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.
GEORGE W. THOMAS, a farmer living
three miles south of Davenport, was born on February 22, 1855 in
Washington county, Maryland. There he grew to manhood, attended school
in Keedysville, and gained a good common school education. In addition
he learned the cabinet maker's trade here. When twenty-one he removed to
Woodland, California, and worked on a farm for three years. In the
spring of 1880 he came from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon, thence to
Walla Walla and later to Lincoln county where he filed on his present home
as a homestead. He came with little money, and found it necessary
to work on salary for the first year in order to earn the necessary means
of improving his farm, after which he engaged in the occupation of farming
and stock raising.
The parents of Mr. Thomas
were Josiah and Mary C. (Deaner) Thomas, both born, reared, and both died
in the state of the subject's birth; the father dying about seven years
ago, and the mother in 1903. The brothers and sisters of our subject
are, Mrs. Arbelian Grimm, Mrs. Winnie A. Doub, Abram J., Mrs. Emma K. Snively,
and Mrs. Anna E. Lovell. Mr. Thomas had another brother, Samuel,
who is now dead.
On December 1, 1890,
occurred the marriage of George W. Thomas to Mary E. (Hobby) Anderson,
a native of California. Her father, David Hobby, was from the state
of New York, and a "forty niner" in the state of California, and for a
number of years was a miner near Sacramento. He is now deceased.
Her mother, M. M. Hobby, is now living near Davenport.
Mr. Thomas is a member
of the A. F. & A. M., of Davenport. He now has twelve hundred
and fifty acres of land, mostly good grain land and well improved, where
he lives, besides two and a half sections of pasture land near Rocklyn.
His farm house and out buildings are among the best in the county, and
he is making a decided success of his business of farming and raising cattle,
horses, and hogs. He is another example of the poor man starting
in the Big Bend without means and rapidly rising to a position of comfort
and independence.