The Story of Thomas

Part II

Thomas, the Father; Thomas the son; Thomas the holy…..I mean, Thomas the grandfather. Thomas had many roles in life, including husband. His marriage to Mary would span almost 40 years until his death on February 1, 1939. Tom and Mary first appeared on the 1900 Census in Russellville, Alabama in Franklin County.

The 1900 Census lists Thomas as the head of the household, aged 25, born August of 1874. He lists 25 as his age when he began his first marriage and that he has been married for one year. He identifies his birthplace and the birthplace of his parents as being Alabama. Though somewhat illegible, the occupation for Thomas is listed as either a miner or “midwives”, Mary is listed as Tom’s wife, aged 15, with the birth year being illegible. She and her parents were born in Alabama. Mary does not have an occupation identified. The record documents that Thomas can read and write. Also, Mary reports that she is the mother of one child with one child living. That child is not listed in the 1900 census. If the child is not in the household, where is he and who is he?

Oral history presents a fascinating legend about Thomas and Mary during the next few years. Mary’s fair skin presented somewhat of a dilemma for the couple when in public. It appeared as if Mary was white. That, mixed with Thomas’ dark complexion, made for an explosive situation in the south. The story goes that Mary would appear publicly dressed as a man while Thomas would appear dressed as Mary’s female servant. They would live this charade when the couple traveled d into town for supplies. Oral history further conveys that Thomas, as well as Mary, did indeed work as midwives. Thomas would go on to deliver several babies in the north Alabama area.

The census of 1910 places the couple in Colbert County, the Brick Precinct. This census exemplifies how ages varied so much from census to census. Thomas is listed as “Thos” aged 51 years. Mary is listed as age 30. Thomas is identified as being on his second marriage, or “m2”. Mary identifies this as her first marriage, or “m1”. The record does confirm that the marriage is in its 11^th year. In addition to their four children in the household – Thomas Jr., Cleveland, Stonewall J., and Nancy – the presence of two others make this census very valuable. First, Freeman Walton is present and is listed as “brother”. (All relationships listed are described in terms of how that person links to the head of the household.) Freeman is age 48 and a widower. This clearly defines the relationship between the Hawkins family and the Walton family. Second, a fifth child is identified as the son of Thomas. His name is Frank Hawkins, age 11. Frank’s appearance leads to more questions. If Frank is eleven, where was he during the census of 1900?

Oral history tells us, “When Tom came here he bought Frank with him.” Frank had a sister, Mae Lula, that they left behind.” I have heard this quote numerous times from several sources. The legend goes that Tom’s arrival here was from Alex City and that his first marriage took place there. It was easy to conclude that Tom’s siblings would be in Alexander City at this time as well, departing close to the same time as he did and for the same reason. However, the lack of any census or marriage records in Alexander City has placed a damper on those conclusions. An interview with Josephine Robinson Mullen, the oldest living Walton, would further cast a shadow on Alexander City.

Josephine is the daughter of Nellie Graham and Sadie Robinson. Nellie is the daughter of Thomas Hawkins and Nancy Graham. This interview with Ms. Josephine, or Ms. Josie, would take place on May 24, 2003. Ms Josie was born on April 4, 1911 in Russellville, Alabama. Ms. Josie also identified Russellville as the birthplace of her mother. This is key because it places Tom in Russellville during the time he is supposed to be in Alexander City. Assuming a minimum age of 12 for childbirth, it is reasonable to conclude, based on general information about that period of time, that Nellie Graham was born in 1899 or prior, the year that Frank was born and the likely year that Tom and Mary were married.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Thomas could have been THE ORIGINAL PLAYER. He could have put the Mac in Mac Daddy. However, the timeline makes all of these events less plausible to have occurred in the time span of a year. I’m betting that Thomas spent quite a bit of time in Russellville in the 1890’s. I am also betting that Frank was conceived in North Alabama as opposed to Alexander City. Otherwise, we would have to believe this story:

In 1899, Thomas Walton killed a white man in Alexander City and fled leaving his wife and daughter behind. He took his infant son, Frank, with him and changed their names to Hawkins. Thomas dropped his son off with unknown caretakers and traveled through Limestone County, Alabama. It was here he saw, met, and stole his future bride, Mary Mattie Francis Napier. The couple ran off to Russellville, Alabama where Tom was immediately unfaithful and fathered Nellie Graham. Somewhere in there Thomas and Mary actually married and established a household before census collection in 1900. Did I mention that this occurred while Thomas was running for his life?

It is possible that when Thomas ran, he left the Huntsville area in the early 1890’s or late 1880’s. This would have provided ample time for the name change to occur and for Thomas to eventually migrate to Russellville. We know that these events occurred but some of the details have been lost.

The 1920 and 1930 census of Colbert County, Brick Precinct, shows Thomas and Mary in the same household raising Alice, Freeman, Annie Mae, Willie Lee, Robert Lee, Bulah, and John Ed. Thomas is listed as a farmer throughout his working years up until June 15,1938.

Thomas would pass away on February 1, 1939, of a “valvular lesion” to the head, his death complicated by “nephritis”. Stonewall Hawkins would act as informant on the death certificate of his father. Stonewall would identify the birthplace of Thomas as “Elk Mound”. This is believed to be Elkmont, Alabama, a city located just south of the Tennessee border. Furthermore, Stonewall lists Tom’s father as “Billie Hawkins” with his birthplace in Huntsville, Alabama. These assertions by Stonewall add credibility to the notion that the events in Thomas’ life took place in north Alabama.

Thomas is buried in Leighton, Alabama at the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. His wife, Mary, is buried at his side.

Trey