Biographies | 1896 Bios
James Allcott
Mr. Thomas was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, October 29, 1849. His father, Enoch J. Thomas, a native of that same county, was born October 22, 1822, a son of Enoch Thomas, Sr., who was of Pennsylvania· birth. The Thomas family are of Welsh descent and are distantly related to the well-known General Thomas. Enoch Thomas, Sr., married Miss Anna Dilley, a native of New Jersey, and they both died in Ohio, he at the age of seventy-two years and she at ninety-four. Their children were William, James, Enoch, Ayers, Edward, Harriet, Mary, Martha, and Hannah. Enoch Thomas, Jr., passed his boyhood on a farm in Guernsey county, Ohio. At the age of twenty-two he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann Griffith, who was born in Noble county, Ohio, daughter of A. B. Griffith, a native of Pennsylvania. The children of this union were four in number and were as follows: Evard Young, a resident of Guthrie county, Iowa; John G., whose name introduces this sketch; Emma, wife of John W. Hutchinson, a resident of Guernsey county, Ohio; and Samuel L., who died at the age of three years. The parents are still living and maintain their residence on the old homestead in Ohio, where the father has for many years successfully carried on agricultural pursuits. They are members of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. During the days of the Abolition movement he was an ardent supporter of that party; later he allied himself with the Republicans, and of recent years he has given his support to the Prohibition party.
John G. Thomas, the immediate subject of this review, passed his boyhood on a farm, helping with the work and attending the district school. His education was further extended by his practical business experience and home reading and study, and in this way he acquired sufficient knowledge to enable him to teach school, in which occupation he was engaged for about six years. Subsequently he for a time occupied a position as station agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and for two years was engaged in the drug business. All this time he was in Ohio. In the spring of 1881 he left his native State and came to Iowa and settled on his present farm. This farm comprises 480 acres of choice land, is well fenced and divided into fields, and is supplied with barns, sheds, stock yards and a good wind-mill. His residence is a modern one and is furnished and kept up in a manner that shows the refined tastes of the family.
Mr. Thomas was married December 4. 1873, to Miss Margaret Angeline Finley, a cultured and refined lady who was born in Guernsey county, Ohio. She is the daughter of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Lyons) Finley; the former born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, July 31, 1813, died December 4, 1890; the latter born December 20, 1818, died May 27, 1892. Both were zealous members of the Presbyterian Church and his political views were those of the Republican party. He was a son of James Finley, a native of Pennsylvania and a descendant of Scotch-Irish ancestors. The family of Ebenezer Finley was composed of six children, namely: John R., Levi L., Mary E., Margaret A., Thomas, and a son that died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have four children -- Horace Dwight, Carl Waldo, Ray Finley, and Cora Ethel.
In the politics of the day Mr. Thomas has always taken a lively and commendable interest, affiliating with the Republicans and being one of the "wheel-horses" of the party in his county. He has served as a delegate to both county and State conventions. Religiously, he is following in the footsteps of his honored parents and is one of the leading members of the Presbyterian Church. A man of clear, bright intellect, excellent conversational powers and attractive personality, Mr. Thomas is popular with his large circle of friends. He is considered one of the first citizens of the county, socially, politically and financially.
A Memorial and Biographical Record of Iowa, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company 1896, pg. 344.