William Riley Thomas (abt. 1870 - 1948)

Born about 5 Nov 1870 in Delaware County, Indiana, United States

Husband of Olive M (Heritage) Thomas — married 15 Oct 1898 in Indiana, United States

Died 20 Apr 1948 at about age 77 in Alexandria, Madison County, Indiana, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Richard Heritage [send private message]

Biography

William was born in Delaware County, Indiana, in November 1870.^[1][2] His parents were Joseph and Rachel (Parker) Thomas.^[1] William attended Valparaiso University, Indiana State Normal School, and the Indiana Dental College.^[3] On 15 October 1898 he married Olive M. Heritage in Anderson.^[4] The couple had children Chesley and Olive Evelyn.^[5] The family settled in Alexandria, where William was a dentist and prominent in community affairs.^[6][3] He died at his home in Alexandria on 20 April 1948.^[3] His death warranted a huge front-page headline in the local newspaper, and four pastors officiated at his funeral.^[3][7] He is buried in Park View Cemetery.^[8]

Research Notes

• FamilySearch and some Ancestry trees give a birth date of 5 November 1870, without sources. The 1900 Census has November 1871, but the 1880 Census has William as 9, which corresponds to 1870. Heritage-577 21:10, 17 April 2022 (UTC)
• William's death certificate should be in the Indiana Death Certificates collection on Ancestry, but I have been unable to locate it. Heritage-577 01:20, 24 June 2019 (UTC)
• William appears in other city directories in addition to the ones cited.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHM5-MKX : 14 August 2017), Wm R Thomas in entry for Joseph Thomas, 1880; citing enumeration district ED 178, sheet 280B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d), roll 0274; FHL microfilm 1,254,274.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9M9-1JB : accessed 24 June 2019), Thomas in household of Henry Heritage, Monroe Township (east part excl. Alexandria city), Madison, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 95, sheet 17B, family 347, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,386.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} "Dr. Thomas Dies Early Today." Alexandria Times-Tribune, 20 April 1948, p. 1. Accessed at newspapers.com, 16 April 2022.
4. ↑ "Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFWP-VM5 : 9 March 2018), William R Thomas and Olive M Heritage, 15 Oct 1898; citing reference bk7 p411; FHL microfilm 2,108,303.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKPV-JQ2 : accessed 24 June 2019), Wm R Thomas, Alexandria Ward 3, Madison, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 114, sheet 1A, family 12, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 364; FHL microfilm 1,374,377.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH9P-KWT : accessed 23 June 2019), William R Thomas, Alexandria, Madison, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 43, sheet 2A, line 22, family 41, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 605; FHL microfilm 2,340,340.
7. ↑ "Four Pastors To Officiate In Baptist Rites Friday for Dr. W.R. Thomas." Alexandria Times-Tribune, 21 April 1948, p. 1. Accessed at newspapers.com, 16 April 2022.
8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/239193017/william-riley-thomas: accessed 13 October 2022), memorial page for Dr William Riley Thomas (5 Nov 1870–20 Apr 1948), Find A Grave: Memorial #239193017, citing Park View Cemetery, Alexandria, Madison County, Indiana, USA; Maintained by ღ In memory of our daughter 11/21/14 ღ (contributor 50061877) .

See also:

• R.L. Polk & Co.'s Anderson City and Madison County Directory 1902 - 1903. Indianapolis: R.L. Polk & Co., 1902, p. 464. Accessed at AncestryLibrary, 25 June 2019.
• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFWX-RQ4 : accessed 23 June 2019), William R Thomas, Alexandria Ward 3, Madison, Indiana, United States; citing ED 127, sheet 8B, line 70, family 197, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 449; FHL microfilm 1,820,449.
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V1YW-HTM : 15 March 2018), W R Thomas, Ward 3, Alexandria, Monroe Township, Madison, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 48-54, sheet 3B, line 76, family 87, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1073.
• The Mullin-Kille and Hudson Anderson Indiana ConSurvey City Directory 1945 - 1946. Hebron (Nebraska): The Mullin-Kille Company, 1946, p. 1002. Accessed at AncestryLibrary, 25 June 2019.
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 12 March 2019, 21:23), entry for William Riley Thomas(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:G93Y-T2Q); contributed by various users.