HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG1460.AM: James W. Thomas, 1840-1916
Reminiscences: 1911
Plattsmouth, Cass County, Nebraska: Pioneer; soldier
Size: One folder
BACKGROUND NOTE
Born in Indiana on January 20, 1840, James W. Thomas migrated with his family to Glenwood, Iowa, in 1856. That same year, the family traveled to Plattsmouth, Nebraska, to look into land claims. The Thomas family eventually filed a claim in Cass County near Plattsmouth, and built their home. James Thomas served with the Nebraska 2nd Cavalry during the Civil War. By 1880, James Thomas was married to Julia Child and living in Plattsmouth. He worked as a carpenter, and the 1900 census lists him as a fruit grower. James W. Thomas died at Plattsmouth, Nebraska, on November 23, 1916, and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The collection consist of one folder containing a handwritten reminiscence by James W. Thomas, written in 1911. In the reminiscence Thomas describes settling in Cass County, Nebraska; filing land claims; building a frame house; interactions with Pawnee Indians; blizzards and other weather conditions faced; and battling prairie fires. A typescript copy of the reminiscence is included, as well as an introductory letter by James W. Thomas.
INVENTORY
Reminiscences of James W. Thomas, 1911
Subject headings:
Blizzards — Nebraska
Cass County (Neb.) — History
Frontier and pioneer life — Nebraska — Cass County
Grassland fires — Nebraska
Indians of North America
Plattsmouth (Neb.) — History
Reminiscences
Thomas family
Thomas, James W., 1840-1916
Weather — Nebraska
Revised TMM 02-11-2020
