Isham J. Thomas and Ivey A. Thomas are shown as members of the Isham B. Thomas household on the Alachua County, Florida 1860 federal census. However, they are listed after the other household members and are shown as farm laborers and not as children of Isham B. Thomas1. I have been looking into both these persons as a possible link to determine more information about Isham B. Thomas thinking they must be some way related. Hopefully, someone will have some information on these people....
Isham J. Thomas is Isham Jackson Thomas and his age is shown as 17 on the 1860 census which coincides with his date of birth of October 20, 1844 shown on his Florida Confederate Pension application and death certificate. Both these records show his place of birth as Tattnall County, Georgia. His pension application shows that he moved to Florida in 1851, which roughly coincides with Isham B. Thomas' move there, also from Georgia.
He died January 10, 1929 in Hillsborough County, Florida. His residence there is shown as Anderson Avenue and Tampa Bay Boulevard in the West Tampa precinct. The death certificate shows he had lived in the county for 53 years. Addresses of both Keystone and Safety Harbor, both in Hillsborough County, are shown on his pension application.
The only information about Isham J. Thomas' parents shown on his death certificate is that his father was "William Thomas." The death certificate gives no further information about his father and no information at all about his mother. The informant on the death certificate is shown as "D. L. Thomas" at the Anderson Avenue address.
Isham J. Thomas is buried in the Keystone United Methodist Cemetery, Keystone, Hillsborough County. The cemetery records show the following graves associated with Isham J. Thomas:
| Name | Birth/Death | Headstone Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Josephine Thomas | Mar. 4, 1882 Jan. 7, 1884 |
Daughter of I. J. and J. A. Thomas |
| Julia A. Thomas | Nov. 24, 1844 Jan. 19, 1892 |
Wife of I. J. Thomas |
| Isham J. Thomas | Oct. 20, 1844 Jan. 10, 1929 |
Military Marker |
| M. A. Thomas | Jan. 22, 1845 Jan. 22, 1926 |
Wife of I. J. Thomas |
| Emma Thomas | Dec. 25, 1875 Jan. 21, 1899 |
Daughter of I. J. and J. A. Thomas |
I do not know the details of his first marriage (Julia) other than they are shown on the 1870 Alachua County census as married with their oldest child being 2 years old and both children being born in Georgia. Julia is Julia Augusta Spence, daughter of Andrew Hamilton Spence and Elizabeth Fulton, born November 24, 1844, probably in Cass County, Georgia. They likely married in the Cass or Floyd County Georgia area about 1866 after Isham's return from the civil war but no record of the marriage has been found.
Isham's marriage to Martha A. Dillon took place in Hillsborough County, Florida, on January 26, 1893.
Isham J. Thomas served in the Confederate Army during the civil war. His service was in Company B, 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment. He enlisted in that unit in May 1861 in Newnansville, Alachua County, Florida. He was wounded in the right thigh on May 31, 1862 during the Battle of Seven Pines in Virginia. He apparently served until the surrender at Appomattox in April 1865.
The 1870 (Alachua Co.) and 1880 (Hillsborough Co.) Federal Censuses show Isham J. and Julia A. Thomas as having the following children in their household:
| Name | Approx. Birth | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Samuel Thomas | 1868 Georgia |
Presumed to have died before 1880 as he was not listed on that census. |
| James Henry Thomas | December 1869 Georgia |
Married Vena Anne Gause in Hillsborough County, Florida in 1893 and had 11 children. Died 1923. |
| Lillie Ellen Thomas | 1872 Florida |
Married Robert L. Youngblood in Hillsborough County in 1891 and had 2 children. Died 1907. |
| Emma Virginia Thomas | 1876 Florida |
Never married. Died in childbirth in 1899. The son survived but his name and whereabouts are unknown. |
| David Lee Thomas | 1879 Florida |
Married Arlie Zelma Mong about 1904 in Hillsborough County and had 5 children. Died 1960. |
| Marietta Virginia "Etta" Thomas | May 1880 Florida |
Married Frank A. Bell in Hillsborough County in 1903 and divorced there in 1920. Moved to California and married a "Parker" and presumably divorced. Returned to Tampa about 1929 and married William Riley Pate in 1934. No known children from any marriage. Died 1963. |
On his October 1905 pension application, Isham stated that he had two sons and two daughters, all of whom were unable to provide for his support.
If you have any connection to or information about any of these people, please contact me, as I am at a dead end concerning the relationships, if any, between Isham B. and Ivey A. and Isham J. Thomas.
Footnotes: (click number to return to text)
1 Information regarding Isham B. Thomas as a possible parent is found here.