James B. Thomas

As printed in 1910

JAMES B. THOMAS (1856), deceased. In the account of the early settlement of Jackson county and of the Springfield massacre, in an earlier part of this work, is frequent mention of James B. Thomas, at whose cabin occurred the fight with the Indians during the famous massacre. It is the purpose of this sketch to give a few items concerning his earlier and later life.

James B. Thomas was born in Licking county, Ohio, in the year 1813. In that county he was brought up and resided until he was twenty-six years of age. Then he located in Cass county, Illinois, where he engaged in the milling business and where he was married. Three years after making his home in Illinois he moved to Iowa and settled near Fairfield, in Jefferson county. A few years later he and his family pushed out farther onto the frontier, locating near Webster City. There he bought and improved an eighty acre farm and prospered financially, working at the millwright's trade while improving the farm.

In the year 1850 Mr. Thomas sold his farm in Iowa and came to that part of Brown county, Minnesota, which is now Jackson county and settled with his family near the "town" of Springfield. There he stated a claim (located on the east side of the river at Jackson), built one of the best cabins in the settlement, and started in to make a new home for himself. At the massacre on March 2G, 1867, his youngest child, Willie, was killed outright, Mr. Thomas received a severe wound in the arm which necessitated two amputations, and from the effect of which he died in 1866, and in escaping from the scene of the fight his little daughter Mary contracted a cold which resulted in her death six weeks later.

Mr. Thomas and his family did not return to Jackson county, but located near Marshalltown, Iowa, where he secured a 160 acre farm and where he died in 1866.

Mr. Thomas was married in Cass county, Illinois, to Irma A. Clark, who was born November 22, 1824. They were the parents of several children. One son, Frank M. Thomas, who has before been mentioned in connection with the massacre, later, at the age of nineteen years, enlisted in the Second Iowa cavalry and served two years in the war. He was wounded in the left ankle and the limb was amputated in Andersonville prison. Blood poison set in, resulting in his death in 1873. The Grand-my Post at Marshalltown, Iowa, was named in his honor.

As printed in An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.