Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. III, Part 95

Author: Rowland, Dunbar, 1864-1937, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Atlanta, Southern Historical Publishing Association
Number of Pages: 938

USA > Mississippi > Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. III > Part 95

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Thomas, Daniel Holcomb, is one of the honored pioneer citizens of Noxubee county, where he owns a fine landed estate and is a rep- resentative planter. His plantation is located near the village of Gholson, which is his postoffice address. Mr. Thomas was born in Richmond county, N. C., Jan. 10, 1833, and is a son of Henry G. and Ann J. (Love) Thomas, both of whom were likewise born in Richmond county. The former was a son of Elijah Thomas, who served during the entire course of the War of the Revolution. In 1840 Henry J. Thomas removed with his family from North Carolina to Noxubee county, Miss., making the trip with team and wagon, a distance of more than 500 miles. He took up a tract of government land and developed a valuable plantation. He remained on the homestead until the time of his death, which occurred in 1863. His wife survived him by a number of years. He was one of the early settlers in the county and reclaimed his plantation from the wild state. Indians were much in evidence during the early years of his residence here, and two and one-half miles from the old homestead, now owned by the subject of this sketch, the historic "Dancing Rabbit" Indian treaty was made. He was a clergyman of the Baptist church and for a quarter of a century he preached the gospel in Noxubee county. Of those who were resident of Macon at the time when he located in the county only one is now living. Daniel H. Thomas was seven years of age at the time of his parents' removal to Noxubee county, where he was reared to manhood and received such educational advantages as the schools of the locality and period afforded. He had charge of the home plantation at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war, and in August, 1862, he entered the service of the Con- federacy. He enlisted as a private in Company H, Fifth Mississippi infantry, and upon the organization of his regiment he was elected first lieutenant. He took part in the battle of Shiloh, after which he was assigned to the quartermaster's department, under Major Hamil- ton, with headquarters in Macon. He was appointed Confederate assessor for Noxubee county and remained in that office until the close of the war, receiving his parole in May, 1865. Since the war he has continued to reside on the homestead plantation which his father secured from the government, and he is the owner of 600 acres of land, of which 200 acres are under effective cultivation. In politics he gives an unqualified allegiance to the Democratic party and he served for twenty years as a member of the board of supervisors of his township. He has ever taken a loyal interest in all that concerned his home county and State and has been personally acquainted with every governor of Mississippi since the regime of Governor Brown.

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Having joined the Masonic fraternity when twenty-one years of age, he has been a member in good standing for more than half a century. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church and they are well known in Noxubee county, where they are held in high esteem. On Dec. 22, 1867, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Thomas to Miss Jane E. Hunter, daughter of Nicholas Hunter, of Lauderdale county. Mr. Hunter came to Mississippi from Richmond county, N. C., and settled in Lauderdale county about 1840, being one of its pioneers. In conclusion is entered brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas : Willie L. is the wife of Wilson G. Rosser, of Gholson; Agnes is the wife of Thomas J. Wiggins, of Lauderdale county; Vic- toria remains at the parental home; Lee H. is in the employ of the Southern railway; Albert Sidney is in the employof the same company ; Richmond R. is associated with his father in the management of the home plantation; Edward H., John P. and Hunter P. are engaged in the lumber business . at Hattiesburg, Miss.

Thomas, Roman S., has been engaged in the general merchandise business in Plantersville for the past forty years, being one of the pioneer business men and highly honored citizens of Lee county and also having the distinction of being a veteran of the Confederacy and holding the rank of colonel in the United Confed- erate Veterans. Colonel Thomas was born at VanBuren, Itawamba county, Miss., Feb. 2, 1841, and is a son of Rev. William Carothers Thomas and Mary Johnson (Gibson) Thomas. His father was born near Columbia, Giles county, Tenn., and passed the closing years of his life at Richmond, Lee county, Miss. He was one of the prominent pioneer clergymen of the Missionary Baptist church in Mississippi, to which State he came in 1838, and he labored long and faithfully as a minis- ter, serving in northern Mississippi and also in Tennessee and Ala- bama. He died in 1885, at the age of sixty-eight years, his wife passing away in 1889. He was a son of Ezekiel and Jane (Carothers) Thomas, who lived many years near Decatur, Ala., and who were residents of Mississippi during the closing days of their lives. The Thomas family is of Scotch-Irish extraction and was early founded in the State of North Carolina, whence the original representatives went to Alabama. The mother of Colonel Thomas was born near Decatur, Ala., and was a daughter of Rev. Sylvandus and Sarah (Orr) Gibson, who removed to that State from Oglethorpe county, Ga., the father having been a minister of the Baptist church. Col- onel Thomas completed his early education in the high school at Richmond, Itawamba county, Miss., where he was reared to ma- turity and where he was living at the outbreak of the war between the States. In 1862, at the age of twenty-one years, he enlisted in Company E, Forty-first Mississippi infantry, with which he contin-

