Thomas Cannot Be Put in a Box

Credit: freedigitalphotos.com

I could have told you a lot more. I could have told you about how Thomas purchased four mules that he got from Mrs. Smith, that he uses in his team, plus two cows and two mares; or about the time Thomas was a witness in the defense of James Harvie who had been assaulted as he left a "lager beer house." Perhaps I could have discussed the taxes Thomas had to pay on his possessions, including property and a gold watch.

But I am afraid I would bore you with the details. I am in the possession of a LOT more documentation about Thomas and his very public life. Suffice it to say that our ancestor was multi-dimensional. He cannot be "put in a box" and easily defined.

Perhaps this is why I am so fascinated with Thomas. He is a product of his upbringing, his times and the cultural influences of living in Kentucky during the Civil War. He was an entrepreneur and did whatever he could to support his family. He was a member of the Odd Fellows and a political force who served as a jailer during very difficult times. He lived in a time when half of the population of his town was enslaved and later freed. His town was overrun alternately by Union and Confederate troops. And most significantly, only four of his nine children survived to adulthood -- all girls.

The story of Thomas has not yet been completed -- but I hope you, like me, have a better understanding of this man I am proud to call my ancestor.

Submitted by Kathleen Jones Hellmann Reed
GG-granddaughter
February, 2015