Ernest was the son of Elkanah Pinkney Thomas and Zilpha Witham, who married on 11 Nov 1866 in Kosciusko Co., Indiana. It was a second marriage for both. Elkanah had previously married Margaret A. McConnell on 24 Jan 1850, and they had at least five children together—Andrew Jackson (27 Nov 1850 – 26 Mar 1923), Sarah Jane (22 Apr 1853 – 21 Oct 1920), James F. (14 Dec 1854 – 15 May 1927), John (b. ca.1856), and Albert Pinkney (13 Sep 1863 – 20 Jun 1927). Zilpha had previously married John Ramsey on 1 Jan 1861, and they had one child together—daughter Eldora (3 Oct 1861 – 25 Oct 1897).
Elkanah and Zilpha had nine children together. I found names for eight—Elizabeth Permelia (20 Sep 1868 – 19 Mar 1918), Henry P. (22 Jan 1869 – 16 Nov 1941), Cornelia Eleanor (6 Nov 1871 – 21 Oct 1952), Henrietta “Retta” M. (8 Dec 1873 – 20 May 1917), (son) Lyrenus (best guess based on a single census record) (b. ca. 1875), Nancy E. (b. ca. 1877), Newton Wesley (8 Oct 1881 – 1937), and Ernest E. (30 May 1885 – 20 Feb 1942).
Elkanah and Zilpha’s blended family appeared together on the 1870 Census, living in Scott Township in Kosciusko Co., Indiana. Elkanah (Alkana on the record), aged 46, was farming for a living. Zilpha, aged 24, was home with their combined five children—Elkanah’s two sons, John and Albert, aged 14 and 8, Elkanah and Zilpha’s two shared children—Elizabeth, aged 3, and Henry, aged 1, and Zilpha’s daughter Eldora Ramsey, aged 8.
The 1880 Census still had the family in Scott Township in Kosciusko County. Elkanah (Ebeanez on the record) Thomas, aged 56, was busy with the farm. Zilpha (Telpha on the record), aged 36, had her hands full with their eight children—Eldora, enumerated with the Thomas surname instead of Ramsey, aged 18, Elizabeth, aged 13, Henry, aged 11, Cornelia, aged 9, Henrietta, aged 7, Lyrenus (sp?), aged 5, Nancy, aged 3, and Newton, aged 6 months. Ernest would join the family five years later. None of Elkanah’s older children were still living with their father and step-mother.
With no 1890 Census still available, we have to fast forward to the 1900 Census. Ernest’s family was still living in Scott Township in Kosciusko Co., Indiana. Elkanah, aged 76, was still actively farming. Zilpha, aged 59, reported that she had had ten children, but that only seven were still living. There were only three children there with their parents—Retta, aged 26, Newton, aged 20, and Ernest, aged 15. The three lost children appear to have been son Lyrenus (sp?), daughter Nancy, and the aforementioned unidentified child.
Five years after that census, Ernest lost both his parents. Elkanah passed first on 23 Sep 1905, followed less than two months later by Zilpha on 5 Nov 1905. Elkanah was 82, Zipha was 64.
I couldn’t find Ernest on the 1910 Census, but on, or shortly after, 28 May 1910, he married Blanche Mae Tracy. (From: The Weekly Republican, Plymouth, IN – Thu 2 Jun 1910 pg. 8) “MARRIED. Thomas-Tracy. At the U.B. Parsonage on Saturday, May 28, 1910, Mr. Ernest E. Thomas of Argos and Miss Blanche M. Tracy of Plymouth were united in marriage, by Rev. S.H. Yager. Ernest Thomas is one of Marshall county’s energetic young farmers, well known and highly esteemed. Miss Tracy is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Tracy, residing just south of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas after a short visit among friends will make their home on a farm south of this city, where they will be at home to their many friends after June 15.”
Three years after that census, Ernest and Blanche welcomed son Paul on 1 Apr 1913. He appears to have been their only child.
The 1920 Census placed the three of them at S. Main St. in Locke Township, Elkhart Co., Indiana. Ernest Thomas, aged 34, was a cabinet maker in a factory. Blanche, aged 30, was home with 6-year-old Paul.
