THE LABAN THOMAS FAMILY
After the War Between the States ended, Laban Gilbert Thomas decided to pull up stakes and migrate to Texas from his beloved State of Mississippi. One could hardly blame him for doing so since he had lost his two oldest sons in the Civil War, his gun shop and his general merchandise store were destroyed by Union soldiers, his slaves freed and to quote Laban, "The Scallowags and Carpetbaggers" had taken over Guntown. Laban had served his beloved State during th Civil War in the Mississippi Home Guard. The Home Guard had endured privations and hardships in their line of duty to the extent that they were forced to eat some of their mules they were using in the line of duty, this was to stave off starvation.
Laban was born in Tennessee but migrated to Morgan County Alabama where he met his bride to be, Rachel Maples. They were married in 1837, bought land and settled down to raise their family. After the first two children were born, Laban and Rachel felt the urge to move on into the County of Itawamba, Mississippi where he had been buying up land for a number of years. He established a gun shop and general merchandise store in this new location. After he was established in Itawamba County, the M & O Railroad made arrangements to construct their railroad through the center of a strip of land one half mile wide and two miles long which Laban owned. With the advent of the railroad, a business community was under way so Laban began selling off land that he had previously purchased, consequently a thriving little town was born and it was called Guntown for Laban's Gun Shop.
After coming to Texas in 1870, Laban started buying up land in Hopkins in the Old Tarrant and Mt. Sterling communities. It is believed by members of the family that he used the old building for his store that once was the court house and possibly the Post Office serving the town of Tarrant. One of Laban's descendants is still in possession of a hickory chair with a rawhide bottom which was supposedly used in the old courthouse.
Nancy, the eldest daughter of the Thomas family had interrupted her teaching career in Mississippi to become the wife of John C. Mathews and by the time Laban and Rachel decided to migrate to Texas little John Laban was born to the Mathews. Laban Gilbert, not lacking in the power of persuasion, insisted that the married daughter and her family move to Texas with the remainder of the Thomas family. John C. died in 1875 leaving Nancy and three small children so she was forced to return to her former occupation of teaching school. She taught in the Mount Sterling Community in a public building which had split log benches for seating, drinking water drawn from a well with a common dipper made from a gourd and the nearby woods served as restrooms. This is thought to be the first school ever taught at Mr. Sterling, a subscription school lasting a term of three months and costing each pupil $15 per term. The late John Hopper and Will Harris, who once served as Post Master in Sulphur Springs, where two of her pupils whose names might be familiar to some of the local residents. When Nancy was lain to rest at the age of 97, in the Old Tarrant Cemetery, acting as Pallbearers were some of her ex-pupils, each one white haired and a bit feeble.
Other children of Laban and Rachel Thomas were:
Emerilla Jane who married Thomas Jett McGlothlin and lived all her married life near Sulphur Springs on Bradberry Hill across the road from the original Bradberry homestead.
Rachel Frances who was married to George W. Johnson and lived in the Old Tarrant Community.
Sarah Matilda Angeline who married Harris Ingram and lived near Gatesville, Texas most of her married life.
Laban Henry who married Bettie Debord and lived his married life in the Mt. Sterling Community. He was known in Hopkins County as Uncle Bud Thomas and his wife as Aunt Bettie.
James Burton who married Nebraska Ann Neal and lived in the Mt. Sterling Community until they decided to migrate to Oklahoma.
Martha Custus Talitha who married Fletcher Underwood and lived in Fannin County.
One Thomas son, Benjamin K. never married and lived in the home until his death and was buried in the Old Tarrant Cemetery.
During the Civil War, the Laban Thomases lived only 5 miles from the site of the Battle of the Crossroads. As a consequence of their location, the family endured much pillaging by the Union soldiers. When 'Yankies' were reported in the area, all valuables were gathered up and Emmarilla Jane was put to bed and valuable possessions like gold pieces, rings, watches etc. were neatly tucked under the featherbed with the child in position over them. The family always said Emarilla loved the act and besides that, she looked sickly because she had Tisic. Upon being asked what Tisic was, Nancy replied, "People now days call it Asthma." She also said that the Union soldiers never chose to disturb what they thought was a sick child.
It was reported by members of the family that Nancy shot a Union soldier who was attempting to take away the last milk cow belonging to the family. Nancy never confirmed nor denied the incident in later years but one of the Thomas descendants is in possession of the hand gun with which Nancy was supposed to have used to shoot the Yankie.
A family story concerning Laban Henry, "Uncle Bud," bears repeating since it bears out the fact that he was a man of his word and dared anyone to question the veracity of his statements. It seems that his wife's brother had been black-balled from the Masonic Lodge and since Uncle Bud was an avid member of the Order and of that Lodge, she suspected her husband of being the culprit. This he firmly denied and intended for her to take [missing lines]
He was told by her that if he attended another meeting of the Lodge, the house would be locked when he got home. On Lodge night, he saddled up his horse, rode to the lodge and attended as usual. When he got home, the front door was barred, he casually walked out to the wood pile, grabbed up the ax and calmly broke the door down and went into the house and to bed as usual!
Laban remained loyal to the South and their cause and would not wear anything blue in color, he even handed down this tradition to some of the children and grandchildren. He was caught in a severe norther once while taking dinner with a daughter who lived about a mile from his home. He was indignent and said he [would] rather catch Pneumonia than be caught with a Union overcoat on. With that, he stalked off home and did come down with Pneumonia.
Laban Gilbert Thomas was a business man, a land owner and a member of the Masonic Lodge, all of which might indicate that he lived an active, useful life in Hopkins County. He died in 1902 and was lain to rest in the Old Tarrant Cemetery as were several of his children and his wife who had lived most of their lives in Hopkins County.
Ruth Higdon