I enjoyed your post, even though I don't think we share Thomases. Mine (George W. THOMAS, b. CT, 1843) went from CT to IL to MI to IA. But thank heaven, other ancestors were on the west coast by the 1850's. And now I'm one mile from the Pacific in WA - Florence, OR is lovely. Kathleen Van Heuit Nahcotta, WA On Apr 1, 2008, at 6:30 PM, Harry and Bonnie wrote: > I just read your Thomas info. below, and have an idea why people > made the > moves you mentioned. You asked for a "general" idea, and that is > all that I > am offering. I haven't opened your suggested Wikipedia, "Year W/O > a Summer" > yet; however, Lewis and Clark's Expedition really opened up the > Westward > Movement. I think that was about 1804, not too long before the VA > to OH to > IN migrations that you mentioned. Many pioneers just wanted to see > if "the > grass was greener on the other side," and get some of that new land > for > themselves. Now that they had some idea what to expect, for many > different > reasons, they followed that dream to move West. Once someone that > they knew > had gone to OH, it was easier for them to follow,...and the same > thing for > moving on to IN. Remember, too, that there was safety in numbers, > so they > often moved with several neighbors in their group. > > Hey! Not too many years later, my ancestors came to the REAL West > on the OR > Trail! So, here I am, in Florence, OR, on the central OR coastline! > > Don't forget the belief in Eminent Domain. I suppose that also fed > into > their thinking. > > Sincerely, > > Bonnie Schmoll (My Great-Grandmother was a Thomas, who lived in > Fairfield, > Freestone Co., TX.) > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Tom Thomas" <tsquizzled@msn.com> > To: <thomas@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Monday, March 31, 2008 9:12 PM > Subject: Re: [THOMAS] A DNA story > > > Jan, > I descend from Velma's line through another son of Aaron Thomas. I > doubt > they were Mennonites. Aaron's grandfather Rees Thomas was a Baptist > after > arriving in Virginia from Pennsylvania in the 1740s and Aaron's > grandson > B.F. Thomas was a Methodist preacher in Fairfield Co., Ohio. > > Another grandson of Aaron Thomas (Zera C. Thomas - my gg > grandfather) moved > to Noble Co., IN in the 1860s. > > My DNA results have best matched people with the surname of > Walters; though > at 35 markers we are a distance of 2. I have tested 67 markers and > like Rory > I am feeling a little lonely with no matches named Thomas. > Ancestry.com > shows thousands of Thomas families in England and Wales in 1891, so > I am > sure there are some of my line over there somewhere. > > I have wondered why so many people moved from Rockingham Co., VA to > Perry > Co., OH in the early 1800s (other than 1816 - the year without a > summer; see > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer) and then why > some later > moved to Indiana. Do you have any recommended sources for me to > understand > the context of these migrations generally? > > Thanks. > Tom Thomas > > > >> Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:53:39 -0600> From: textique@aol.com> To: >> thomas@rootsweb.com> Subject: Re: [THOMAS] A DNA story> > Yes, >> They moved >> to Miami Co., OH and then to surrounding Co.s; > Montgomery and >> Darke. >> Your Thomas' seem to have followed the Mennonites > from VA to OH. >> Pretty >> much the same time and approx. the same counties, > although they >> spread >> across OH following Zane's Trace (sort of the same > route as I-70 >> today). >> That is a basic explanation of a complicated > move. A few of my >> husband's >> Thomas family members from the Rocky Mount > area were Brethren.> >> > Jan >> Thomas> > Vrgfdonna@aol.com wrote:> > Jan, do you know what county >> they >> went to in Oh.? My THOMAS family went to > > Fairfield & Perry >> Counties in >> about 1811 from Rockingham Co., Va., which is > > not really very >> far from >> Bedford Co., especially when you consider county > > changes. I >> don't know >> of a John related to mine, but there may have been one.> > My >> line:> > >> Rees THOMAS 1690 Wales> > Evan THOMAS 1743 Va.> > Aaron THOMAS >> 1772 Va.> > >> David THOMAS ca 1807 Rockingham Co., Va.> > Martha THOMAS 1836 >> Perry Co., >> Oh.> > Thanks,> > Velma> > > > > > In a message dated 3/30/2008 >> 11:16:56 >> AM Central Daylight Time, > > textique@aol.com writes:> >> > I can >> trace >> my husband's Thomas family to John and Polley (Mary) Thomas > > of >> Bedford >> Co., VA. Their son - who family legend says was adopted > > >> (unproven) - >> Thomas Tate Thomas was born there in 1851-2 (different > > records >> and >> gravestone). He married Mary Elizabeth Divers in Franklin > > Co. >> at her >> parents' home and his descendants lived there in Rocky Mount > > and >> surrounds until approx. 1913 and moved to OH. No records, to date, >> > > >> have uncovered anything about John and Polley who are listed as >> his > > >> parents on his marriage certificate.> >> > Jan Thomas> > > >> >> >> > >> **************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video >> on AOL >>>> Home. > > >> (http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer? >> video=15&ncid=aolhom00030000000001)> >>>>> -------------------------------> > To unsubscribe from the list, >> please send an email to THOMAS-request@rootsweb.com with the word >> 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the >> message> > > > > -------------------------------> To unsubscribe >> from the >> list, please send an email to THOMAS-request@rootsweb.com with the >> word >> 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the >> message > _________________________________________________________________ > How well do you know your celebrity gossip? > http://originals.msn.com/thebigdebate?ocid=T002MSN03N0707A > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to THOMAS- > request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message