Within a few years after that census, Ernest and Blanche started managing a café called “Sipe’s Place”. In 1927, they had quite a fright. (The Bremen Enquirer, Bremen, IN – Thu 14 Jul 1927 pg. 2) “BOURBON BRIEFS. ‘Sipes’ Thomas, whose real and true Christian name is Ernest Thomas, and who with his wife conducts the ‘Sipes Place,’ on Center street, where tourists and all others get the very best of eats, thought the gates of hell had opened last Monday afternoon about two o’clock, when an explosion in front of his place rocked the building, tore up the cement walk and scrambled the screen door of the building. ‘Sipes’ was in the act of kneeling down behind the soda fountain to either avoid the debris or to make supplications, when the smoke lifted and he saw the building was all there and his good wife laughing at him while the pallid face of her husband slowly returned its ‘tan and ruddy.’” The explosion was apparently caused when a kid dropped a firecracker into a hole in the sidewalk that dropped into a hollow area below. No one was hurt and the damage only amounted to a few dollars.
As would be expected, he 1930 Census placed the family in Bourbon. Ernest Thomas, aged 45, reported that he was a farmer, not the owner of a café. Blanche, aged 40, was keeping house. There with his parents was son Paul, aged 17.
A few years later, Paul and girlfriend Geneva Peregrine were in an accident. (From: The Argos Reflector, Argos, IN – Wed 23 Dec 1936 pg. 1) “TWO INJURED IN AUTO ACCIDENT. Paul Thomas of Bourbon and Miss Geneva Peregrine of Plymouth, figured in an auto accident early Friday morning, about five miles south of here on the Michigan road, when their car struck a truck which they said they did not see until they were too close to avoid the accident. They were brought to the Kelly hospital where it was found that their injuries were apparently not serious. Mr. Thomas received a bad cut on the head and was unconscious for several hours but was able to leave the hospital Saturday. Miss Peregrine had several bad cuts and bruises and was badly shaken and had to remain in the hospital. Mr. Thomas is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Thomas of Bourbon, and Miss Peregrine is the daughter of Mrs. Margaret Peregrine of Plymouth.”
Blanche’s father Isaac Tracy had died in 1924, and by 1937, her widowed mother came to live with Ernest and Blanche. (From: The Argos Reflector, Argos, IN) Wed 6 Jan 1937 pg. 3) “Mrs. Ella Tracy of Bourbon, mother of Orval Tracy, fell a few days ago as she stepped on the sidewalk and received severe lacerations in the fleshy part of her hand which necessitated several stitches being taken. She is recovering nicely at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Thomas, with whom she makes her home.”
On 27 Jul 1938, Ernest and Blanche’s son Paul married steady girlfriend Geneva A. Peregrine in Plymouth, Marshall County.
Ernest, Blanche and son Paul became the official owners of “Sipe’s Place” and changed the name to the Thomas Café. (From: The Bremen Enquirer – Thu 8 Jun 1939 pg. 2) “At eleven o’clock, Monday morning, a fire alarm was turned in from the Thomas Café (corner Main and Center Streets, Bourbon). Some time ago, to help the kitchen chimney draw good, Mr. Thomas went to the basement and shoved an old coffee sack into a flue hole. It worked well, except that on Monday some sparks dropped from the range pipe in the hold above and fell on the old sack. It ‘fired up’ pretty quickly and when the basement door was opened a billow of smoke emerged, indicating there might be a serious fire. There was no loss, the sack being ‘yanked out’ and the fire quenched. But, it made an item and free advertising for ‘Sipe’ and his popular place.”
The 1940 Census caught back up with the family, still living in Bourbon. Ernest Thomas, aged 54, was noted as a restaurant owner. Blanche, aged 50, was noted as his “assistant”. Son Paul, aged 27, was also noted as the owner of a restaurant. There with him were wife Geneva, aged 28, and their daughter Janice, aged 2 months. Also living with the family were Blanche’s 70-year-old widowed mother Ella Tracy and Blanche’s brother Don, aged 35. Ella Tracy died a year later on 16 Nov 1941.
A year after losing her mother, there was even more loss in store for Blanche. On 20 Feb 1942, Ernest took his own life by drinking arsenic trioxide. He was reportedly despondent over health issues. Blanche soldiered on at the café for another year before deciding to close it. (From: The Bremen Enquirer – Thu 14 Jan 1943 pg. 4) “BOURBON BRIEFS. Inability to secure and keep help has caused the closing of the Thomas Café for the duration. This decision was reached last Monday when Mrs. Thomas was faced with this problem brought about by the war. The report that was started to the effect that Claud Yarian might re-open it, is without foundation, he tells us. This leaves but one restaurant in town.”
