The Thomas Family
Pioneers.

For those of you who know us, our family heritage, apparently, goes back to the early days of the 1880's, where Mule Skinners, Buffalo Hunters and Farmers were common folk. Life was not easy in the 1800's! We rose and slept with the Sun; educated our younguns at home; raised our own food and put away enough to get us by during the winter snows. Our womenfolk had long days making do with what they had. What with washing clothes in a hot pot on a wood fire and scrubbing them on a common rub board; the rinse cycle did not involve a machine, but a fresh batch of water and a lot of elbow grease. Preserving and canning food was endless; fixing meals on a wood stove and in the iron pot inside the fireplace lasted all day, with cleaning up way lasting after dark.

The menfolk were busy tending the livestock and farm animals that supplied us with eggs, milk and meat. The Pig was slaughtered in the Fall and prepared as Ham, Bacon, Sausage and other ways, hung up and smoked in the Smoke House to cure, or as Salt Pork for the breakfast table. Most of our meat came from the woods. There was no such thing as Deer Season in the 1880's as we killed to eat, not for sport! The Good Lord provided for us in season. Nothing was wasted as we kept our dogs and cats fed, too. From Blackbird Pie to fried Venison to Catfish, we took what we needed.

The Buffalo were becoming more scarce and trapping was hard. It was hard work but the sale of hides was needed to earn the money to buy flour and sugar and salt and such. Seed potatoes was not cheap but we had to have 'em. My family's favorite was in the Fall we made Sorghum Molasses. The neighbors from miles around would gather at the old Likens place and worked 'til it was done. Everbody took some home; we sold the rest 'ceptin what we kept for ourslelves. Mom would bake up a big pan of biscuits and when they was was done and hot out of the oven........why, there was nothing tastier than opening up one of those big hot biscuits, laying on a generous chunk of homemade butter and drowning it with that golden Sorghum! The kids loved that stuff! It satisfied the sweet tooth, thats for sure!

We didn't have much trouble with Indians in the 1880's. They kept pretty much to themselves and worked hard to make a living like everbody else. Why, most of us had quite a bit of Indian blood in us anyway. My woman still carries a card that gives her rights to Indian help. My side never signed up on the Indian Rolls because of the "shame" of it in the early days, but my granma's mom walked the Trail of Tears. That was a bad time for our Nation. We were overpowered and out-numbered by Europeans who wanted our land. We were hunted down and killed or herded up like cattle and sent off to unwanted lands to try to live. Our old and our children died in great numbers. It was a bad time for us. Our kinfolk was taken in marriage by kind and unkind alike. Our children were sold or taken by those stronger than us. WE were the ones called barbarians, can you believe it?

Not all stories have unhappy endings. We worked hard at trying to be like the other white men so we would fit in. My Aunt's family used to tell tolks they was Black Dutch, just so they wouldn't be treated like Indians, even though they was. All we want to do is just to be left alone. With so much white blood in us now, we don't look much like Indians. Sometimes we ain't too sure what we are! But one thing is for sure.....my kids are growing up and need to eat. I taught 'em what they need to know to live. They can blow the brains out of a wild Turkey at 200 feet! That comes in mighty handy for dinner!