The Thomas Families of Allen County, Ohio

MORGAN THOMAS, president of The Lima Creamery and Cold Storage Company, has been a resident of Lima, for a period of 23 years and is one of those hustling energetic citizens who form the backbone of commerce and incite others to a spirit of progressive emulation. He was born in New York City, September 19, 1839, and was there reared and educated. For 18 years he was engaged in the shoe business in his native city, but in 1871 removed to Sidney, Ohio, where he embarked in the butter and egg business. Meeting with success there, he extended the business to Lima, to which city he moved in 1882. Here the company was M. Thomas & Son and they added dealing in poultry to their operations. The business is conducted on an extensive scale and is exclusively wholesale, with branch stores at Sidney, Bluffton. and Leipsic, Ohio. 'The amount of butter, eggs, dressed and live poultry that pass through their hands amounts to from $250,000 to $300,- 000 annually, and requires from 60 to 75 employees during the winter and from 25 to 35 in summer. Mr. Thomas is also interested in the produce business in Boston, Massachusetts, being a member of the wholesale commission house of Griffin, Thomas, Paine & Company.

Morgan Thomas was a member of the New York militia during the Civil War, and was called out with his command to quell the riots in New York City, and also when Lee invaded Pennsylvania. He is a member of the G. A. R. He was a member of the School Board of Sidney during his residence there, and was in the City Council of Lima for two years. He is a deacon of the First Baptist Church. He has been twice married — first to Diana Unkenholz, who died in 1866, leaving two sons, Charles E. and Joseph M., the latter of whom is engaged in the wholesale commission business in Boston. His second union was with a sister of his first wife — Joanna Unkenholz, who died in July, 1905, leaving three children, namely: Benjamin F., president of the Lima

Pork Packing Company; Frank A., who travels for the same company; and Elizabeth E., wife of Rev. William J. Fitzgerald, of Philadelphia.

Charles E. Thomas, treasurer and general manager of The Lima Creamery & Cold Storage Company is the eldest son of Morgan and Diana (Unkenholz) Thomas, and was born in the city of New York in 1863. He was a lad of eight years when his parents located in Sidney, and there lie received his education, after which he entered his father’s commission house as a clerk. Two or three years later he was made manager of the business, and remained in this capacity four years. When the family removed to Lima, he became bookkeeper in the business which his father had established here the year previous. In 1885 or 1886 he was again sent to Sidney to take charge of the branch office as general manager, remaining here three years, when he returned to Lima where he has since resided. In 1901 The Lima Creamery & Cold Storage Company was incorporated. with a capital stock of $60,000. and the following officers elected: President. Mor-

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o. " i,ui- gan Thomas; vice-president and secretary, S. Miller; treasurer and general manager, Charles E. Thomas.

Charles E. Thomas was married in 1885 to Harriett G. Dann, daughter of Jonathan Dann, now deceased, who was for many years prominently identified with the manufacturing interests of Sidney. Their children are: Paul M., attending school at Mount Hermon, Massachusetts; Mary D., and Lois. Mr. Thomas is a member of the First Baptist Church, of Lima, and is serving on its official board.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

F. THOMAS, while yet a young man, has evinced an aptitude for business which has placed him at the head of one of the leading industrial establishments of Lima. As president of the

Pork Packing Company, which he

Lima founded several years ago, he occupies a prominent position among the leading men of the city, and has been the means of drawing to this city a volume of business which has largely added to her present prosperity. Mr. Thomas was born in New York City in 1871, and is a son of Morgan Thomas, who conducts a very profitable butter, egg and poultry business in Lima and is one of the city’s representative men.

B. F. Thomas was a small child when his parents moved from New York to Sidney, Ohio, and a lad of 12 years when they located in Lima. After his school days were past, he became a partner with his father in the butter, egg and poultry business, the company of M. Thomas & Son doing an extensive business and handling large quantities of produce. Young’ Thomas saw the success that would result from a packing plant in Lima, and in 1898 withdrew from the partnership with his father and opened a pork packing plant. This he conducted more profitably than he had anticipated, and as the volume of business continued to increase the present‘company was incorporated in 1901, with a capital stock of $60,000. The officers

Ne eee of the company are: President, B. F. Thomas; vice-president, Ira P. Carnes; treasurer, W. C. Bradley; secretary, D. W. Leichty. The plant slaughter weekly from 40 to 60 beeves, and from 200 to 600 hogs, besides sheep, lambs and calves, in addition to handling about 25 carloads of pickled meats a year. It manufactures daily about 4,000 pounds of sausage, bologna. Employment is given to some 35 men. The two traveling salesmen of the concern visit 60 or 70 of the leading towns in this part of the State, where they find a ready market for the products of the plant. Mr. Thomas is a stockholder and director of The Ohio National Bank and the Superior Brick Company. He was married in 1896, to Anna M. Armstrong. His portrait accompanies this sketch.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

HARRY THOMAS, one of Lima's leading grocers, who is well established in the Holland Block, in the city's business center, was born in 1864 at Lima, and is a son of the late Lewis Thomas. The father of Mr. Thomas was born in Wales and came to Allen County about 1850. For a number of years he was engaged in the brewery business at Lima.

