Thomas
James William “Will”
1873 -1944
James William “Will” Thomas, son of George and Louisa (Carson) Thomas, was born in 1873 in Andrew County, Missouri. He moved with his parents to Bourbon County, Kansas.
Marriage
In 1902, Will married Sadie Ella Ashby in Fort Scott, Kansas.The family lived in Bourbon County, Kansas, Vernon County, Missouri, and Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. They returned to Bourbon County, Kansas where in 1918, Sadie Ella died of complications of childbirth.
She had given birth to 9 children although only 6 survived and were named;
- Dessie Mae♥
- Delbert was born in Vernon County, Missouri. He married Cecile Brown and Mary Marie Brown.
- Oren Glenn was born in Vernon County, Missouri. He moved to New Mexico in 1931 for his health.. He married Stella Jones the following year.
- Leland William who was later known as Leonard William or simply Tom was born in Vernon County, Missouri. He married Frances Howell in 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After they parted ways, he married Edith Lehr. They lived in California.
- Verda Leola was born in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. She married Harold Eastwood in 1935 at Iola, Kansas. They raised their family near Fulton, Kansas.
- Theo Melvin “Bud” Thomas was born near Garland, Kansas. He married Louise Hanson. They had two children and lived at Hiattville, Kansas.
Will stayed single for many years after Sadie’s death. It wasn’t until 1935 that he remarried to Bell Woodard.
