James M. Thomas    

JAMES M. THOMAS, broker and dealer in petroleum, is a native of Steubenville, Ohio, and was born April 6, 1842. His father, James M. Thomas, Sr., was many years a prominent and public-spirited citizen in Jefferson county, Ohio. He died June 19, 1888, at the advanced age of seventy eight years. The subject of this sketch was educated at the Steubenville high school, learned the trade of machinist in that city, and followed it altogether about twelve years. During the spring of 1862 he joined Company F, Eighty-Fourth Ohio Volunteers, as a private soldier, served about four months, and was discharged on account of physical disability. In May, 1863, he again entered the army, as a member of Company C, One Hundred and Fifty-Seventh Ohio Volunteers, and served until mustered out with the regiment, as first duty sergeant, September, 1864. With the Eighty-Fourth regiment he served in Maryland and West Virginia, and with the One Hundred and Fifty-Seventh he was in the Army of the Potomac. Immediately after leaving the army he returned to Ohio, finished his apprenticeship as machinist, and, as has been said, worked at his trade about twelve years. In 1877 he came to Oil City from Pittsburgh, and engaged in his present business. Mr. Thomas joined the G. A. R. in 1880, has filled various offices in the order, and is now serving his fifth term as post adjutant. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and a Republican in politics.

History of Venango County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, including its aboriginal history, the French and British occupation of the country, its early settlement and subsequent growth, a description of its historic and interesting localities, its rich oil deposits and their development, sketches of its cities, boroughs, townships, and villages, neighborhood and family history, portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, statistics, etc., etc.
Chicago, Ill.: Brown, Runk & Co., 1890, pages 900-901.  Read this book on line - Free Trial Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com.