Blanche remarried sometime between 1942 and 1944, wedding Lester Orlando Boring. He died on 27 Oct 1949. Blanche lived to age 83, passing on 19 Jan 1973.
Elkanah and Zilpha had nine children together. I found names for eight—Elizabeth Permelia (20 Sep 1868 – 19 Mar 1918), Henry P. (22 Jan 1869 – 16 Nov 1941), Cornelia Eleanor (6 Nov 1871 – 21 Oct 1952), Henrietta “Retta” M. (8 Dec 1873 – 20 May 1917), (son) Lyrenus (best guess based on a single census record) (b. ca. 1875), Nancy E. (b. ca. 1877), Newton Wesley (8 Oct 1881 – 1937), and Ernest E. (30 May 1885 – 20 Feb 1942).
Elkanah and Zilpha’s blended family appeared together on the 1870 Census, living in Scott Township in Kosciusko Co., Indiana. Elkanah (Alkana on the record), aged 46, was farming for a living. Zilpha, aged 24, was home with their combined five children—Elkanah’s two sons, John and Albert, aged 14 and 8, Elkanah and Zilpha’s two shared children—Elizabeth, aged 3, and Henry, aged 1, and Zilpha’s daughter Eldora Ramsey, aged 8.
The 1880 Census still had the family in Scott Township in Kosciusko County. Elkanah (Ebeanez on the record) Thomas, aged 56, was busy with the farm. Zilpha (Telpha on the record), aged 36, had her hands full with their eight children—Eldora, enumerated with the Thomas surname instead of Ramsey, aged 18, Elizabeth, aged 13, Henry, aged 11, Cornelia, aged 9, Henrietta, aged 7, Lyrenus (sp?), aged 5, Nancy, aged 3, and Newton, aged 6 months. Ernest would join the family five years later. None of Elkanah’s older children were still living with their father and step-mother.
With no 1890 Census still available, we have to fast forward to the 1900 Census. Ernest’s family was still living in Scott Township in Kosciusko Co., Indiana. Elkanah, aged 76, was still actively farming. Zilpha, aged 59, reported that she had had ten children, but that only seven were still living. There were only three children there with their parents—Retta, aged 26, Newton, aged 20, and Ernest, aged 15. The three lost children appear to have been son Lyrenus (sp?), daughter Nancy, and the aforementioned unidentified child.
Five years after that census, Ernest lost both his parents. Elkanah passed first on 23 Sep 1905, followed less than two months later by Zilpha on 5 Nov 1905. Elkanah was 82, Zipha was 64.
I couldn’t find Ernest on the 1910 Census, but on, or shortly after, 28 May 1910, he married Blanche Mae Tracy. (From: The Weekly Republican, Plymouth, IN – Thu 2 Jun 1910 pg. 8) “MARRIED. Thomas-Tracy. At the U.B. Parsonage on Saturday, May 28, 1910, Mr. Ernest E. Thomas of Argos and Miss Blanche M. Tracy of Plymouth were united in marriage, by Rev. S.H. Yager. Ernest Thomas is one of Marshall county’s energetic young farmers, well known and highly esteemed. Miss Tracy is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Tracy, residing just south of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas after a short visit among friends will make their home on a farm south of this city, where they will be at home to their many friends after June 15.”
Three years after that census, Ernest and Blanche welcomed son Paul on 1 Apr 1913. He appears to have been their only child.
The 1920 Census placed the three of them at S. Main St. in Locke Township, Elkhart Co., Indiana. Ernest Thomas, aged 34, was a cabinet maker in a factory. Blanche, aged 30, was home with 6-year-old Paul.
Within a few years after that census, Ernest and Blanche started managing a café called “Sipe’s Place”. In 1927, they had quite a fright. (The Bremen Enquirer, Bremen, IN – Thu 14 Jul 1927 pg. 2) “BOURBON BRIEFS. ‘Sipes’ Thomas, whose real and true Christian name is Ernest Thomas, and who with his wife conducts the ‘Sipes Place,’ on Center street, where tourists and all others get the very best of eats, thought the gates of hell had opened last Monday afternoon about two o’clock, when an explosion in front of his place rocked the building, tore up the cement walk and scrambled the screen door of the building. ‘Sipes’ was in the act of kneeling down behind the soda fountain to either avoid the debris or to make supplications, when the smoke lifted and he saw the building was all there and his good wife laughing at him while the pallid face of her husband slowly returned its ‘tan and ruddy.’” The explosion was apparently caused when a kid dropped a firecracker into a hole in the sidewalk that dropped into a hollow area below. No one was hurt and the damage only amounted to a few dollars.
