Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The
Big Bend Country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties,
State of Washington", published by Western Historical Publishing
Co., 1904.
ABRAM J. THOMAS was born October
8, 1859, in Washington county, Maryland, and now lives on a farm three
miles south of Davenport. His father was Josiah Thomas, and is mentioned
in another portion of this work. The elder Thomas, in about the year
1860, removed to Keedysville, Maryland, where he was a prominent man, and
held many city offices, among which was the office of mayor. He was
engaged in the butchering business there. He died about seven years
ago at the age of sixty-eight, and the mother Mary C. (Deaner) Thomas,
died in May, 1903, aged seventy years.
Mr. Thomas was born
on a farm but grew to maturity in the town above mentioned, where he received
a grammar school education and learned the trade of painter. He followed
his trade about four years, and in the spring of 1882 came to Sacramento,
California, and from that city to Woodland, where he worked for hire in
a vineyard until the spring of 1887, when he came to Lincoln county, Washington,
and purchased a half interest in the stock business of his brother George.
He then returned to California and rented a vineyard, returned to Lincoln
county in 1889, and in August of that year he purchased his present home
comprising eight hundred and fifty-nine acres of land. However, he
rented his farm, and continued in the grape business until 1897.
While in California he was deputy assessor of Yolo county for seven years.
In June, 1901, he brought
his family to Lincoln county and assumed the management of his farm, since
which time he has been engaged successfully in farming and raising stock.
He has excellent farm buildings, including one of the best residence houses
in the county, and his improvements are all modern and up-to-date in every
particular. Besides his real estate here, he owns a first class house,
a barn and three lots in the city of Woodland, California.
On November 11, 1891,
Mr. Thomas was married to Alice Sharpnack, a native of Yolo county, California,
born near Woodland, September 25, 1863. She is the daughter of George
M. and Sarah A. (Stocks) Sharpnack, natives respectively of Pennsylvania
and Kentucky. Her father came to the state of California about the
time of the first gold excitement, and was one of the earliest pioneers
of Yolo county. He died in 1886, aged fifty-nine years. Mrs.
Sharpnack came to the state when a girl, and died there aged fifty-nine,
in 1900. The bothers and sisters of Mrs. Thomas are, Mrs. Frances
M. Clousen, John, Mrs. Lenore Pearl, and Henry, all now living in California.
To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
have been born two children; Olo Vane, on November 4, 1892; and Althe J.,
on October 22, 1894.
Mr. Thomas holds membership
in the Foresters lodge, in Woodland, California.