William A. Tomes (1829-1898) Pt. 2

In my last post about William A. Tomes, I left off around the mid-1850’s with the birth of William and Mary Ann Cook-Tomes’ first son, Henry Alexander Tomes. (Also known as, Harry Tomes)

For what I have seen in my research and through interaction with my own family, the Tomes’ have an innate drive and work ethic to not only better themselves but also the future of their families. Early into his marriage, William A. shows us that he is willing to take the risks associated with enhancing his families overall quality of life.

Somewhere between the birth of his son Henry Alexander in July of 1853 and the birth of his second son in 1858; William and Mary Ann make the bold decision to move to Philadelphia, PA.

As the 1850 census reveals, William A.’s occupation is listed as “moulder.” By the time William and Mary Ann leave York around 1856, it is plausible that William already has close to fifteen years of experience in the manufacture, moulding, and distribution of iron products. The industrial revolution had sustained William‘s grandfather John, His father Peter and now William is confident that it will continue to provide the means and hopefully better life that he seeks.

As dreams of a fresh start and new adventure stirred in William‘s mind, he and Mary Ann conceive a child again. Mary gives birth to their second son, Edward Augustus Tomes, on Christmas Eve of 1858. Edward‘s middle name of Augustus is different than his brother Henry’s middle name of Alexander and could be a clue to what their fathers middle name

might be. According to a York County biographical written by John Gibson in 1886 about Edward A Tomes, he says, “Edward A Tomes was born in Philadelphia, PA on 12.24.1858 and his educational training was secured in the public schools of that city and later in the city of York, PA.”

As the year 1860 dawns and the US census is completed once again, William and Mary Ann are not only living with their own family, but also with extended family that either initially came with or delayed joining this youthful exodus to the Philadelphian promised land.

Below is the list of people, their age and their relationship to William A, aged 30, who are living with him in the 15th Ward of Philadelphia in 1860.

• Mary Ann Cook-Tomes - 26 - wife

• Henry Alexander Tomes - 7 - Son

• Edward Augustus Tomes - 1 -Son

• Charles C Cook - 19 - brother in law • William H Tomes - 20 - Cousin

• Mary A Tomes - 18 - Cousin

Both William A. and William H. are listed as ”moulders” with Charles listed as a “carpenter.”Charles Cook is Mary Ann‘s younger brother and I believe William H and Mary A are the children of William Tomes (1809-1894, Peter Tomes’ younger brother) and Mary Elizabeth Cover?-Tomes (1811-1867).

I don’t know exactly where in Phila. city all these people were living in between 1857-1861, but William A is listed in Phila‘s city directory as living at 1906 Brandywine St in 1861. It is possible that this was the address they all originally resided at before and during the 1860 census. Another revealing fact this Phila city directory shows is that William A. is listed as an “Iron Founder.” According to the 1836 book, “The Panorama of Professions and Trades,” “the appellation of founder is given to a superintendent of a blast furnace and likewise to those persons who make castings either of Iron, or any other metal.” (Emphasis is mine) There are numerous “moulders,” listed in the Phila directory but the descriptive word iron founder is used sparingly. I believe that William A. was given an opportunity to become a supt./foreman in an iron foundry in Phila. and jumped at this challenge to lead men in his trade. If this hypothesis is true, I can see why William A. left the place he called home in York, PA to pursue this positional promotion and pay grade advancement.

While researching Phila’s wards, railroads, and layouts, I came upon a wonderful tool at the following website;

https://www.philageohistory.org/tiles/viewer/

Using the 1858-1860 map on the site above, I was able to locate the Bennet and Dougherty Iron Works that were only four to five blocks away from the Brandywine address that William and family are living at. These Iron Works look like they were extensive and like The Variety Iron works in York, PA are located adjacent to the railroad tracks for easy shipping to locations up and down the east coast.

The election of Abraham Lincoln in November of 1860 sent the southern half of the country into a tailspin. As the national political mood swings tumultuously towards separation of the union and ultimately civil war, William and Mary Ann give birth to their third son, Frederick Peter Tomes (1861-1917) in Jan of 1861. By the end of Jan 1861 while Mary Ann and newborn Frederick are still either recovering at home or at the local “City Hospital,“ seven states had already succeeded from the union. With the war drums beating close to home, there are changes in William A. and Mary Ann’s household.