As would be expected, he 1930 Census placed the family in Bourbon. Ernest Thomas, aged 45, reported that he was a farmer, not the owner of a café. Blanche, aged 40, was keeping house. There with his parents was son Paul, aged 17.
A few years later, Paul and girlfriend Geneva Peregrine were in an accident. (From: The Argos Reflector, Argos, IN – Wed 23 Dec 1936 pg. 1) “TWO INJURED IN AUTO ACCIDENT. Paul Thomas of Bourbon and Miss Geneva Peregrine of Plymouth, figured in an auto accident early Friday morning, about five miles south of here on the Michigan road, when their car struck a truck which they said they did not see until they were too close to avoid the accident. They were brought to the Kelly hospital where it was found that their injuries were apparently not serious. Mr. Thomas received a bad cut on the head and was unconscious for several hours but was able to leave the hospital Saturday. Miss Peregrine had several bad cuts and bruises and was badly shaken and had to remain in the hospital. Mr. Thomas is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Thomas of Bourbon, and Miss Peregrine is the daughter of Mrs. Margaret Peregrine of Plymouth.”
Blanche’s father Isaac Tracy had died in 1924, and by 1937, her widowed mother came to live with Ernest and Blanche. (From: The Argos Reflector, Argos, IN) Wed 6 Jan 1937 pg. 3) “Mrs. Ella Tracy of Bourbon, mother of Orval Tracy, fell a few days ago as she stepped on the sidewalk and received severe lacerations in the fleshy part of her hand which necessitated several stitches being taken. She is recovering nicely at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Thomas, with whom she makes her home.”
On 27 Jul 1938, Ernest and Blanche’s son Paul married steady girlfriend Geneva A. Peregrine in Plymouth, Marshall County.
Ernest, Blanche and son Paul became the official owners of “Sipe’s Place” and changed the name to the Thomas Café. (From: The Bremen Enquirer – Thu 8 Jun 1939 pg. 2) “At eleven o’clock, Monday morning, a fire alarm was turned in from the Thomas Café (corner Main and Center Streets, Bourbon). Some time ago, to help the kitchen chimney draw good, Mr. Thomas went to the basement and shoved an old coffee sack into a flue hole. It worked well, except that on Monday some sparks dropped from the range pipe in the hold above and fell on the old sack. It ‘fired up’ pretty quickly and when the basement door was opened a billow of smoke emerged, indicating there might be a serious fire. There was no loss, the sack being ‘yanked out’ and the fire quenched. But, it made an item and free advertising for ‘Sipe’ and his popular place.”
The 1940 Census caught back up with the family, still living in Bourbon. Ernest Thomas, aged 54, was noted as a restaurant owner. Blanche, aged 50, was noted as his “assistant”. Son Paul, aged 27, was also noted as the owner of a restaurant. There with him were wife Geneva, aged 28, and their daughter Janice, aged 2 months. Also living with the family were Blanche’s 70-year-old widowed mother Ella Tracy and Blanche’s brother Don, aged 35. Ella Tracy died a year later on 16 Nov 1941.
A year after losing her mother, there was even more loss in store for Blanche. On 20 Feb 1942, Ernest took his own life by drinking arsenic trioxide. He was reportedly despondent over health issues. Blanche soldiered on at the café for another year before deciding to close it. (From: The Bremen Enquirer – Thu 14 Jan 1943 pg. 4) “BOURBON BRIEFS. Inability to secure and keep help has caused the closing of the Thomas Café for the duration. This decision was reached last Monday when Mrs. Thomas was faced with this problem brought about by the war. The report that was started to the effect that Claud Yarian might re-open it, is without foundation, he tells us. This leaves but one restaurant in town.”
Blanche remarried sometime between 1942 and 1944, wedding Lester Orlando Boring. He died on 27 Oct 1949. Blanche lived to age 83, passing on 19 Jan 1973.
