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William Winans Thomas papers

 Collection
Identifier: L401

Scope and Contents

This collection includes correspondence, family history, school records, a photograph, a phrenological almanac, and church, political, and business papers from William Winans Thomas and family in Indiana, Illinois, New York, Michigan, North Carolina, and California, ranging from 1812 to 1955, regarding the Thomas family, church and business activities, daily life in Fayette County, Indiana, and the 1850 Indiana Constitutional Convention.

Dates

  • 1812-1955

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Biographical Note

William Winans Thomas was born June 24, 1800 to Minor (1770-1830) and Nancy (Winans) Thomas in New York. He had a sister, Samantha P. The family moved to Fayette County, Indiana in 1819. Thomas was a schoolteacher, bookkeeper, painter, and farmer. He made one of the first authoritative surveys of Fayette County and was the chief clerk and manager of a store in Harrison Township, Indiana. Thomas was one of the founding members and original trustees of the Regular Baptist Church of Lick Creek in Fayette County. He was elected to the constitutional convention of 1850 as a Whig. Thomas married Mary Polly Trowbridge (1805-1875) on August 23, 1827, in Fayette County. She, too, was born in New York and had come to Fayette County at the same time. They lived in Harrison Township and had four children: Nancy (1830-1881), Hubbard T. (1833-1904), Buel J. (1835-1905), and Franklin Y. (1837-1922). Thomas lived with Hubbard and his family after Polly died in 1875. He died August 21, 1883, and was buried in Lick Creek Cemetery in Connersville, Indiana.

Sources:

Items within the collection.

Ancestry.com. "F. Y. Thomas." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017. Accessed April 24, 2025. http://www.ancestryibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "William W. Thomas." 1850 United States Federal Census. Accessed October 17, 2016. http://www.ancestryibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "William W. Thomas." 1880 United States Federal Census. Accessed October 17, 2016. http://www.ancestryibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "William W. Thomas." Indiana, U.S., Marriage Certificates, 1960-2012. Accessed October 17, 2016. http://www.ancestryibrary.com.

Findagrave.com. "Minor Thomas." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed October 17, 2016. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33580470/minor-thomas.

Findagrave.com. "William W. Thomas." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed October 17, 2016. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/104098879/william-w-thomas.

"Thomas, William." In Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin Counties. Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1899.

Thomas, William W." In History of Fayette County, Indiana. Chicago, IL: Warner, Beers and Co., 1885.

"William W. Thomas." Spared and Shared 8. Accessed October 17, 2016. https://sparedshared8.wordpress.com/2015/07/03/1846-to-william-w-thomas.

Extent

0.3 Cubic Feet (1 manuscript box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Ina C. Hines on 1986/01/29.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing and finding aid completed 1999 by Philip N. Williams. EAD finding aid created 2016/10/19 by Edythe Huffman. EAD finding aid revised 2025/04/24 by Brittany Kropf.

Subjects

Related Names

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
William Winans Thomas papers
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

http://www.in.gov/library/manuscripts.htm
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