...starts with the Thomas Family: Mary Emma Thomas

The 11th child of Edward Gilmer Thomas and Sarah Lucas was Mary Emma, also known as Emer. Mary Emma Thomas was born 3 June 1877 in Rupert, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, according to the Thomas Bible (there is no record of Mary Emma's birth currently on the WVCulture site). Mary Emma married Charles Wallace Crotty on 14 Aug 1901 (entry 91) in Talcott, Summers County, West Virginia, by none other than her sister Lucy's (future) husband, Reverend Abraham M. Frantz. Charles Crotty was born in February 1878 (the date is unclear in Letha's records as she has two, either the 2nd or the 16th, the 2nd is noted as provided by granddaughter Marie) to Charles P and Nancy Eagle Crotty (marriage record, line 90).

Charles Wallace and Mary Emma had 3 known children, all daughters.

1. Hattie Mae, born 21 May 1902 (according to Letha and also by death certificate), married W. A. Briniger/Brinager on 27 April 1921 in Summers County (marriage record, line 59). Hattie left this world on 2 Jul 1925 in Secoma, Summers, West Virginia. Her cause of death is listed as "Eclampsia, due to child birth," she is buried at Layland Cemetery (Fayette County), but is not currently listed on FindAgrave's internments there. Death recorded here. I cannot find anything on the fate of the pregnancy/child, and Letha does not note this information. 
2. Morene Fay, born 29 Jun 1904 (according to Letha and also by death certificate), married Charles Fitzpatrick on 4 Apr 1923 in Fayetteville, Fayette County, West Virginia (marriage record), he was a 27 year old miner, she was 19. His parents are listed simply as John and A. M. Fitzpatrick. Sadly, Morene shared the same fate of death in childbirth, her death certificate also listing "Eclampsia." BUT, their child, Marie, lived to be raised by her maternal grandparents, Charles Wallace and Mary Emma Crotty. 
3. Pearl Grace, born 2 Feb 1910 (birth recorded here), married Clarence Fletcher Cochran on 29 Aug 1931 (right side page) in Rupert, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, he was 24, she 21. His parents are listed as Raymond and Bessie Cochran.

Mary Emma Thomas Crotty passed away on 30 Mar 1953 at her home in Charmco, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, from a cerebral hemorhage and clot, along with suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (death certificate, death record). Mary Emma Crotty is listed as buried in the Ben McClung Cemetery, Rupert, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, according to her death certificate, as is her brother Joseph Andrew Thomas. Charles Wallace is listed by Letha as having passed in 1954. There is a death certificate on WVCulture's website for a 76 year old Wallace Crotty that I believe is him, the dates match the headstone, but since the informant was the hospital, there is little background information on him.  Here is the death record (bottom of the right side page).

I find it incredibly sad to see that 2 of their 3 daughters died due to or during childbirth. Pearl and her husband, Clarence, went on to have a fairly large family of 5 children. Though they did lose an infant, he is buried at the End of the Trail Cemetery in God's Flower Garden section, in Clintonville, WV. 

The photo below is horrible, I should have taken the time to clear the headstone off, but this cemetery is so extremely overgrown I was trying to get what pictures I could and get out without too much trouble!

Ben McClung Cemetery, Rupert, WV - headstone of Charles Wallace and Mary Emma Thomas Crotty

... includes mentions of a Thomas Family Bible.

As mentioned in my last post, Letha's research refers to dates from a Bible. I do not currently know who has it, but I do have copies, some places are hard to read, of its family pages. I believe the Bible belonged to a son of Archelaus and Rachel Walker Baber Thomas, Edward Gilmer Thomas and his wife Sarah A Lucas Thomas. Below are the pages and my transcription of them, questionable areas in parentheses, my notes in purple.

Page 1

Edward G Thomas was Borned The 10th of April 1826

Sarah A Thomas was Borned January The 28th 1833

William Elexander Thomas Was borned December The 5th 1852

Elizabeth Margaret Thomas Was borned June The 22nd 1854

James Franklin Thomas Was borned March The (9)th 1856

Rachel Jane Thomas was Borned June The 20th 1858

Sarah Amanda Thomas was Borned November the 24th 1860

(The name Mary appears to have been written but is crossed out...)

Edward Daniel Thomas was Bond May the 11th (unreadable year)

Jophes (should be Joseph?) Andrew Thomas was (...) February the 19th 1866

Page 2

Martha (Allie?) Thomas was Bornd the 11 day of May the 1868

Addam henry Thomas was was Bornde the 14 day of September 1870

lucy Ellen Thomas was Bonde the 7 day of February the 1873

Mary emer Thomas was Born June the 3 the 1877

Rachel Thomas was born February 13th 1789 Died in March the 19 1882

Archey Thomas Was Born in 17(?)9 (1799 or 1789?) Died November 24 the 1875

Betsy Lucas was Born 

(The bottom 3 individuals are the parents of Edward and Sarah Lucas Thomas)

Page 3

Edward G. Thomas Died The 8th day of November 1898

Sarah A. Thomas Died April 30th 1908

William A. Thomas Died January 30th 1934

James F. Thomas Died November 1924

Rachel Jane Thomas Martin Died February 8th 1934

Jo A. Thomas Died Dec 6 1938

Martha Alice Died Nov 1935

Henry Thomas Died February 13th, 192(?) (1926)