In response to President Abraham Lincoln’s call for volunteer soldiers, William H Tomes heads back to York, PA and enrolls in Co K of the PA 2nd Regiment. I will be writing extensively about William H Tomes‘ service in the civil war in a later post.

In 1862 the Philadelphia directory has William A. listed at 714 Shirley St. This new address is a few blocks north of his previous Brandywine residence. The house in which they live is still within walking distance to the Bennet and Dougherty Iron Works but they are now closer to the J. Neal Iron Works on the corner of Seventeenth and Coates St. in the once small village of Francisville. Although I don’t have any documentation that William A worked in either Bennett or Neal’s Iron Works, these places seem the most likely just on the merits of location and personal skill set.

Before William and his family leave Phila. in 1868, there are more than a few significant events that occur. First, William A.’s brother John Tomes moves to Philadelphia in 1863. William A. and John are listed as ”moulders” on the Philadelphia Septennial Census of 1863 and are living at the same address.

Additionally, both William A. and John are listed on the Military draft census of May 1863 as potential adult men eligible for the service. The draft list below shows William’s name while John is listed on another page of the draft.

William A. ends up paying $300.00 ( A little more than William‘s 1864 total salary of $241) procure a substitute and John ends up enlisting in the Co A. of the 1st Light Artillery Unit (43rd Regiment). John’s mustering paperwork says that he was aged 38, stood at 5’ 7”, had blue eyes and a fresh complexion. It also notes that John enlisted at Philadelphia but his prior residence was Lebanon, PA.

For William to procure a substitution meant that at this point, William had become quite financially secured. $300 in 1863 is equivalent to a little over $7600 in today's (2020) money. The ability to procure a substitution was part of the infamous Enrollment/Conscription act of 1863 that further bred discontent and civil unrest in northern states in general but specifically in larger cities like New York and Philadelphia. This federal act and the negative response to it birthed the saying, “rich man‘s war, poor man‘s fight.” At first I was disappointed that William A. had taken this course of action, but as I tried to look through his eyes I can understand his position. William was a 36 year old tradesman who was working hard, he had done well for himself and he sacrificed much to get to where he was and now had three children under the age of ten. Not only was the family and career elements weighing heavy on his heart, but he understood this war had already been raging for two years and the names of the killed and wounded filled the newspapers each day. His position about the war must have solidified when he saw his cousin, William H Tomes,' (Now a 1st Lt. in the 130th PA Volunteers) name listed in the Phila. Inquirer under the wounded who were engaged in the battle of Antietam in Sept. of 1862.

The last major personal events that occur before William A. moves back to York, PA is the birth of his fourth son, Albert Lawrence Tomes (1864-1901) on July 18, 1864 and the birth of his daughter Clara Ellen Tomes (1866-1893) on Dec. 8, 1866. Both Albert and Clara's births are documented in the collection, "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Births, 1860-1906."

Albert's digital folder number is 004198957 and Clara's can be located in digital folder number 004198598 of the collection notated above.

William A had spent at least a decade in Philadelphia and so many changes had happened not only in his and his family's life, but in the story of the nation. In 1868 William is listed as a "moulder" in Phila's City Directory so it is possible that with all the changes that the war brought, that William was no longer a foreman in one of the Iron Works mentioned earlier in this post. This could have again stimulated a sense of wanting to progress forward and be the leader that he knew he was and wanted to be. We know that William A. transplants his family back to York, PA in 1868 because of three sources of documentation below.

1) The 1870 Census has William A and family living in the second Ward of York Borough and he is now listed as "Foreman in Foundry."

2) William A.'s son, Edward A Tomes' biographical which I referenced earlier says that “Edward A Tomes was born in Philadelphia, PA on 12.24.1858 and his educational training was secured in the public schools of that city and later in the city of York, PA..to which later place his parents returned in 1868 when he was about ten years old."

3) William A's obituary in 1898 states that William “in 1868 removed to this city (York, PA) and became foreman in E.G. Smyser's, York Variety Iron Works, filling the position with ability until up to the time of his death."

We will be exploring Williams return to York in my next post, William A Tomes 1828-1898 Part 3.