Our subject was reared and educated at Lima and began business in boyhood in his father’s employ. After completing his second year in the Lima High School, he became a clerk in the grocery store of F. A. Holland, with whom he remained 18 years and then became the junior partner of the firm. Two years later, in 1891, the relationship of the partners changed and since that time Mr. Thomas has continued the business as sole proprietor.

Mr. Thomas was married October 22, 1889, to Belle Bowdle, who is a daughter of M. W. Bowdle, of Westminster, Ohio, the family being among the early pioneers of Allen County. Mrs. Thomas' father still survives at the age of 88 years. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have two children, viz.; Holland B. and Lenore Y. The family belong to Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, Mr. Thomas being one of the board of trustees. He is much interested in the Sundayschool work, is a teacher and has been superintendent, and he is first vice-president of the Epworth League. Mr. Thomas occupies a very high position both personally and in a business way in Lima, and is looked upon as one of the city's sterling citizens and representative men.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

EVAN L. THOMAS, cashier and general manager of Branch “A” of The Lima Trust Company, was born in Jay County, Indiana, in 1855, and is a son of Andrew J. Thomas, who was born in West Virginia in 1816. Andrew J. Thomas went to Indiana when 16 years old and engaged in farming until his death in 1892, at the age of

76 years. He was the youngest of a family of 13 children, whose average age at death was

Evan L. Thomas received all the advantages of a superior education, attending Farmer’s Academy in Jay County, then the Whitewater Academy, and finishing at the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute. In 1872 he engaged in teaching school, and, with an exception of two years, was thus employed for 25 consecutive years. He rapidly advanced in his profession, being superintendent of the schools at Sevastopol and West Richmond, and later accepting a like position in the New Paris schools, Preble County, Ohio, where he remained seven years. He was recognized as one of the foremost educators of the State and was for years a member of the Preble County Board of School Examiners, being president of that body when he removed from the county. Having accepted a lucrative position with the O’Connor insurance agency, Mr. Thomas came to Lima in 1897 and acted as its representative until December 31, 1904, when this relation was dissolved and the next day he assumed his duties as cashier and general manager of Branch “A” of The Lima Trust Company. This is one of the strongest and most substantial banking institutions in Allen County, and the choice of the directors for the important office of manager of the branch was a most suitable one, as Mr. Thomas is abundantly qualified for the position.

Mr. Thomas was married October 13, 1887, to Lillie D. McPherson, daughter, of George_ McPherson, a retired citizen of Preble County. They have two children — Earl W. and Minor M. Mr. Thomas is master of Lima Lodge, No. 205, F. & A. M.; high priest of Lima Chapter, No. 49, R. A. M.; and acting recorder of Shawnee Commandery, No. 14, K. T. of Lima; also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

THOMAS R. THOMAS, M. D., is a rising young physician and surgeon of Lima, who has already gained an enviable reputation in his profession by reason of the skillful and successful treatment of the cases entrusted to his care. His parents are John T. and Marguerite (Richards) Thomas, who are farmers of Van Wert County, this State, where our subject was born February 14, 1873.

Thomas R. Thomas is one of a family of iji J

4i8 five children. After finishing the public school course, he entered Rush Medical College, Chicago, from which he was graduated in 1899. From there he went to Stillwater, Minnesota, where he became a member of the hospital staff, and during the year spent there, under the best physicians of the State, gained a practical knowledge of medicine and surgery that would have required years of ordinary practice to acquire. Thus equipped with all the latest practical and theoretical methods for the practice of medicine, he came to Lima in 1900 and has been remarkably successful in building up a large and constantly growing practice. He is frequently called in by other physicians to assist in difficult cases. It is confidently predicted that he will soon stand at the head of his profession in the county.:

Dr. Thomas was married to Minnie Watkins, daughter of Thomas' Watkins, and one child, Lester C., has been born to them. They are earnest workers in the Presbyterian Church, of which they are members and are prominent in the social life of the city. The Doctor is a member of the State and county medical societies and is a Modern Woodman of the World. He is supreme medical examiner for the Colonial Insurance Union of the United States. He is a Republican in politics.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.