The descendants of
Ivey A. Thomas
of
Madison County, Florida
1840 - 1922
Ivey A. Thomas and Isham J. Thomas are shown as members of the Isham B. Thomas household on the Alachua County, Florida 1860 federal census. However, they are listed after the other household members and are shown as farm laborers and not as children of Isham B. Thomas. I have been looking into both these persons as a possible link to determine more information about Isham B. Thomas thinking they must be some way related to each other and to Isham B. Hopefully, someone will have some information on these people....
Ivey Thomas, son of William M. and Nancy Thomas, was born November 16, 1840 in Madison County, Florida, according to his Florida Confederate Pension application. He died August 26, 1922, also in Madison County, Florida, where he lived in the Lovett community. His death certificate does not list a date of birth, nor give any information about his parents.
The 1860 census shows Ivey's age as 18 which roughly coincides with his date of birth of November 16, 1840 shown on his Confederate Pension application.
Will records at the Madison County courthouse, Madison, Florida, for William M. Thomas specifically show Ivey A. Thomas and William H. Thomas as his sons and heirs. William M. Thomas died in Madison County sometime between October 1 and November 11, 1857 and his will was probated there. This will left his estate to his wife (unnamed) and upon her death, equally to his two sons when they came of age.
The 1850 Madison County federal census shows William M. Thomas as a farmer. He and all members of his household were born in Georgia:
| Name | Age | Sex |
|---|---|---|
| William M. Thomas | 41 | M |
| Nancy Thomas | 44 | F |
| Jermiah Thomas | 10 | M |
| William Thomas | 7 | M |
Based on the age of Jermiah, and the names of his father and brother matching William M.'s will, I suspect that Jermiah and Ivey are the same person.
Ivey Thomas' pension application shows he served in the Confederate Army during the civil war. He first enlisted in Madison County on April 5, 1861 in Company F of the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment. Upon the expiration of his enlistment, he was discharged at Montgomery, Alabama, on April 4, 1862. He later enlisted in Hardee's Company H of the 9th Georgia Infantry Regiment. On August 30, 1862 he was wounded in the right thigh in the second Battle of Manassas. He was permanently disabled and was sent home from the hospital and remained at home during the rest of the war. The Florida State Archives website contains an image of a civil war postcard addressed to Ivey Thomas.
Ivey Thomas married three times, all in Brooks County, Georgia:
| Bride's Name | Marriage Date/ Recorded |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Catherine McMullen | July 21, 1864 Book A, Page 50 |
Probably divorced around 1877 |
| Feby Johnson | July 4, 1880 Book B, Page 474 |
|
| Julia Thompson | August 13, 1884 Book C, Page 159 |
Survived him |
Brooks County, Georgia, and Madison County, Florida, border each other along the state line. Real estate records show several property transactions involving Ivey Thomas for land in both Brooks County and Madison County and the property apparently straddled the state line. An 1877 transaction showed that Catherine Thomas was residing in Hillsborough County, Florida while Ivey was in Madison County indicating they were living apart at that time. I have not yet found any record of divorces for Ivey A. Thomas. However, the 1885 Florida census for Madison County shows Catherine (Kate) as divorced and living under the name "K. Morris" with her daughter, M. L. Thomas, and two Morris children aged 6 and 3 also in the household.
Also, there are some actions involving real estate owned jointly by Ivey and his brother, William H. Thomas. William's wife is identified as Laura L. Thomas on an 1876 deed. William married L. L. Blocker on February 7, 1867, in Madison County, Florida. Laura Blocker was the daughter of Haley T. and Sarah Blocker and was born in Leon County, Florida about 1851 and died September 1884 in Madison County.
A July 10, 1902 Madison County deed from Ivey A. and Julia Thomas to their daughter, Jessie T. Thomas, conveyed Ivey's and Julia's real and personal property to Jessie leaving Ivey and Julia a life estate.
There is a record of a marriage of Jessie T. Thomas to Clarence Cramer on August 5, 1906.
Madison County probate records showed Ivey A. Thomas died at Lovett in Madison County on August 26, 1922. His will, dated May 26, 1906, was filed for probate on September 4, 1924, in Will Record Book 3, pages 1-4. Additional documents are filed in Administration Record Book 2, pages 269-272.
State of Florida
County of Madison
I, Ivey A. Thomas do make and publish this my last will and testament hereby revoking all former wills by me made.
I hereby bequeath to my daughter Jennie Quinn one dollar to my daughter Mary Church one dollar, to my daughter Nannie Sloan one dollar, and to my daughter Jessie Thomas one dollar, the rest of my property both real and personal, wheresoever the same may be, to my beloved wife Julia to have and use during her natural life then at her death all of said property both real and personal to go to and belong to my daughter Jessie.
I hereby appoint my said wife the executrix of this my last will and testament. My will is that my said wife shall not be required to give any bond or security to the Judge of Probate for the faithful execution of the duties of executrix.
In witness hereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 26th day of May A.D. 1906.
Ivey A. Thomas (L.S.)
Signed, published and declared by the above named Ivey A. Thomas as his last will and testament in the presence of us who at his request have signed as witnesses of the same.
O.P. Bond, D.W. Jarvis, J.D. Cone
W.J. Jarvis, Notary Public State of Florida at Large
Probate documents filed October 12, 1922 show he was survived by:
- Julia Thomas, widow
- Mrs. Howell Quinn, daughter
- Mrs. Minnie Sloan, daughter (not listed as "Nannie")
- Charlie Church, Jr., grandchild
- Lucius Church, grandchild
- Ivey Thomas Cramer, grandchild
Based on the above, Ivey Thomas had four children:
| Name | Birth/Marriage/Death Information |
|---|---|
| Jennie Thomas | Born November 2, 1864 Married James Howell Quinn December 21, 1882 in Jefferson County, Florida. Died October 12, 1924, in Miami, Dade County, Florida |
| Mary Thomas | Born about 1868. Mamie Lea Thomas married Charles Shea Church October 25, 1885. Died between 1906 and 1922 |
| Nannie Lee Thomas | Born May 1875 Married John Fisher Sloan about 1894. Died January 15, 1953. |
| Jessie T. Thomas | Born March 1885 Married Clarence Cramer August 5, 1906 Died between 1910 and 1920 (census information) |
Jessie Thomas was born in 1885 according to the 1900 census and her mother would have been Julia Thompson. Catherine (Kate) McMullen was the mother of Jennie (Jennie's death certificate), Nannie (census records) and Mary (census records). Since Ivey Thomas eluded both the 1870 and 1880 federal censuses as well as the 1885 Florida state census, those records are not available to clarify things further.
Daughters Mary Thomas Church and Jessie Thomas Cramer did not survive Ivey Thomas as their shares of his estate went to their children
In a September 4, 1924 filing with the court, Julia Thomas stated that Ivey A Thomas was survived by herself; two daughters, Jennie Quinn and Nannie Sloan; and three grandchildren, Charlie Quinn, Lucius Quinn and Ivey Thomas. There is no mention of the name "Cramer" for the grandson Ivey Thomas. Also, the surnames for the other two grandchildren are now listed as "Quinn" rather than "Church." The court records in the Will Record Book regarding this 1924 entry in the probate case are typewritten transcriptions, so both the Minnie-Nannie Sloan and the grandchildren's name conflicts are probably typographical errors.
If you have any connection to or information about any of these people, please contact me, as I am at a dead end concerning the relationships, if any, between Isham B. and Ivey A. and Isham J. Thomas.