Sarah Manda March 1, 1939

Page 4

E G Thomas Consirt of Sarah A Lucus february the 19 the 1852

J W Rolston Consirt of Lizzie M Thomas Sept the 16 the 1875

William A Thomas Consirt of Emerline V Pucket October the 10 the 1878

L R Martin Consirt of Raichel J Thomas January the 14 the 1880

Consirt of James H Thomas Manrvia C Woolwine July the (?) 1888 (Minerva, 8 Jul 1883)

(unreadable) of Edward Sanfort and Sarah M Thomas January the 20th 1886

Edward D Thomas Consirt of Eliza E Sims January (unreadable) 1895 (3 Jan 1895)

C(unreadable) Crotty married E(unreadable) Thomas (unreadable) 14th 1901 (Charles Wallace Crotty and Mary Emma Thomas, 14 Aug 1901)

Edward and Sarah are living in the Lexington Post Office area of Rockbridge County, Virginia in the 1860 census, so we can assume the children born through 1860 were born in Rockbridge County. In 1870 they are living in Walkers Creek, Rockbridge, Virginia, still within the Lexington Post Office district. By the 1880 census they have moved to Meadow Bluff, Greenbrier, West Virginia. 

Does anyone out there know who has this Bible currently? I'd love to get photos of it or even just fresh copies of these pages. I have photos of Edward and Sarah that I will post soon.

... starts with the Thomas Family.

While I don't know how Letha organized her binders and books and folders in her home (they came to me from storage packed in boxes), I figure she probably started her research with her own surname. Thomas. So, that's where I'll start in my journey through what She Left Behind.

The Thomas binder begins with the furthest back Letha seems to have gone (at least in this binder), with the family group sheet of Archelaus "Archey" Thomas. All information listed here is from her work, and I will add any notes she has as to where she received this information. Also, I will add any information on the families that are being discussed from my own research

Family Group Sheet for Archelaus Thomas from Letha's Thomas Family binder.

Archelaus Thomas "Archey", born 1794 (also lists "Bible 17_9"). He is listed as marrying Rachel A Walker Baber on 25 Jan 1820 in Albemarle County, VA (she notes that his named was spelled Archilles). Archey's death is listed here as 24 Nov 1875, possibly in VA. He resided in Rockbridge Co, VA in 1850, and was a Laborer. 

Rachel A Walker Baber was born 13 Feb 1797 ("Bible 1789") in VA and she died on 19 Mar 1882 in Greenbrier County, WV, buried at the Ben McClung Cemetery (also known as the (John) Jones Farm Cemetery) in Rupert, WV - side note that I visited this cemetery in 2007 and 2011, it is EXTREMELY overgrown, having been fenced in by family members, Letha orchestrating the efforts, trying to protect the cemetery as it is in the middle of a cow pasture. Many of the stones are knocked down and it is downright scary to be in there (snakes, etc). Massive effort will need to be undertaken to get this cemetery under control again, as well as setting up regular maintenance... a post for another day perhaps. - 

Can you spot the Cemetery?

Their children are listed by Letha as follows: 

• Kemp Thomas (b 1822 VA) married to Caroline Montgomery (7 children - written on back: Elizabeth Ann b 1849/50, Estaline, Addie, Mary, Leona, George, and Adam)
• John Walker Thomas (b 30 Jan 1827 VA d 17 Jan 1892) married to Nancy Miller
• Edward Gilmer Thomas (b 10 Apr 1826 VA d 8 Nov 1898 Greenbrier County, WV buried at Ben McClung Cemetery, Rupert, WV) married to Sarah Amanda Lucas 19 Feb 1852
• Martin Thomas (b 1834 Albemarle County, VA) married to Fannie Coppins 29 Nov 1863 in Rockbridge County, VA (there is also a Mary F. McAlpin listed in the margin here, possbile second wife?) children listed: Samuel, Maggie, Sallie, and Mollie
• Joseph Thomas (b 1829 in Albemarle County, VA d 21 Jul 1853 "age 24, Bilious Fever" Rockbridge, VA) "never married"
• Arch M. Thomas Jr. (b 1836 VA)
• Ann Thomas (b 1828 VA) "never married"
• Melvina Mildred Thomas (b 1827 VA) married to John Little, child: Rachel A. b 1845

So, if listed in birth order, the 8 known children of Archelaus (Sr) and Rachel A Walker Baber Thomas are: 

Kemp (1822), Edward (Apr 1826), John (Jan 1827), Melvina (1827), Ann (1828), Joseph (1829), Martin (1834), and Arch Jr (1836).

In the upper left-hand corner of the FGS Letha used is a section "This Information Obtained From:" to which she wrote the following: "From Mary Jane Thomas Fitzgerald's Old Diary - Shared by her dau. Susie Fitzgerald, Oak Hill, WV - 1850 Rockbridge County, VA Census" Dated 1 Oct 1984. - I wish Letha's address book had been included... -

I do know, from other researchers, that there is evidence to be had that Archelaus' father was a David Thomas, which I will detail in another post, for now I'll stick to Letha's books.

I have been given copies, of (what appear to be copies of copies, pretty hard to read in spots) the Bible pages Letha referred to, I am unsure as to who the last known holder of the Bible was. See the Bible post.

If you know anyone related to these families, please send them my way! My intent is to share it all here, so if you have anything to add, please contact me! Also, if you know of any groups (boy scouts, maybe?) who would be interested in helping to clean up the Ben McClung Cemetery, I'd LOVE to hear from you!