Ernest was the son of Elkanah Pinkney Thomas and Zilpha Witham, who married on 11 Nov 1866 in Kosciusko Co., Indiana. It was a second marriage for both. Elkanah had previously married Margaret A. McConnell on 24 Jan 1850, and they had at least five children together—Andrew Jackson (27 Nov 1850 – 26 Mar 1923), Sarah Jane (22 Apr 1853 – 21 Oct 1920), James F. (14 Dec 1854 – 15 May 1927), John (b. ca.1856), and Albert Pinkney (13 Sep 1863 – 20 Jun 1927). Zilpha had previously married John Ramsey on 1 Jan 1861, and they had one child together—daughter Eldora (3 Oct 1861 – 25 Oct 1897).
Elkanah and Zilpha had nine children together. I found names for eight—Elizabeth Permelia (20 Sep 1868 – 19 Mar 1918), Henry P. (22 Jan 1869 – 16 Nov 1941), Cornelia Eleanor (6 Nov 1871 – 21 Oct 1952), Henrietta “Retta” M. (8 Dec 1873 – 20 May 1917), (son) Lyrenus (best guess based on a single census record) (b. ca. 1875), Nancy E. (b. ca. 1877), Newton Wesley (8 Oct 1881 – 1937), and Ernest E. (30 May 1885 – 20 Feb 1942).
Elkanah and Zilpha’s blended family appeared together on the 1870 Census, living in Scott Township in Kosciusko Co., Indiana. Elkanah (Alkana on the record), aged 46, was farming for a living. Zilpha, aged 24, was home with their combined five children—Elkanah’s two sons, John and Albert, aged 14 and 8, Elkanah and Zilpha’s two shared children—Elizabeth, aged 3, and Henry, aged 1, and Zilpha’s daughter Eldora Ramsey, aged 8.
The 1880 Census still had the family in Scott Township in Kosciusko County. Elkanah (Ebeanez on the record) Thomas, aged 56, was busy with the farm. Zilpha (Telpha on the record), aged 36, had her hands full with their eight children—Eldora, enumerated with the Thomas surname instead of Ramsey, aged 18, Elizabeth, aged 13, Henry, aged 11, Cornelia, aged 9, Henrietta, aged 7, Lyrenus (sp?), aged 5, Nancy, aged 3, and Newton, aged 6 months. Ernest would join the family five years later. None of Elkanah’s older children were still living with their father and step-mother.
With no 1890 Census still available, we have to fast forward to the 1900 Census. Ernest’s family was still living in Scott Township in Kosciusko Co., Indiana. Elkanah, aged 76, was still actively farming. Zilpha, aged 59, reported that she had had ten children, but that only seven were still living. There were only three children there with their parents—Retta, aged 26, Newton, aged 20, and Ernest, aged 15. The three lost children appear to have been son Lyrenus (sp?), daughter Nancy, and the aforementioned unidentified child.
Five years after that census, Ernest lost both his parents. Elkanah passed first on 23 Sep 1905, followed less than two months later by Zilpha on 5 Nov 1905. Elkanah was 82, Zipha was 64.
I couldn’t find Ernest on the 1910 Census, but on, or shortly after, 28 May 1910, he married Blanche Mae Tracy. (From: The Weekly Republican, Plymouth, IN – Thu 2 Jun 1910 pg. 8) “MARRIED. Thomas-Tracy. At the U.B. Parsonage on Saturday, May 28, 1910, Mr. Ernest E. Thomas of Argos and Miss Blanche M. Tracy of Plymouth were united in marriage, by Rev. S.H. Yager. Ernest Thomas is one of Marshall county’s energetic young farmers, well known and highly esteemed. Miss Tracy is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Tracy, residing just south of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas after a short visit among friends will make their home on a farm south of this city, where they will be at home to their many friends after June 15.”
Three years after that census, Ernest and Blanche welcomed son Paul on 1 Apr 1913. He appears to have been their only child.
The 1920 Census placed the three of them at S. Main St. in Locke Township, Elkhart Co., Indiana. Ernest Thomas, aged 34, was a cabinet maker in a factory. Blanche, aged 30, was home with 6-year-old Paul.