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ued in active service until the final overthrow of the cause for which he so valiantly battled. His command was assigned to the Army of Tennessee, and he participated in the many engagements in which that gallant army was involved, having been finally promoted first lieutenant of his company and having served as such until the close of the war. He is now commander (1906) of John L. Simonton Camp, United Confederate Veterans, with rank of colonel. After the war, in 1866, Colonel Thomas took up his residence in Planters- ville, where he established himself in the general merchandise busi- ness, in which he has since continued, having built up a large and prosperous enterprise and drawing his trade from a wide radius of country. He is a member of the directorate of the Bluff City Cloth- ing Company, of Memphis, Tenn., and a director of the First Na- tional bank of Tupelo, also having large real estate interests in Lee county, including valuable properties in Plantersville. He has ever been progressive and loyal as a citizen and has done much to further the best interests of his home town and county. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party, he is affiliated with the lodge, chapter and council of the Masonic fraternity, and both he and his wife are zealous members of the Missionary Baptist church. At Richmond, Miss., in 1865, was solemnized the marriage of Colonel Thomas to Miss M. E. Borum, daughter of Richard M. and Mary E. Borum, of Lee county. Mrs. Thomas died in 1871 and is survived by one son, Swiss B., secretary and treasurer of the Bluff City Cloth- ing Company, of Memphis. After the death of his first wife Colonel Thomas married Mrs. Anna L. McGaughey, daughter of George W. and Elizabeth Stovall, of Richmond, this State, and they have one child, Edna, who is now the wife of William O. McGaughey, of Nettle- ton, Miss.

Thomas, S. S., M. D., a leading physician and surgeon of Maben, Oktibbeha county, is well upholding the professional prestige of the family name, for his father was for many years one of the most hon- ored and successful medical practitioners of Webster county. Dr. S. S. Thomas was born near Cumberland, in the part of Webster county which was then a portion of Choctaw county, Nov. 1, 1865, and he is a son of Dr. A. H. and Martha (Walker) Thomas, the for- mer native of Tennessee and the latter of Alabama. The father was a man of excellent professional ability and for long years he labored unselfishly and unceasingly in ministering to the people of Webster county, where his name is held in reverent memory. He died Jan. 12, 1892, and his devoted wife joined him in eternal rest. on June 22, following. Dr. S. S. Thomas completed the curriculum of the public schools of Cumberland, after which he took a course in the Mississippi normal school, at Houston, while his professional education was secured in the Louisville medical college and the Memphis Hospital medical college, in each of which he was gradu- ated. He began the practice of medicine in Cumberland, and four years later, in the autumn of 1894, located in Maben, where he has built up an excellent business, having the leading practice in this. vicinity. He is a Democrat in his political faith, and both he and

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his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church." He is assistant health officer of Oktibbeha county and a member of the town board. He is identified with the State medical association and also with that of Clay and Oktibbeha counties, while in a fra- ternal way he is affiliated with the Woodmen of the World and the Knights and Ladies of Honor. On Feb. 27, 1891, Dr. Thomas was united in marriage to Miss Leila Williams, who was left an orphan at the age of three years, having been reared and educated in Web- ster county. They have one child, Andrew Gaines Thomas.

Thompson, Julius, of Percy, is one of the representative planters and citizens of Washington county, where he has a fine landed estate and where he has maintained his home for two score of years. He was born in Bertie county, N. C., Aug. 24, 1845, and is a son of Louis W. and Martha Ellen (Britton) Thompson, both of whom were born and reared in North Carolina, of Scotch and English descent, respect- ively. Louis W. was one of a family of four children, and all came to Mississippi in 1846. He located in Madison county, becoming a large landholder and successful planter and leaving a large estate to his heirs at the time of his death, which occurred in October, 1888, while his wife survived him a number of years, both having been consistent members of the Baptist church, while in politics he was a stalwart Democrat. They became the parents of eleven children. Julius Thompson was reared in Madison county, assisting in the operation of the home plantation and securing a common-school education. At the time of the Civil war he left school to take up arms in defense of the Confederate cause. In 1863, at the age of seventeen years, he enlisted in Company B, Third Mississippi cav- alry, with which he served until the close of the war, principally in Tennessee and Georgia. He took part in the battles of New Hope church and Kenesaw Mountain and in the engagements around Atlanta and at Chattanooga. At the time of the surrender he was near Natchez, Miss., where he had been sent as a scout in Bradford's battalion, while he was fortunate in never having received a serious wound during his term of service. Shortly after the close of the war Mr. Thompson came to Washington county, where his father owned a plantation, and here he has ever since been actively engaged in agricultural pursuits, bringing to bear much energy and discrimi- nation and gaining a success worthy the name, while he has ever com- manded the esteem and good will of the people of the community. His influence has been given to the supporting of all worthy civic and social undertakings, and both he and his wife are prominent and valued members of the Baptist church. He has a well improved plantation of about 600 acres, and the family residence is one of the attractive and hospitable homes of this section. In politics Mr. Thompson has a tenacious hold upon the Democratic faith, but has never been a seeker of office, and fraternally he is a popular member of the United Confederate Veterans, taking a deep interest in his old comrades in arms. On Oct. 2, 1870, Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Hettie Moorman, who was born in Owens- boro, Ky., as was also her father, Mercer Moorman, while her mother,

