James J. Thomas

As printed in 1912

JAMES J. THOMAS (1871), who now lives a retired life in Tracy, is one of the very oldest of the settlers of southeastern Lyon county. He came when a boy thirteen years old, forty-one years ago, and has spent the best part of his life as a resident of Lyon county. He has seen the country develop from a wild and almost uninhabited prairie to one of the most prosperous communities of Minnesota.

In the county of Allegany, Maryland, on the twenty-seventh day. of May, 1858, James J. Thomas was born. When a child he was taken by his parents to Wisconsin, lived there a short time, and thereafter lived a few years respectively in Rock Island county, Illinois, and Blue Earth county, Minnesota. In the spring of 1871 the family came to Lyon county and the father purchased from Zibe Ferguson a homestead claim on section 4, Custer township.

At the time of the arrival of the Thomas family there were only ten or twelve families in the vicinity, on the Cottonwood river. Among them were James Mitchell, Sr., Charles Grover, Lafayette Grover, George Robinson, Ogan Johnson, Clark Goodrich, Landy Soward, John Avery, Henry Masters, Charles Dailey and Horace Randall. On the Thomas claim was a rude log shanty. Lumber was hauled from Mankato with ox teams and an addition was made and the shanty otherwise improved. This served as the family home until a modern building was erected in 1892.

James Thomas spent his early days on the claim. From 1880 to 1883 he was located in the western territories; then he returned and took the management of the home farm. which he and his brother Joseph had purchased. They later added to their holdings by purchase until they have a farm of 560 acres. Mr. Thomas remained on the old farm until 1910, when he retired from active pursuits and located in Tracy.

Olive A. Olson, a native of Wisconsin, became the wife of Mr. Thomas, the ceremony having been performed in Sodus township on August 16, 1893. Mrs. Thomas is the daughter of Tollef Olson, one of the early settlers of Sodus township and now a resident of Balaton. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have two children, Grace and Lloyd.

Benjamin B. Thomas was the father of James Thomas. He was born in Wales and came to the United States when eighteen years of age. He married Catherine Jones, who was also born in Wales and who.came to America at the age of eight years. Both died on the Custer township farm. The children of this family are as follows: Margaret Hughes, of Garvin; Fen'F., of Garvin; Ruth (Mrs. Reese Price), of Tracy; James

J., Joseph B., of Garvin; and Anna (Mrs. Richard Hughes), deceased.

As printed in An illustrated history of Lyon County, Minnesota (1912). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.