Within a few years after that census, Ernest and Blanche started managing a café called “Sipe’s Place”. In 1927, they had quite a fright. (The Bremen Enquirer, Bremen, IN – Thu 14 Jul 1927 pg. 2) “BOURBON BRIEFS. ‘Sipes’ Thomas, whose real and true Christian name is Ernest Thomas, and who with his wife conducts the ‘Sipes Place,’ on Center street, where tourists and all others get the very best of eats, thought the gates of hell had opened last Monday afternoon about two o’clock, when an explosion in front of his place rocked the building, tore up the cement walk and scrambled the screen door of the building. ‘Sipes’ was in the act of kneeling down behind the soda fountain to either avoid the debris or to make supplications, when the smoke lifted and he saw the building was all there and his good wife laughing at him while the pallid face of her husband slowly returned its ‘tan and ruddy.’” The explosion was apparently caused when a kid dropped a firecracker into a hole in the sidewalk that dropped into a hollow area below. No one was hurt and the damage only amounted to a few dollars.
As would be expected, he 1930 Census placed the family in Bourbon. Ernest Thomas, aged 45, reported that he was a farmer, not the owner of a café. Blanche, aged 40, was keeping house. There with his parents was son Paul, aged 17.
A few years later, Paul and girlfriend Geneva Peregrine were in an accident. (From: The Argos Reflector, Argos, IN – Wed 23 Dec 1936 pg. 1) “TWO INJURED IN AUTO ACCIDENT. Paul Thomas of Bourbon and Miss Geneva Peregrine of Plymouth, figured in an auto accident early Friday morning, about five miles south of here on the Michigan road, when their car struck a truck which they said they did not see until they were too close to avoid the accident. They were brought to the Kelly hospital where it was found that their injuries were apparently not serious. Mr. Thomas received a bad cut on the head and was unconscious for several hours but was able to leave the hospital Saturday. Miss Peregrine had several bad cuts and bruises and was badly shaken and had to remain in the hospital. Mr. Thomas is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Thomas of Bourbon, and Miss Peregrine is the daughter of Mrs. Margaret Peregrine of Plymouth.”
Blanche’s father Isaac Tracy had died in 1924, and by 1937, her widowed mother came to live with Ernest and Blanche. (From: The Argos Reflector, Argos, IN) Wed 6 Jan 1937 pg. 3) “Mrs. Ella Tracy of Bourbon, mother of Orval Tracy, fell a few days ago as she stepped on the sidewalk and received severe lacerations in the fleshy part of her hand which necessitated several stitches being taken. She is recovering nicely at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Thomas, with whom she makes her home.”
On 27 Jul 1938, Ernest and Blanche’s son Paul married steady girlfriend Geneva A. Peregrine in Plymouth, Marshall County.
Ernest, Blanche and son Paul became the official owners of “Sipe’s Place” and changed the name to the Thomas Café. (From: The Bremen Enquirer – Thu 8 Jun 1939 pg. 2) “At eleven o’clock, Monday morning, a fire alarm was turned in from the Thomas Café (corner Main and Center Streets, Bourbon). Some time ago, to help the kitchen chimney draw good, Mr. Thomas went to the basement and shoved an old coffee sack into a flue hole. It worked well, except that on Monday some sparks dropped from the range pipe in the hold above and fell on the old sack. It ‘fired up’ pretty quickly and when the basement door was opened a billow of smoke emerged, indicating there might be a serious fire. There was no loss, the sack being ‘yanked out’ and the fire quenched. But, it made an item and free advertising for ‘Sipe’ and his popular place.”
The 1940 Census caught back up with the family, still living in Bourbon. Ernest Thomas, aged 54, was noted as a restaurant owner. Blanche, aged 50, was noted as his “assistant”. Son Paul, aged 27, was also noted as the owner of a restaurant. There with him were wife Geneva, aged 28, and their daughter Janice, aged 2 months. Also living with the family were Blanche’s 70-year-old widowed mother Ella Tracy and Blanche’s brother Don, aged 35. Ella Tracy died a year later on 16 Nov 1941.
A year after losing her mother, there was even more loss in store for Blanche. On 20 Feb 1942, Ernest took his own life by drinking arsenic trioxide. He was reportedly despondent over health issues. Blanche soldiered on at the café for another year before deciding to close it. (From: The Bremen Enquirer – Thu 14 Jan 1943 pg. 4) “BOURBON BRIEFS. Inability to secure and keep help has caused the closing of the Thomas Café for the duration. This decision was reached last Monday when Mrs. Thomas was faced with this problem brought about by the war. The report that was started to the effect that Claud Yarian might re-open it, is without foundation, he tells us. This leaves but one restaurant in town.”