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whose maiden name was Sarah A. Talbott, was born in Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have six children-Louise W., Sarah M., Mercer M., Edward, Julius and Herbert.

Thompson, Robert Harvey, a prominent and influential citizen of Mississippi and a distinguished member of the bar of the State, is engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of Jackson and has been conspicuously identified with public affairs in this commonwealth. He was born on a farm in Copiah county, Miss., Aug. 25, 1847, and is a son of John Harvey and Margaret Ann (Watson) Thompson, the former of whom was born in Marion county, this State, Sept. 1, 1818, and the latter of whom was likewise native of Mississippi. John H. Thompson was a son of Jesse and Margaret (Harvey) Thompson, who came to Mississippi in the territorial epoch, removing hither from Hancock, county, Ga. He resided in Copiah county from early child- hood until within a few years prior to his death and was one of the influential and honored citizens of that section of the State, having been a zealous member of the Methodist church and having been prominent in political affairs, representing his county in the State legislature in 1846 and 1858. He died at the venerable age of eighty- three years. Jesse Thompson was a soldier in the War of 1812, having served under General Jackson in the battle of New Orleans, as a member of the Mississippi troops. The mother of the subject of this review was a daughter of John and Margaret (Mikell) Watson, who resided in turn in Marion, Covington, Lawrence and Copiah counties, Miss. One of her great grandmothers was a sister of John Rutledge, who served as chief justice of the supreme court of the United States. Robert H. Thompson secured his early educational discipline in the schools of Copiah county, principally at Gallatin and Hazlehurst, after which he was a student in Summerville insti- tute, which was then a celebrated high school in eastern Mississippi having been there in 1865-7. In the latter year he was matriculated in the University of Mississippi, in which he was graduated in June, 1869, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In the meanwhile he had manifested his insistent loyalty to the Confederacy, having enlisted in 1864, in Company E, Twenty-fourth Mississippi cavalry, in which he was made corporal and with which he served from July of that year until the close of the war, having been paroled April 12, 1865, at Gainesville, Ala. Mr. Thompson attended the law school of the University of Mississippi a few months, in the autumn of 1869, but did not complete the course, as the school was suspended. His pre- ceptor in the law school was Mississippi's distinguished citizen, the late Hon. L. Q. C. Lamar. He continued his reading of law, thor- oughly fortifying himself in the minutiæ of the same and being li- censed to practice by the' courts of his native State. In January,

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1871, he engaged in the practice of his profession at Brookhaven, Lincoln county, where he remained until 1897, having controlled a very large and important business in that section of the State, and he then removed to Jackson, where he has since continued in the practice of law and where he has from the start retained a repre- sentative clientage. From 1876 to 1880 he represented the third district, which then comprised the counties of Lincoln, Lawrence and Pike, in the State senate, and in 1890 he represented Lincoln and Jefferson counties as delegate to the State constitutional con- vention. In 1890 he was appointed by Governor Stone on the com- mission which prepared the annotated code of Mississippi laws which was adopted in 1892 and was chairman of that body. The code adopted by this commission remained in effect longer than any other

