Family Photo Album
John Thompson, 1844-1917
Farmer and Confederate Soldier
A tall, handsome man, with a beard. He was a Confederate soldier who fought at the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War, as did brothers Solomon and Roland. [Company K, 8th Reg.]
In an article printed in the Wayne County, WV News in 1974 Eutoka Thompson Nichols wrote: "Dad served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and I recall when the late evangelist Billy Sunday was holding a big meeting in East Liverpool several years ago he announced 'I understand there is a rebel in the audience.' Dad stood up and received a great ovation. He proudly carried the American flag in a Memorial Day parade in East Liverpool, riding a white horse."
He served on the election board in Wayne County for many years and Eutoka recalled he always brought home some cheese for the family, a luxury. He was also noted as a calligrapher. When Eutoka's youngest daughter, Ruby, was born Dec. 26, 1912, he went to Niles to help care for the family.
He was a coffin maker and farmer, operated a sawmill, a threshing machine, and a molasses machine. He moved his family to Midland, PA in 1904, coming up the Ohio River with all belongings including two cows. (from Bessie Biddle)
