William H. Thomas

The life of William H. Thomas, one of the successful and well known agriculturists and stock men of Timber Creek township, Marshall county, who has long been one of the influential citizens in this nature-favored locality, has not been in any way spectacular, but it has resulted in much good in a general way, and he has maintained a record for right living as a result of right thinking, for he is an educated man and progressive in all that the term implies. He believes in employing the most approved methods in farming, studies the soil with a view to learning its quality and capacity and for what crops it is best adapted. He uses fertilizers as needed and rotates his crops so that the land is not exhausted, but rather improved by repeated cultivation. He is a reader of agricultural and horticultural literature, attends exhibits, makes comparisons of his methods and results with those of his neighbors, and is interested in practical work and demonstrations of the government experiment stations and the various agricultural societies, in short, he believes in keeping fully awake to the possibilities of his calling and making every effort to increase the output along the most advanced lines. Thus his pronounced success while yet a young man is not to be wondered at.

Mr. Thomas is a native of the great Prairie state, the leading agricultural commonwealth in the sisterhood of forty-eight states, his birth having occurred in Henry county, Illinois, on January 19, 1871, and thus it is not to be wondered at that he took naturally to husbandry and that he should locate in the section of Iowa of which this history treats, for here is to be found even greater opportunities for the tiller of the soil than in the older state east of the Mississippi. He is the son of Asa M. and Nancy (Briggs) Thomas, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother's birth occurred in Ireland. The latter came to the United States in childhood, and the former came to Ohio when a young man, later moving to Illinois. He had been reared on the farm and educated in the public schools. He devoted his life to farming, and for a number of years successfully operated an excellent place in Henry county, Illinois, later moving to Iowa, and now the parents of the subject are very comfortably located in Polk county, this state, being retired from active life, and enjoying the fruits of their earlier years of endeavor. Politically, Asa M. Thomas is a Republican, but he has never been a public man, though deeply interested in the general public welfare. He and his wife became the parents of eight children, six of whom are living.

William H. Thomas, of this review, was reared on the home farm and there he assisted with the work during the crop seasons, when he became of proper age, attending the district schools in the winter time. Early in life he gave evidence of a strong desire to acquire an education and therefore he bent every effort in that direction. After passing through the common schools he entered Highland Park College at Des Moines, Iowa, where he made an excellent record. Thus well equipped he entered life as a teacher and was winning an envied reputation in this line of endeavor, giving eminent satisfaction to both pupils and patrons, his services being in great demand; but the lure of the free rural life which he had known in his earlier years took him back to the soil and he has since been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He came to Marshall county in 1900 and here became the owner of one of the fertile and choice farms of Timber Creek township. His farm of one hundred and twenty acres has been brought up to a high state of improvement and cultivation. In connection with general farming he devotes a great deal of attention to stock raising and feeding, being an excellent judge of alll kinds of live stock and no small part of his annual income is derived from this source. He has a comfortable and modernly furnished home and such substantial outbuildings and up-to-date farming machinery as his needs require.

Mr. Thomas was married in 1900 to Cora B. Dunlap, a lady of many commendable attributes, and the daughter of Thomas A. Dunlap, a highly esteemed and influential citizen of Marshall county, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Thomas was reared here and educated in the local schools.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas has been graced by the birth of four children, namely: Charles S., deceased; Catherine Mary, Carroll Columbus and Wilma.

Politically, Mr. Thomas is a Republican and he has long been loyal in his support of the paraty and in advocating such measures as make for the general improvement of his community and county. At present he holds the office of township clerk, the duties of which he discharges very faithfully and commendably. Religiously, he belongs to the Christian church, while Mrs. Thomas holds membership with the Evangelical congregation. They are known to be genial, hospitable and enterprising people who number their friends by the score.