William A. Tomes (1828-1898) Pt. 3
- Robert Tomes
- Feb 14, 2020
- 3 min read
Leaving Philadelphia in 1868 was bitter sweet for William A Tomes and his family. It was bitter in that William‘s brother John, whose family had moved to Philadelphia in 1863, was not coming back to York, PA with them. It was sweet in that William A. was returning home and would be close to his parents, Peter and Mary Ann. Additionally, he was returning as an accomplished and wealthier than average Iron Foundry Foreman.
Packing up all of their belongings for the train trip back to York was one thing, but getting all of the furniture and specifically the piano that William had purchased in 1864 to the station proved to be much more challenging. William purchased the “piano forte” for his wife Mary Ann so that she could continue the skill that she learned from her mother, Harriet Cook.
According to a Federal Act of June 30, 1864 all watches, pianos, carriages and silver plates were taxed. The newly formed IRS was looking to help fund the Union war effort and taxed luxury items like pianos. Below, you can see that William A. was levied a 2% tax and paid $2.00 which meant the piano was valued at $100 or a little over $1600 in 2020’s purchasing power.
By the time the census is recorded again in August of 1870, William A. Tomes is listed in York Borough 2nd Ward with the following people:
1) William A. Tomes - Age 41, Foundry Foreman
2) Mary Ann Tomes - Age 36
3) Edward Augustus Tomes - Age 11
4) Peter Frederick Tomes - Age 9
5) Albert Lawrence Tomes - Age 6
6) Clara Tomes - Age 3
7) Kate Tomes - Age 14
As you can see Kate Tomes is listed at the bottom of the 1870 census list for William’s family. As a most often followed rule, whenever you see a person listed in the same household with the same last name but the ages are out of order it usually meant that particular person was related but not a daughter/son of the head of household. The Kate Tomes listed above is listed as age 14 when the census is taken in York, PA in 8/8/1870.
Kate is actually a daughter of John and Anastasia Tomes who are still living in Philadelphia, PA. Kate’s proper name is Catherine E. Tomes and she is also listed on the 1870 Census in Phila. with her parents that is recorded on 11/16/1870. I say all this, to show that Kate was probably visiting the Tomes family in York for the summer of 1870 and she is recorded on both the York and Philadelphia census.
By the time William returned to York to become the foundry foreman at York Variety Iron Works in 1868, there had been many changes to the growing company. The humble works that William’s father Peter started working at in 1840, had now grown into an industrial powerhouse. According to John Gibson’s, “History of York County History,” “The York Variety Iron Works was started by Elisha Geiger and Samuel Bechtol in 1840. In 1846 Dr. Alexander Small succeeded Mr. Geiger. Mr. Bechtol died in 1853, and E. G. Smyser then became associated with Dr. Small, under the firm name of Small & Smyser. In 1862 Dr. Small died, and that is when Mr. Smyser became the sole proprietor.” William Tomes and E. G. Smyser would develop a great working and personal relationship that would last over the next three decades.
Between the years of 1868-1898, William Tomes becomes an influential member of York society. With detailed newspaper and public records growing exponentially during this time period, we get to experience what the daily lives of the Tomes family was really like. Subsequent posts about William A. Tomes will explore his family development, the marriage and death of some of his children, interfamily struggles / conflicts, social life, and his legacy.
William A. lives until 1898, making him sixty eight years old at his death. Typically, the average life expectancy for a white male during this time period was 25-40 years old. For William to make it through these years of hard dangerous labor, dense city living in Philadelphia, and antiquated medicine, showed that he was fortunate and resilient.
William A. is buried at St. Patrick’s / St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Violet Hill, York County, PA. This cemetery is located near the current York Hospital off of S. George St. on Starcross Rd. in Spring Garden Township. Below is what the monument for William and his family looked like in 2009.
Here is the Find-A-Grave link to the memorial I added for William A. Tomes:
Unfortunately, the cemetery had some major vandalization occur during the last ten years and the monument is currently toppled over. Hopefully, we will be able to get this rectified soon.
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