code ever adopted by the State. He has been for many years a member of the board of trustees of the University of Mississippi, and in 1893 this institution, his alma mater, conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws. He was one of the capitol commis- sioners who supervised the construction of Mississippi's magnificent new capitol, which was erected at a cost of a million dollars. In 1900 he was tendered an appointment on the supreme court bench of the State, by Governor Longino, but declined the place. The law firm of which Mr. Thompson is a member are the general attor- neys of the Alabama & Vicksburg railway and also attorneys for the Gulf & Ship Island railroad. In politics Mr. Thompson is a con- servative Democrat, but he did not endorse the free-silver system foisted on the party. He and his wife are members of the Presby- terian church. He is a member of the Mississippi bar association, for which he has written several articles and of which he was presi- dent one term, and he is also identified with the State historical association. On May 6, 1876, Mr. Thompson was united in mar- riage to Frances Patterson, at Brookhaven, Miss. She is a daughter of Levin M. and Caroline (Gridley)' Patterson, who were residents of Natchez, this State, and both of whom are now deceased. The father was born in Maryland and the mother in the State of New York, the latter being a descendant of the celebrated Gridley family of New England. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have five children, name- ly: John Harvey, Robert Patterson, Gertrude Gridley, who is now the wife of James McWillie, an attorney of Jackson; Mildred Agnes and Fulton. John H. and Robert P. are both representative young members of the bar of Mississippi's capital city. The former married Edith Sherman, who died in 1903 one month after the birth of her only son, Robert H. Thompson, Jr., who survives her. Robert P. Thompson was married in 1902 to Irene Daisy Smith, of Jackson.

Tomlinson, Samuel Alexander, cashier of the Bank of Commerce, at Gulfport, Harrison county, is one of the representative young business men of this thriving town, and is one of those energetic and progressive young men who so clearly exemplify the spirit of the "new South." He is a native of Georgia, having been born in La- fayette, Walker county, that State, on Sept. 23, 1878, and being a son of S. P. and Nannie (Alexander) Tomlinson, the former of whom

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was born in Statesville, N. C., and the latter in Lafayette, Ga. Sam- uel A. Tomlinson duly improved the advantages offered him in the public schools and supplemented this discipline by a course of study in Harriman university, at Harriman, Tenn. In that city also he initiated his business career, becoming an employe in the office of the Southern Express Company. Two years later he secured a posi- tion as express messenger with the Gulf & Ship Island railroad, and he continued to be thus engaged for the ensuing several years. In 1901 he located in Gulfport and engaged in the oyster business, ship- ping the popular bivalves at wholesale into various sections of the Union. In 1902 he was concerned in the organization and incor- poration of the Bank of Commerce, and two months after the bank was opened he was elected cashier of the same. In this executive office he has since continued to serve, and his discrimination and energy have been potent factors in advancing the prosperity of the enterprise and in making this one of the leading banking houses in this section of the State. In 1900 Mr. Tomlinson was elected to represent the First ward of the city on the board of aldermen, and by successive re-elections he has since been continued in this position, his long tenure of the office indicating the estimate placed upon him by his fellow citizens. He is a stalwart Democrat in his political adherency; fraternally is identified with the Masonic order the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, while both he and his wife are devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. He has been specially active in church work and was superintendent of the first Sunday school organized in Gulfport. On April 22, 1903, Mr. Tomlinson was united in mar- riage to Miss Marie Reeves, daughter of W. W. and Margaret (Knotch) Reeves, of Gulfport, and they have two children-Margaret and Sam- uel Alexander, Jr.

Tucker, William Feimster, of Woodville, is one of the leading members of the bar of Wilkinson county, which he has ably represented in the State legislature. He is a member of one of the prominent and honored families of the State and was born at Okolona, Chickasaw county, Miss., Jan. 4, 1869, being a son of the late Gen. William Feimster Tucker, who was born in Virginia and whose paternal ancestors came to America from the Island of Ber- muda. His wife, whose maiden name was Martha Shackelford, was of Welsh descent. Representatives of both families were enrolled as patriot soldiers in the War of the Revolution, and the sisters of the subject of this review are eligible for and hold membership in the Daughters of the Revo- lution through four different ancestors of direct line. Gen. William T. Tucker settled at Okolona in an early day and there took charge of a school at the same time giving careful attention to the study of

