John Benjamin Thomas was the youngest of seven children (known) and the third son; his mother, the former Florida Ann Johnson, was the second wife of his father, John B. Thomas. He was born 7 Jul 1892 in Arcadia, DeSoto Co, Florida. In 1917, he was a fireman residing in Miami. World War I was looming, and on New Year's Day in 1917 or 1918, John married Beulah Brown. After the war, they owned a store in Lemon City (near present day downtown Miami) with a skating rink / dance floor. Beulah worked at the Miami courthouse during the day and when the dance floor was open, she was the dancing instructor. By 1923, Ben went into real estate and was quite successful. By the crash of 1929, they lost most all their holdings; liquidated what was left and moved to Pahokee, Palm Beach Co. Florida and began again with a far different life.

They bought 5 acres of land and built a small house for the family. They had chickens and a large garden; canning vegetables and fruit. Ben worked at the packing houses during the growing season - saving money to purchase materials to build a small house on the property for rental income. He repeated the process for several years and finally had a small sub-division of ten houses. He topped it off with a small store facing the highway. Ben suffered a stroke and it became difficult for Beulah to manage the property and run the store on her own. In 1946, Beulah sold the Pahokee property and put a down payment on a home in the Cloud Lake section of Palm Beach (near the airport). Ben died 29 Apr 1948 in Bay Pines, Pinellas Co, Florida, at the V. A. Hospital near Tampa, Florida. Beulah had not only held the family together but now had children to raise - on her own.

More on the Thomas family later.

Beulah Bertha Brown was the second of eight children and the first daughter of her parents, William Milton Brown and the former Myrtle Mae Schneider. Beulah was born 2 Jul 1900 in Abilene, Dickinson Co, Kansas. Her family removed to Florida in 1912. Beulah apparently worked throughout her marriage and raising children; not the mainstream little woman at home that was expected in those days. She rolled up her sleeves along side her husband and even took over the full responsibility when he was no longer able to work. After selling off the Pahokee property and store, she worked about ten years at Rogers Bakery on Okeechobee Road until the bakery sold out to Holsum Bakery of Miami. That didn't stop her; she built onto her home a Bake Kitchen with a breezeway where she baked pies, brownies, etc. on a contract basis until she retired. Her children and grandchildren attest to Beulah's scrumptuous pies. After Ben's death, Beulah married Frank McCoy in 1948. Frank worked for Palm Beach County until he retired. Beulah died 4 Jan 1971 in Lake Worth, Palm Beach Co, Florida; Frank died 13 May 1981.

Having married in 1917, Ben and Beulah delayed having children until he returned from his service in World War I.

Children:

Jeanne Byne Thomas b. 1921 Miami, FL; d. 1992 Charleston, SC

Beryle Jadine Thomas b. 1922 Miami, FL; d. 1982 GA

Roberta Louise Thomas b. 1924 Miami FL; d. 1951 West Palm Beach, FL

Napola Lorraine Thomas b. 1931 Pahokee, FL; d. 1969 West Palm Beach, FL

John Benjamin Thomas Jr. b. 1938 Pahokee, FL; died young.

Beulah's second daughter, Beryle, apparently wanted to know more about her family, and it's from her research that we learned much of this family. Her notes were the seed upon which this family tree grows. This site is dedicated to the Brown side of the family.