Blanche remarried sometime between 1942 and 1944, wedding Lester Orlando Boring. He died on 27 Oct 1949. Blanche lived to age 83, passing on 19 Jan 1973.
Elkanah and Zilpha had nine children together. I found names for eight—Elizabeth Permelia (20 Sep 1868 – 19 Mar 1918), Henry P. (22 Jan 1869 – 16 Nov 1941), Cornelia Eleanor (6 Nov 1871 – 21 Oct 1952), Henrietta “Retta” M. (8 Dec 1873 – 20 May 1917), (son) Lyrenus (best guess based on a single census record) (b. ca. 1875), Nancy E. (b. ca. 1877), Newton Wesley (8 Oct 1881 – 1937), and Ernest E. (30 May 1885 – 20 Feb 1942).
Elkanah and Zilpha’s blended family appeared together on the 1870 Census, living in Scott Township in Kosciusko Co., Indiana. Elkanah (Alkana on the record), aged 46, was farming for a living. Zilpha, aged 24, was home with their combined five children—Elkanah’s two sons, John and Albert, aged 14 and 8, Elkanah and Zilpha’s two shared children—Elizabeth, aged 3, and Henry, aged 1, and Zilpha’s daughter Eldora Ramsey, aged 8.
The 1880 Census still had the family in Scott Township in Kosciusko County. Elkanah (Ebeanez on the record) Thomas, aged 56, was busy with the farm. Zilpha (Telpha on the record), aged 36, had her hands full with their eight children—Eldora, enumerated with the Thomas surname instead of Ramsey, aged 18, Elizabeth, aged 13, Henry, aged 11, Cornelia, aged 9, Henrietta, aged 7, Lyrenus (sp?), aged 5, Nancy, aged 3, and Newton, aged 6 months. Ernest would join the family five years later. None of Elkanah’s older children were still living with their father and step-mother.
With no 1890 Census still available, we have to fast forward to the 1900 Census. Ernest’s family was still living in Scott Township in Kosciusko Co., Indiana. Elkanah, aged 76, was still actively farming. Zilpha, aged 59, reported that she had had ten children, but that only seven were still living. There were only three children there with their parents—Retta, aged 26, Newton, aged 20, and Ernest, aged 15. The three lost children appear to have been son Lyrenus (sp?), daughter Nancy, and the aforementioned unidentified child.
Five years after that census, Ernest lost both his parents. Elkanah passed first on 23 Sep 1905, followed less than two months later by Zilpha on 5 Nov 1905. Elkanah was 82, Zipha was 64.
I couldn’t find Ernest on the 1910 Census, but on, or shortly after, 28 May 1910, he married Blanche Mae Tracy. (From: The Weekly Republican, Plymouth, IN – Thu 2 Jun 1910 pg. 8) “MARRIED. Thomas-Tracy. At the U.B. Parsonage on Saturday, May 28, 1910, Mr. Ernest E. Thomas of Argos and Miss Blanche M. Tracy of Plymouth were united in marriage, by Rev. S.H. Yager. Ernest Thomas is one of Marshall county’s energetic young farmers, well known and highly esteemed. Miss Tracy is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Tracy, residing just south of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas after a short visit among friends will make their home on a farm south of this city, where they will be at home to their many friends after June 15.”
Three years after that census, Ernest and Blanche welcomed son Paul on 1 Apr 1913. He appears to have been their only child.
The 1920 Census placed the three of them at S. Main St. in Locke Township, Elkhart Co., Indiana. Ernest Thomas, aged 34, was a cabinet maker in a factory. Blanche, aged 30, was home with 6-year-old Paul.
Within a few years after that census, Ernest and Blanche started managing a café called “Sipe’s Place”. In 1927, they had quite a fright. (The Bremen Enquirer, Bremen, IN – Thu 14 Jul 1927 pg. 2) “BOURBON BRIEFS. ‘Sipes’ Thomas, whose real and true Christian name is Ernest Thomas, and who with his wife conducts the ‘Sipes Place,’ on Center street, where tourists and all others get the very best of eats, thought the gates of hell had opened last Monday afternoon about two o’clock, when an explosion in front of his place rocked the building, tore up the cement walk and scrambled the screen door of the building. ‘Sipes’ was in the act of kneeling down behind the soda fountain to either avoid the debris or to make supplications, when the smoke lifted and he saw the building was all there and his good wife laughing at him while the pallid face of her husband slowly returned its ‘tan and ruddy.’” The explosion was apparently caused when a kid dropped a firecracker into a hole in the sidewalk that dropped into a hollow area below. No one was hurt and the damage only amounted to a few dollars.
