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Thomas Thomason papers, 1862-1984

Title
Thomas Thomason papers, 1862-1984
Identifier
P1258
Date
1862-1984
Description
Copies of various autobiographical, genealogical, and miscellaneous writings of a carpenter who emigrated from Arendal to Dane County, Wisconsin, in 1861. In 1867 he settled in Stevens County, Minnesota, where he farmed and served in many county offices. He was appointed a first lieutenant in the Minnesota militia in 1870. He visited the Pacific Northwest in 1883 and Norway in 1897. He moved with his family to Sand Point, Idaho, in 1904. Papers consist of clippings of his contributions to newspapers about himself and various members of his family, personal documents, and letters from his family in Norway, including a vivid account of the 1863 fire which destroyed much of Arendal. Thomason interspersed his account with philosophical observations and poetry.

Includes:
  • "Slægtregister" (Genealogy), 1904
  • Sefond journal. (second journal), undated
  • Clippings, letters, etc. Includes photograph. Obituary (1913); "A Trip to Spokane Falls in 1883" by Doris Thomason Winslett (1984)
  • "Slægtregister" (Genealogy) translation, 1904
  • "Erindringer fra Ungdomsaarene" (Memories of My Youth), 1904
  • Letters from his father, brother and sister in Norway, 1862-1889
  • Second journal, translation, undated
  • Newspaper clippings, translation, errata sheet. Includes: "Scraps of early history. Reminiscence of early days. Trails of the first settlers and other interesting bits of recollection from a paper prepared by Thos. Thomason for the Old Settlers" [Morris, Stevens County, MN]; translations regarding life in Morris, MN (1882, 1895); "Kootenai County, Idaho" (1905)
  • Thomason's manuscripts. Includes "The Winter of 1896-97 versus 1872-1873" (blizzard) n.d.; "From the Fifties [1850s]; "Ocean Ice"; condensed autobiography covering years from emigration (1861) to move to Sandpoint (1904)
Extent
9 folders
Type
Manuscripts
Typescripts

Collection

Archival Collection

Citation

Thomason, Thomas , “Thomas Thomason papers, 1862-1984,” Norwegian American Historical Association, accessed October 17, 2026, https://norwegianamericanhistory.org/catalog/items/show/10724.