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law. He was a man of fine education and had very cordial and pleas- ing manners, though he was well fortified in his opinions and ever had the courage of his convictions, which he was ready to defend against the most formidable antagonists. He attained marked dis- tinction at the bar and was one of the foremost lawyers of his sec- tion of the State. He presented facts forcibly, drew deductions clearly, spoke well and fluently and his invective was severe and scathing. His reputation for honor and reliability was inviolable. General Tucker was one of Mississippi's most brilliant officers in the war between the States. He entered the Confederate army as a captain at the first call to arms and served throughout the entire course of the war. At the reconstruction of the army in 1862 he was made colonel and was afterward promoted to the rank of brigadier- general, for gallantry in action. He participated in the first battle of Bull Run and in the many important battles in which his gallant command was involved. He was severely wounded on four differ- ent occasions. It was said that in battle his daring amounted to recklessness; it is certain that he was without fear and was ever ready to lead his men into the thick of the fray. After the war he resumed the practice of his profession, and in the midst of a gradu- ally increasing prosperity a tragic fate overtook him. Going home one night greatly wearied, he lay down upon a bed near an open window. Some dastardly assassin crept up in the darkness outside and shot him dead. Every possible effort was made to unravel the mystery and bring the base murderer to justice, but no clue has ever been found. Hon. William F. Tucker, the immediate subject of this sketch, secured his preliminary educational training in the schools of his native county, after which he pursued his studies for two years in the University of Mississippi. He passed one year in the National Normal university, Lebanon, Ohio, and in 1891 he was graduated in the law department of Cumberland university, Lebanon, Tenn., with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. In the same year he began the practice of his profession at Woodville, where he has since maintained his home and where he has built up a large and representative law business. In 1899 he was elected to represent his county in the State legislature, and he was re-elected in November, 1903. He is a stal- wart supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pythias, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. He is a member of the board of trustees of the University of Mississippi, having been ap- pointed to this position in 1906, by Governor Vardaman. On July 25, 1893, Mr. Tucker was united in marriage to Miss Lillian Van Huff, daughter of Martin VanBuren and Olivia (Ratcliff) Huff, of Wood- ville, and they have five children: Clay Bramlette, Henry Shackel- ford, Olivia Ratcliff, Martha Josephine and William Feimster, Jr.

Touchstone, Thompson N., mayor of the thriving town of Braxton, is one of the influential and honored citizens of Simpson county, where he has made his home from the time of his birth, being long identified with the agricultural industry in this section and being an able member of the bar of the State and an ex-member of its

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legislature. Mr. Touchstone was born in Simpson county, Jan. 23, 1846, and is a son of G. P. and Serena (Hall) Touchstone, native respectively of Copiah county and Simpson county, this State, where they passed their entire lives, the father having been one of the promi- nent planters and leading citizens of Simpson county and having served as probate judge of the county during the Civil war. Thomp- son N. Touchstone was reared on the home plantation and was given the opportunities offered by the schools of the place and period. In 1863, at the age of nineteen years, he went forth to do battle for the Confederacy, enlisting as a private in Company A, Fourth Mis- sissippi cavalry, with which he served until the close of the war, in the command of Gen. Stephen D. Lee. He took part in the en- gagements at Harrisburg and Tupelo and in the actions incidental to the Sherman raid from Vicksburg to Meridian, besides many spirited skirmishes along the Mississippi river from Vicksburg to Port Hudson, and in the battle at Selma, Ala. He was at Gaines- ville, that State, at the time of the close of the war, receiving his parole in May, 1865. Returning to Simpson county Mr. Touchstone again turned his attention to farming, and he has ever since had interests in this line, being the owner of a well improved landed estate in the county. In 1874 he was elected justice of the peace, and this practical association with legal matters led him to take up the study of the law in a systematic manner, the result being that he was admitted to the bar of the State in 1876, since which time he has given more or less attention to the practice of his pro- fession, in which he has been very successful. A vigorous worker in the cause of the Democratic party, he was naturally marked for official honors, and in 1882 he was elected a member of the board of supervisors of his county, while in 1891 he received a most grati- fying support at the polls when he was elected to represent the county in the State legislature. At the expiration of his first term he was given the most incisive mark of approbation on the part of his con- stituency since, in 1895, he was chosen as his own successor. He was a member of important committees of the house during both terms and was zealous in the furthering of wise legislation. Mr. Touchstone left his farm and took up his residence in the newly founded town of Braxton, being specially active in securing its incor- poration and in furthering its material and civic advancement, while his influence and services are in requisition in connection with every movement projected for the general good of the community. He is mayor of Braxton, having been re-elected at the expiration of his first term. He still maintains a general supervision of his farming interests and is one of the county's substantial and honored citizens. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he served sixteen years as master of his lodge, and is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the World, while both he and his wife have long been enrolled as mem- bers of the Baptist church. Oct. 6, 1867, is to be recorded as the date of Mr. Touchstone's marriage to Miss Suda Alexander, daughter of R. G. and Angeline (Brent) Alexander, who were well

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Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. III, Part 95

Author: Rowland, Dunbar, 1864-1937, ed Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Atlanta, Southern Historical Publishing Association Number of Pages: 938

Author: Rowland, Dunbar, 1864-1937, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Atlanta, Southern Historical Publishing Association
Number of Pages: 938