{"id":167,"date":"2022-09-12T19:56:57","date_gmt":"2022-09-12T19:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/?p=167"},"modified":"2023-08-04T21:46:50","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T21:46:50","slug":"thomas-surname-in-black-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas As An African American Last Name"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There were 293,005 black Americans with Thomas as their last name in the 2010 U.S. Census. This was 39% of the total number with that name in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article looks at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>19th and early 20<sup>th<\/sup>-century black census numbers for the name<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>notable African American people named Thomas<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>early black military records and how to find them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#Thomas_Before_The_Civil_War\" title=\"Thomas Before The Civil War\">Thomas Before The Civil War<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#1850_Federal_Census\" title=\"1850 Federal Census\">1850 Federal Census<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#1860_Federal_Census\" title=\"1860 Federal Census\">1860 Federal Census<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#After_The_Civil_War\" title=\"After The Civil War\">After The Civil War<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#Thomas_In_The_1900_And_1940_Census\" title=\"Thomas In The 1900 And 1940 Census\">Thomas In The 1900 And 1940 Census<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#Historic_Black_Figures\" title=\"Historic Black Figures\">Historic Black Figures<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#Thomas_Thomas\" title=\"Thomas Thomas\">Thomas Thomas<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#John_WE_Thomas\" title=\"John W.E. Thomas\">John W.E. Thomas<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#Lillian_Thomas\" title=\"Lillian Thomas\">Lillian Thomas<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#Jefferson_Thomas\" title=\"Jefferson Thomas\">Jefferson Thomas<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#Thomas_In_Black_Military_Records\" title=\"Thomas In Black Military Records\">Thomas In Black Military Records<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#Buffalo_Soldiers\" title=\"Buffalo Soldiers\">Buffalo Soldiers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#Black_Civil_War_Sailors\" title=\"Black Civil War Sailors\">Black Civil War Sailors<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/#Tuskegee_Airmen\" title=\"Tuskegee Airmen\">Tuskegee Airmen<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thomas_Before_The_Civil_War\"><\/span>Thomas Before The Civil War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1850 census was the first to record all free members of households together. Before this, people who were not white were not named in the federal census.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1850, there was a box to enter color on the census. It was left blank to denote white, b for black, or m for mulatto. The third term is the language of the time. I will use mixed in the rest of this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are researching your black Thomas ancestors in census archives, be sure to search under both categories. Do not rely on the census taker\u2019s judgment being correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1850_Federal_Census\"><\/span>1850 Federal Census<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There were 2,536 people named Thomas who were recorded as black in the 1850 census. 820 were recorded as mixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because they are in the main federal census, these are free citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was a total of 53,054 free citizens named Thomas that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1860_Federal_Census\"><\/span>1860 Federal Census<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1860 federal census recorded 2,628 people named Thomas as black, and 959 as mixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is out of a total of 65,921 free citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, census-taking would change after the Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"After_The_Civil_War\"><\/span>After The Civil War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Emancipation-commemoration-stamp.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Emancipation-commemoration-stamp.jpg 800w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Emancipation-commemoration-stamp-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Emancipation-commemoration-stamp-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The 1870 census was the first after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. At last, all African Americans are included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those who were omitted in 1860 because they were enslaved are now in this census. Here are the numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>27,895 people named Thomas were recorded in the 1870 census as black and 3,874 as mixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The increase is clear. The overall total (all Americans) was 113,090.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1880 census recorded 40,877 as black and 6,274 as mixed out of a total of 146,410.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now we jump to the end of the 19th century \u2013 or the beginning of the 20th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thomas_In_The_1900_And_1940_Census\"><\/span>Thomas In The 1900 And 1940 Census<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1900, the mixed category was dropped. However, not all enumerators followed those instructions. I have found a small number of records where \u201cm\u201d was still used in the box for color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I will focus here on the black numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1900 census recorded 70,724 people named Thomas as black within a total of 215,937.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There were 110,881 people named Thomas recorded in the 1940 census as black within a total of 373,176.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Historic_Black_Figures\"><\/span>Historic Black Figures<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Thomas-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-177\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Thomas-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Thomas-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Thomas-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Thomas.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Here are some notable people from history with Thomas as their last name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thomas_Thomas\"><\/span>Thomas Thomas<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1817<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From: Oxford, Maryland<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas Thomas purchased his freedom in Maryland and settled in Springfield, Massachusetts in the early 1840s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He found work with John Brown, the abolitionist, and joined the abolitionist cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas opened a restaurant in Springfield and sheltered runaway slaves as part of the Underground Railroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Underground Railroad was a vast network of secret routes and safe houses organized by many abolitionists and rights activists. It helped thousands of enslaved people escape from the South.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"John_WE_Thomas\"><\/span>John W.E. Thomas<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1847<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Died: 1899<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From: Montgomery, Alabama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>John W.E. Thomas risked imprisonment by teaching fellow slaves to read and write during the Civil War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He moved to Chicago after the war and opened a grocery store and a school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A strong activist in the city, he became the first black representative in the Illinois General Assembly. Thomas steered anti-discrimination laws through the assembly in 1885.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/John-Thomas.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/John-Thomas.