Our History

Thomas Family History

The journey of researching our family history has been surprising and exciting. As stated on the home page, because of slavery we can only trace back so far. The normal earliest is when the government started including Negroes in the 1870 census. Then also at that time, so many Negroes were illiterate and not trusting of white people that many did not fully participate until later.

That is one of the things that made this interesting was that Robert Thomas born about 1830, It shows him as a laborer with his wife Sallie Thomas born about 1836, in the 1860 census. The Emancipation Proclamation was not signed until 1863 with some of us not getting the news until 1865 9Juneteenth). So, were Robert Thomas and Sarah Johnson (maiden name) (Sallie) free?  Sarah’s mother was married to Robert Smith (of Irish descent) a Captain in the American Revolutionary War who was white. Normally in 1860, most negroes were on a slave schedule as chattel, with the livestock and all the other masters’ possessions, or if they were on the census they had to be listed under their master’s household. The slave schedule usually did not show last names and many Negroes did not have last names they just assumed the last name of the master. This is where we usually lose our history. In 1860, roughly half a million free people of African descent resided in the United States. Known alternately as free Negroes, free blacks, free people of color, or simply free people (to distinguish them from post-Civil War freed people), they composed less than 2 percent of the nation’s population and about 9 percent of all blacks. Although the free black population was increasing during the antebellum years, it was growing far more slowly than either the white or the slave population, so it was a shrinking proportion of American society. Let me make it clear that the free they are talking about is not the free that we think of today. Another thing was that I found a marriage certificate for Robert Thomas & Sarah Johnson dated October 4, 1855. Now slaves could not be married officially and the government did not recognize it. Yes, the masters would tell them they were married but that was very seldom because the object was to keep us separated not together. The 1860 census shows Robert and Sallie with 3 children

• G. Thomas 13 years old
• Wm Thomas 1 year old
• Josephine Thomas ½-year-old

Now Josephine is our connection to the Thomas family. She was born around 1860 and the 1900 census shows that she had moved to Bastrop, TX had been married in 1875, and that she was widowed. It also showed that she could read and owned her property. This is amazing on both counts. First, in 1900 it was hard for black people in the South to own land and also be able to read. Sound like she was not letting “the man” hold her back any more than she had to. Josephine died on Dec. 31, 1932. The 1900 census shows Josephine had 4 children 

• Oscar Thomas 17 years old (our grandfather)
• Marion Thomas 14 years old
• Ed Thomas 23 years old
• Josephine Thomas 23 years old

Now Oscar was our grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather. Well, you get the picture according to what generation you are. Oscar married Martha Verse who further in this writing you will also see that matriarch side was also go-getter. Oscar and Martha moved to Thorndale, TX and then later they moved to Taylor, TX. Martha died in 1946 and Oscar died in 1961. The 1910 to 1940 census showed Oscar & Martha had 10 children that lived. They lost a couple of children at birth.

• Floney Thomas (Jackson)
• Ida B. Thomas (Branch)
• Aaron Thomas
• Floyd Thomas
• Rubin Thomas
• Oscar Thomas
• Ernestine Thomas (Gray)
• Verda Thomas (Williams)
• Dorothy Thomas
• Lena Thomas (Garner)

Now here is where it gets interesting. I am part of the next generation. Find out how you are connected to the branches above and register. We need you to register and connect to the branch that is above in the registration form.

The earliest records I could find on the Verse side was the 1880 census showing James Verse married to Mattie Verse and they were living in Snake Prairie Bastrop County Texas. After much research, I found that Snake Prairie is now Rosanky Texas in between Bastrop and Smithville. James was born in Mississippi around 1847. Mattie was born in Texas around 1850 and her occupation was keeping house in the 1880 census. In the 1930 census, it showed that she was widowed. The 1900 census said her mother and father’s birthplace was Louisiana. The 1900 showed the following children were living with them

• Charlie Verse
• Thomas Verse
• Martha Verse (our grandmother, great, great great, etc.)
• Emma Verse
• Caroline Verse
• Sarah Ann Verse ( I remember her from Oklahoma, she raised my sister)
• Joseph Verse ( Hickey farther)

They also owned land in Smithville around 50 acres and I remember when they sold it in 1975. I have had messages from a lot of Verses that I did not even know until I started this research. Several of the Verse sides move to Oklahoma and I know Joseph Verse was in Ft Worth until he died and then Aunt Mary moved to Taylor. I remember as a little kid cutting all this tall grass behind her house and she would give me a quarter. As I got older, like jr high she was still paying me a quarter or 50 cents. She made some of the best lemonade I have ever had. This history list will expand as I get more information. Please register so I can keep you updated. Ricky