As would be expected, he 1930 Census placed the family in Bourbon. Ernest Thomas, aged 45, reported that he was a farmer, not the owner of a café. Blanche, aged 40, was keeping house. There with his parents was son Paul, aged 17.
A few years later, Paul and girlfriend Geneva Peregrine were in an accident. (From: The Argos Reflector, Argos, IN – Wed 23 Dec 1936 pg. 1) “TWO INJURED IN AUTO ACCIDENT. Paul Thomas of Bourbon and Miss Geneva Peregrine of Plymouth, figured in an auto accident early Friday morning, about five miles south of here on the Michigan road, when their car struck a truck which they said they did not see until they were too close to avoid the accident. They were brought to the Kelly hospital where it was found that their injuries were apparently not serious. Mr. Thomas received a bad cut on the head and was unconscious for several hours but was able to leave the hospital Saturday. Miss Peregrine had several bad cuts and bruises and was badly shaken and had to remain in the hospital. Mr. Thomas is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Thomas of Bourbon, and Miss Peregrine is the daughter of Mrs. Margaret Peregrine of Plymouth.”
Blanche’s father Isaac Tracy had died in 1924, and by 1937, her widowed mother came to live with Ernest and Blanche. (From: The Argos Reflector, Argos, IN) Wed 6 Jan 1937 pg. 3) “Mrs. Ella Tracy of Bourbon, mother of Orval Tracy, fell a few days ago as she stepped on the sidewalk and received severe lacerations in the fleshy part of her hand which necessitated several stitches being taken. She is recovering nicely at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Thomas, with whom she makes her home.”
On 27 Jul 1938, Ernest and Blanche’s son Paul married steady girlfriend Geneva A. Peregrine in Plymouth, Marshall County.
Ernest, Blanche and son Paul became the official owners of “Sipe’s Place” and changed the name to the Thomas Café. (From: The Bremen Enquirer – Thu 8 Jun 1939 pg. 2) “At eleven o’clock, Monday morning, a fire alarm was turned in from the Thomas Café (corner Main and Center Streets, Bourbon). Some time ago, to help the kitchen chimney draw good, Mr. Thomas went to the basement and shoved an old coffee sack into a flue hole. It worked well, except that on Monday some sparks dropped from the range pipe in the hold above and fell on the old sack. It ‘fired up’ pretty quickly and when the basement door was opened a billow of smoke emerged, indicating there might be a serious fire. There was no loss, the sack being ‘yanked out’ and the fire quenched. But, it made an item and free advertising for ‘Sipe’ and his popular place.”
The 1940 Census caught back up with the family, still living in Bourbon. Ernest Thomas, aged 54, was noted as a restaurant owner. Blanche, aged 50, was noted as his “assistant”. Son Paul, aged 27, was also noted as the owner of a restaurant. There with him were wife Geneva, aged 28, and their daughter Janice, aged 2 months. Also living with the family were Blanche’s 70-year-old widowed mother Ella Tracy and Blanche’s brother Don, aged 35. Ella Tracy died a year later on 16 Nov 1941.
A year after losing her mother, there was even more loss in store for Blanche. On 20 Feb 1942, Ernest took his own life by drinking arsenic trioxide. He was reportedly despondent over health issues. Blanche soldiered on at the café for another year before deciding to close it. (From: The Bremen Enquirer – Thu 14 Jan 1943 pg. 4) “BOURBON BRIEFS. Inability to secure and keep help has caused the closing of the Thomas Café for the duration. This decision was reached last Monday when Mrs. Thomas was faced with this problem brought about by the war. The report that was started to the effect that Claud Yarian might re-open it, is without foundation, he tells us. This leaves but one restaurant in town.”
Blanche remarried sometime between 1942 and 1944, wedding Lester Orlando Boring. He died on 27 Oct 1949. Blanche lived to age 83, passing on 19 Jan 1973.
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