. c1797, SC). "T. Thomas" was the only other Thomas family in Butts Co, GA in 1840 with George W. Thomas, and likely George and Thomas were brothers. In the 1880 census, WILLIAM THOMAS, still in Henry Co, GA, lists both parents as born in NC. James L. Thomas, then a widower and "shoemaker" in Spalding Co, lists his birthplace as NC and his father born SC, mother born NC. In 1900, WILLIAM L. THOMAS is back in Africa Dist, Griffin, Spalding Co, and both parents are listed as born in GA (but that obviously seems to be an error). Despite the confusions between NC and SC, combining the information above seems to show there were at least two brothers, George W. Thomas and Thomas Thomas, born probably in SC and living in Butts Co, GA by 1830-1840. (John W. Thomas in Pike Co, GA in 1840 could be another brother.) George likely had sons James L. Thomas, B. G. Thomas, and William Thomas, and a daughter Susan Elizabeth Thomas who married James M. Davis in Butts Co. in 1846. They were living in Griffin, Pike Co, GA by 1850. George married again abt. 1855 to Nancy C. Mitchell, a widow with two daughters from a previous marriage, and George and Nancy had three children. Then George married again abt. 1863 to Jane Elizabeth (or Elizabeth Jane), and had three children by her. Between 1860-1870 (the Civil War decade that severely affected Griffin and the local economy), George W. Thomas moved his family back to adjacent Butts Co, GA, where George W. Thomas died abt. 1869-1870. At least that's the best I've been able to make of all this so far. If you find out more about these folks or have corrections to make to any of the above, please let me know. Thanks! Joan Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. 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