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/John-Thomas-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other pioneering black legislators<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are just some of the early African American legislators elected to House and Senate positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/green-surname-in-black-history\/#John_Green\">John Green<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/hill-surname-in-black-history\/#James_Hill\">James Hill<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/martin-surname-in-black-history\/#John_Sella_Martin\">John Sella Martin<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/simmons-surname-in-black-history\/#Lucille_Simmons\">Lucille Simmons<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/white-surname-in-black-history\/#George_White\">George White<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lillian_Thomas\"><\/span>Lillian Thomas<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1854<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Died: 1917<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Lillian Parker\u2019s mother was a teacher, and her father was a pastor. They encouraged her education during her early life in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She married William James when she was eighteen and had one daughter. She married her second husband, Charles Thomas, in 1881. Like her first marriage, this didn\u2019t last &#8211; although she kept the name. Her only daughter died in the same year of her divorce in 1889. Her third marriage was to James Fox, which was also short-lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From this point, Lillian became a prominent African American figure. She wrote for the Indianapolis Freeman, a black newspaper that appointed her as an assistant editor in 1891. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She was hired by the Indianapolis News in 1900 and had a weekly column that ran for fifteen years. She was the first black columnist in a white newspaper in Indiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lillian was an active public speaker and used her position to promote public health for African Americans. She founded the Woman\u2019s Improvement Club in Indianapolis with <a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/porter-surname-in-black-history\/#Beulah_Porter\">Beulah Wright Porter<\/a>. The group was notable for treating black TB sufferers who were excluded from the City Hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Jefferson_Thomas\"><\/span>Jefferson Thomas<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1942<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Birthplace: Little Rock, Arkansas<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Died: 2010<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Jefferson Thomas grew up in Little Rock where he attended the segregated black Horace Mann High School. At the time, the local branch of the NAACP, under the leadership of <a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/bates-in-surname-history\/#Daisy_Bates\">Daisy Bates<\/a>, was forming a small group of black students to be the first to desegregate a Little Rock school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jefferson was one of nine students who volunteered to enroll at the white Little Rock Central High in 1957. This group became known as the Little Rock Nine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the first day, the Governor sent the National Guard to prevent their entry. President Eisenhower intervened and sent troops to enforce the court order of desegregation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the second day, the children also faced hostile crowds who gathered outside the school. They entered class and became the first students to integrate Little Rock Central High.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jefferson went on to join the army and he served during the Vietnam War. He became a civil servant and gave frequent talks at schools and colleges about civil rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Members of the Little Rock Nine<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some of the members:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/brown-surname-in-black-history\/#Minnijean_Brown_Trickey\">Minnijean Brown<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/green-surname-in-black-history\/#Ernest_Green\">Ernest Green<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/roberts-surname-in-black-history\/#Terrence_Roberts\">Terrence Roberts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thomas_In_Black_Military_Records\"><\/span>Thomas In Black Military Records<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You may be surprised at the amount of genealogy information available from military records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some examples of the Thomas surname from three different military services:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Buffalo soldiers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Black civil war sailors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tuskegee airmen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Buffalo_Soldiers\"><\/span>Buffalo Soldiers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Five regiments for black soldiers were formed during the Civil War. They were known as the Buffalo Soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their records are part of the national archive of military monthly returns. The information includes the year and place of birth, where they enlisted, their occupation, and their height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are black soldiers of the 25th Infantry. Some are wearing buffalo robes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the earliest entries for Thomas was in 1867.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Willie Thomas was a Private in the Tenth Cavalry. He was stationed in 1867 at Fort Arbuckle, Oklahoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the last entries was in 1914. Richard Thomas was a Sergeant in the Ninth Cavalry that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to do your own research, there is a free index of these military records on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/search\/collections\/1934\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ancestry.com<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.familysearch.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FamilySearch.org.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Black_Civil_War_Sailors\"><\/span>Black Civil War Sailors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/black-civil-war-sailor.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/black-civil-war-sailor.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/black-civil-war-sailor-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The National Parks Service has a free archive of African American sailors during the Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The information includes their age, height, rank, occupation, and where and when they enlisted. It also includes every ship that they served on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can search the database on the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/civilwar\/search-sailors.htm\" target=\"_blank\">National Parks website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Isaiah Thomas<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the earliest entries for the surname concerned Isaiah Thomas from Baltimore, Maryland. He enlisted in 1861 aged 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His occupation before enlisting was as a Waiter. His naval rank was Landsman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cLandsman\u201d was the lowest rank at the time and was given to recruits with little sea experience.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">John Thomas<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the later entries was for a sailor who enlisted in 1864. John was aged 31 and was from Providence, Rhode Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His occupation before enlisting was as a Steward. His naval rank was Ordinary Seaman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>An ordinary seaman in the Navy is an apprentice who serves on the deck.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tuskegee_Airmen\"><\/span>Tuskegee Airmen<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tuskagee-airmen.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tuskagee-airmen.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tuskagee-airmen-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tuskagee-airmen-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Tuskegee Airmen were military personnel who served at the Tuskegee Army Airfield or related programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nearly one thousand black pilots graduated from the Tuskegee Institute. They flew single-engine fighter planes or twin-engine bombers. 352 fought in combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daniel Thomas graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant from the Tuskegee Institute in 1943. He qualified as a liaison pilot. Daniel was from Washington City, Philadelphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>William Thomas came from Los Angeles, California. He trained as a fighter pilot and graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1943.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His combat credits said:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>Downed 1 Fw-190 on August 24, 1944<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that he shot down an enemy aircraft on that day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There were 293,005 black Americans with Thomas as their last name in the 2010 U.S. Census. This was 39% of the total number with that name in the country. This article looks at: Thomas Before The Civil War The 1850 census was the first to record all free members of households together. Before this, people &#8230; <a title=\"Thomas As An African American Last Name\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/thomas-surname-in-black-history\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Thomas As An African American Last Name\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3425,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167\/revisions\/3425"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}