General Samuel Thomas
Samuel Thomas was born in Connecticut on February 2, 1787 and settled in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania in 1806. On May 10, 1807 he married Miss Marcia Pettebone a native of Kingston, Pennsylvania. Marcia was the daughter of Oliver Pettebone.
When the War of 1812 broke out Samuel Thomas was a Captain of a company of volunteer artllery composed of one-hundred young men, none of whom were over twenty-five years of age. Their services were tendered to the government and accepted and the company was ordered to Erie PA where the fleet of vessels were building for the use of Captain (afterward Commodore) Perry. On reaching Erie, Captain Thomas was put in command of the post, and a block-house and breastworks were built and a cannon planted thereon to protect the building of our fleet.
Several attempts were made by the British to burn our fleet during the time the boats were building but they were driven off by our artillery. After the battle upon Lake Erie, Captain Thomas was ordered into Canada to join the Northwestern army under the command of Gen. William H. Harrison. After the battle of the Thames at that place with the British and indians in which the celebrated Indian Chief “Tecumseh” was killed, Capt. Thomas was ordered over to Detroit which was being held by the British and hostile Indians. Our forces drove out the hostile British and held Detroit until ordered back to Ohio, and thence to Pittsburgh and to Wyoming Valley PA.
Soon after peace was declared Capt. Thomas was made brigade inspector of the Northeast division of the Pennsylvania Militia. This position he held until commissioned as Brigadier General in 1828, which position he held until moving to Illinois in 1834. Samuel Thomas was also a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature for two terms.
After forty-two days of travel he and his family arrived upon what is today the site of Wyoming IL in October of 1834 where his brother-in-law Sylvanus Moore, had a cabin and claim. General Thomas purchased Moore’s claim and entered it legally at Quincy in June 1835. He opened a store and began farming and resided here until his death. Samuel Thomas was a leading Methodist from an early day and in the early settlment of lands along Spoon River his house was the only chapel for many years.
The city of Wyoming Illinois was founded on May 3, 1836 by General Samuel Thomas. General Thomas was born in 1787 and died in 1879. He is buried in the Wyoming City Cemetery where a plaque below his stone denotes that he was the founder and benefactor of the town of Wyoming IL. The main city park in Wyoming is ‘Thomas Park’ and there is also a Thomas street in honor of General Thomas. Samuel Thomas as well as many of the other early settlers came from the state of Pennsylvania. It is for the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania that the city is named. Mrs. Marcia Thomas died here July 21, 1865.
Children of Samuel and Marcia Thomas
William F. Thomas(b.-1817 / d.-May 25, 1875)
Ruth Ann Thomas(b.-1819 / d.-Jul 1836) m. Giles C. Dana-May 1836
James M. Thomas(b.-1822) m. Ellen White-1847
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