Isaac Thomas

THOMAS, LINN, POAGUE, HAMLIN, BLOOM

Posted By: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs (email)
Date: 5/18/2009 at 13:31:07

1889 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF
SHELBY AND AUDUBON COUNTIES, IOWA
W. S. DUNBAR & CO., PUBLISHERS
113 ADAMS STREET, CHICAGO

pages 726-727

ISAAC THOMAS.-One of the pioneer
settlers of Audubon County is Isaac
Thomas, who lives on section 7, Audubon
Township. He was born in Washington
County, Ohio, May 28, 1835, and is the son
of Jacob and Elizabeth (Linn) Thomas. Mrs.
Elizabeth L. Thomas was one of the first
white children born in Monroe County, Ohio.
She now resides in Sioux County, Nebraska,
at the age of eighty-nine years, and is taking
up a claim of 160 acres. Her husband died
in Washington County, Ohio, about the year
1847. She is the mother of ten children, of
whom Isaac Thomas is the fifth. He was
reared to farm life in his native county, and
received his education principally in the
common schools. He had spent one year in
college, when be was compelled to abandon
the course on account of ill-health. In the
spring of 1860 he came to Iowa, and settled
in Audubon County. He secured employ-
ment on the farm of Nathaniel Hamlin, and
remained in his employ for four years.
About one year after he came to the county
he was married to Miss Mary M., the oldest
daughter of Nathaniel and Margaret (Poague)
Hamlin, who was born in Vermillion County,
Illinois, October 22, 1841. She was the first
white woman who settled in Audubon County,
having come with her father to assist in
founding the new home, as she was the old-
est child. She made herself very useful in
driving the oxen and planting corn. After
four months she returned to Mahaska County,
where the family were then living; later, the
same fall, the entire family removed to the
new home in Audubon County. After the
marriage of Mr. Thomas, which occurred
March 14, 1861, he remained in the employ
of his father-in-law for three years. During
this time he purchased eighty acres in Audu-
bon Township. There was a rude hut on
this place, and about twelve acres of land had
been broken. In the spring of 1864 Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas came to this place, and have
since made it their home. In the beginning
they had many hardships to undergo. They
were obliged to travel eighty miles to Des
Moines to do their marketing, and grain and
produce had to be hauled the same distance.
Mr. Thomas has added to his farm until he
now has 335 acres; he has as good land as
lies in the county, and it is improved with a
fine residence, and barns for stock and grain.
Politically he is a staunch Union Labor man,
being one of the first to join the party. Pre-
vious to the organization of this party he was
a Democrat. He has been elected to to the
office of county supervisor three terms, and
has held the office of justice of the peace, be-
sides other township offices. He and his wife
are members of the Christian church. They
are the parents of eleven children -- Luann,
Maturin, Belle, wife of S. J. Bloom; Jacob,
Nancy J. (deceased), Nathaniel, Oral (de-
ceased), Rosie, John (deceased), Isaac (de-
ceased), and Bessie.