William A. Tomes (1829-1898) - Part 1

William A. Tomes was the second son of Peter Tomes and Sarah Keesey. Born on July 6, 1829 at Margaretta Furnace, Lower Windsor Township, York County Pennsylvania. William was most likely the first Tomes to be born west of the Susquehanna River, however, that title may go to his older brother John but I don't have any documentation to prove John's birth occurring in York County, PA. John and William's father, Peter Tomes, is listed on the 1830 census for Lower Windsor Township. The census shows that Peter and his wife Sarah, had two boys under the age of five at the time of the national numbering. I have records from St. Patrick's church in York, PA that shows that William "Tombs" was baptized on Jan 3, 1830 by Rev. Patrick Jospeh Dwen. The record lists William's parents as "Peter and Sara Tombs."If you notice, there is a six month gap between the time William is born and the time that he is baptized. My assumption for this time lapse is that since Peter and Sara were quite new to the area, they had not yet found a German speaking Catholic Church that was close to their residence. The closest catholic church, Holy Trinity, was located across the Susquehanna River in Columbia, PA. and would have been in existence since it was opened in 1828. According to the "History of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church" in Columbia, PA, "The earliest Catholic settlers were English-speaking and chiefly were of Irish ancestry." The earliest German speaking catholic church would not open in Columbia, PA until well after the german influx of immigrants of the 1840's.

I'll be writing more about travel conditions in and around York County in a later post, but the young family traveled the approximately 12 miles from Margaretta Furnace to St Patrick's church on Beaver St in York to make sure their new born son was baptized in a German speaking catholic church. I suspect that they traveled by horse and wagon up tp Wrightsville and traveled on the western extension of the Phila./Columbia Turnpike that led to the city of York. (Current Rd is Rt 462) They may also have traveled a more direct route if the farming roads that now make up East Prospect Rd (Current Rt 124) were linked or even in existence during their time. Maps of the area in 1830 are available and give major routes but lack specifics for other smaller roads that may have been utilized.

William's early years would have been a combination of learning the family trade of iron moulding and following the lead of his father, Peter, in moving around to different areas of the region. The family went back tp Lebanon, PA in 1835 to bury William's grandfather, John Tome(s) and are finally seen settling in York, PA in 1840. In 1840, William would be at least eleven years old and probably working alongside his father and older brother John at Elisha Geiger and Samuel Bechtol's newly opened, York Variety Iron Works on the south east corner of North Beaver and North streets. Obviously, child labor laws were not in effect at this early time when all able bodied individuals, regardless of age, helped to supply the work to sustain the existence and welfare of the family.

The first decade for young William and his parents family in York would be a mixture of hope and happiness mixed with grief and mourning. By 1840, William‘s immediate family would consist of the following family members:

Father: Peter Tomes (1805-1881)

Mother: Sarah Keesey-Tomes (1812-1885)

Older Brother: John Tomes (1827-1899)

Younger Sister: Sarah Ann Tomes (1837-1877)

Younger Brother: Peter Tomes Jr. (1837-1849)

William would experience a major shift in the family dynamic when his younger sisters,

Maria Tomes (1841-?) and

Arabella Tomes-Gerber (1846-1917)

were born in 1841 and 1846 respectively and his younger brother Peter would suddenly and tragically die of Lockjaw in 1849. It is easy to surmise that the three Tomes boys and their father were working at the York Iron Works together until the tragic events of March 1849. Their father Peter would have been 44 at the time, John would have been 22, William was 19, and Peter Jr was only 12. Proof of Peter Jr.'s work in the Iron Works is documented in an article from the “Gettysburg Compiler.” Please see Peter Tomes (1837-1849) bio for more details.

Living in the smaller but expanding town of York, PA, William meets Mary Ann Cook (1834-1893) who is the eldest of three daughters of the late but well known Yorkian, clockmaker, and silversmith, Frederick B Cook. (1808-1842) (Wife- Harriet Koch-Cook) Frederick B. Cook was the son of a jeweler and revolutionary war militia soldier, John Michael Cook who was the son of Johannes Cook who emigrated from Germany.

For reasons unknown but perhaps easily deciphered, the young couple decide against having a local wedding. William 22 years old and Mary Ann 17 years old decide to jump on a train headed to Baltimore MD. in Nov of 1851. The York/Maryland Railroad train had a regular 77 mile route from York, PA to Baltimore, Md.

(picture from Library of Congress collection)

William and Mary Ann would have most likely disembarked in Baltimore Md. at the recently opened Calvert Street station in the center of Baltimore City. The wedding is documented in not only the Baltimore Sun newspaper, but also in the York Gazette in Nov. of 1851. We do know from the vital card records (source 662-59) at York County Heritage Center and these newspaper articles that the young couple were married by the Rev. Mr. Clark. I briefly looked for information on Rev. Mr Clark and it looks like he served at St. Joseph‘s Catholic Church in Baltimore. (I'm still researching his tenure there)

"The York Gazette," York,PA 11/25/1851

"The Baltimore Sun," Baltimore, MD 11/21/1851

There were significant circumstances surrounding Mary Ann's life which may have contributed to these un-traditional german catholic nuptials. Mary Ann's father, F.B Cook died in 1842 and guardianship is granted to the Cook's neighbor, Dr. Haller. After Frederick's death, his widow would continue the Cook Jewerly business. However, only a few years after Frederick‘s death, Harriet sells the interests to another York jeweler, Mr.Francis Polack, whom she ends up marrying in 1845. More details of this event is documented in June Lloyds "Universal York" blog:

https://yorkblog.com/universal/york-widow-continues-watch-clo/?highlight=Harriet%20Cook

The combination of Mary Ann's age and the unknown result of a marital blessing from not only guardian, Dr. Haller, but the now Mr. and Mrs. Polack seems like reasonable motive for a quick and distant union.

Approximately a year after William A and Mary Ann are married, they conceive their first child and Mary Ann gives birth to their firstborn, Henry (Harry) Alexander Tomes, on July 31, 1853. I put "Harry" in parenthesis since there is quite an inconsistency in the spelling of his name. However, Henry Alexander Tomes is officially baptized on August 7, 1853 at St. Patrick‘s Church by Rev. Michael F. Martin. The sponsors of this baptism were "Jacob Maguire and Amanda Cook." Henry's middle name "Alexander" could be an indication of what his father's middle name is. With all the records available, there are none that I have found that define what the initial "A." stands for in William's abbreviated middle name. It is also exclusive since none of Peter Tomes' other two sons are listed with middle names.

While still living in York, PA, William would get to see the birth of his younger brother Frederick Peter Tomes in 1853 and perhaps another sister, Margaret Tomes in 1855. (Not much known on Margaret) William A and his young family would uproot and head to Philadelphia, PA where we find them on the 1860 Census. However, we will talk about this adventure in my next post, "William Tomes (1829-1898) Part 2."