Mark Thomas

BARNETT, MOORMAN, THOMAS, TOMKINS

Posted By: Kent Transier (email)
Date: 1/11/2010 at 10:06:00

“A Memorial and Biographical Record of Iowa”
The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1896

Mark Thomas, a representative farmer of Madison county, Iowa, was born in Wayne county, Indiana, December 22, 1841. Charles Thomas, his father, was a native of North Carolina, and when four years of age, was taken by his parents to Wayne county, Indiana, where he was reared. Grandfather Stephen Thomas, it is supposed, was born in one of the Carolinas.

The mother of our subject was by maiden name Nancy Moorman. She, too, was a native of Carolina, as was also he father, Tarlton Moorman, and they removed to Indiana when she was a little girl and settled in Randolph county. She was reared by her grandmother Moorman. Both the Thomas and Moorman families were prominent members of the Society of Friends.

It was in Randolph county, Indiana, that Charles and Nancy Thomas were married, and shortly afterward they located in Wayne county, that State, where she died. After her death he came to Iowa, where he married again. Later he returned to Indiana and spent six years there, then coming back to this State and settling in Dallas county on a farm. Here he passed the residue of his life and died, at the time of his death being seventy-six years of age. By his last wife he had no children. The children of his first wife numbered thirteen, Mark being the seventh born and one of the ten that reached adult age; eight are now living.

The subject of our sketch was reared in Wayne county, Indiana, receiving his education on the district schools of what was then Newport, now Fountain City, Indiana. In 1869 he left home and came out to Iowa, locating in Guthrie county, where he was engaged in farming from that time until 1875. In 1875 he came to his present location in Madison county, where he has ever since resided. He still, however, owns his Guthrie county farm, 160 acres.

At his home place in Madison township, on section 4 he has 175 acres. This place was but little improved at the time of his location here; today it is ranked with the first-class farms of the county. Among its improvements is a modern and commodious ten-room residence, erected in 1893, good barns, fences, etc., and everything kept in the best of order. Mr. Thomas carries on diversified farming and gives considerable attention to stock-raising, much of his stock being thoroughbred.

He was married in 1872 to Miss Mary Tomkins, who died in less than a year from the time of her marriage. In 1875 he wedded Miss Almeda Barnett, a native of Marion county, Indiana, and they have two children, a son and a daughter, Ernest and Myrtle.

Mr. Thomas is a Republican in his political views, and has served his district as School Director. As above stated, his parents were prominent members of the Friends’ Church, and in this faith he was reared. He, however, is not a member of the church now,