James Lloyd Thomas was born on 13 February 1834 in Alabama to John L. Thomas and Martha Patchie Edwards. He married Emily Hit on 5 July 1868 in Jefferson County, Alabama. James and Emily had 4 boys and one girl. He died before 1910 in Jefferson County, Alabama. That is, at least, what is found on his FamilySearch profile.

One can see that John L. Thomas and Martha had two sons named James L. Thomas. Both were born about 1834 in Alabama. Both married and had children. At first glance, these two FamilySearch profiles are duplicates, but a closer examination suggests they are separate individuals. Could these profiles be mixed up? What evidence connects these individuals to their parents?

Same name, same general location, same or similar family names is a situation that appears in FamilySearch and other trees from time to time. It was common in England to name another child with the same name as a previously deceased child. It was not common in the Southeast, so a family with multiple children with the same name should be looked at carefully. Some strategies can be used to evaluate both profiles and decide if they are duplicates or different men.

Evidence Analysis

The James Lloyd Thomas (L7L9-QLH) profile shows this James lived primarily in Jefferson County, Alabama. He appears to have no contact with his parents or family in Autauga County, Alabama. The second James L. Thomas (9W1V-6NC) profile shows James only lived in Autauga County, Alabama. All of the records show a clear distinction between the two locations.

James Lloyd Thomas of Jefferson County has a lot of records that support most of what appears in FamilySearch with the exception of his parentage. James L. Thomas only has two records. The first is an 1850 U.S. Census record that shows him with his parents John L. Thomas and Martha in Autauga County.¹ The second is a marriage record to his wife Sarah in Autauga County.²

James L. Thomas of Autauga County appears to represent the version of the man from before the U.S. Civil War. The James Lloyd Thomas of Jefferson County represents the man after the U.S. Civil War. This alone suggests the two profiles are duplicates. But is this sufficient analysis to merge the profiles? Not exactly.

Timeline

One of the best tools for sorting out tree difficulties like the case of the two James L. Thomas’ is to use a timeline. Create a timeline by creating a table in a document or using a spreadsheet. The headings included in this timeline were Name, Date, Location, Event, and Source Citation (I did not create source citations, but have left that for the submitter to complete).

The timeline highlighted the differences between the locations and the pre and post-Civil War events and individuals. The timeline also highlighted an overlap or conflict between J Thomas and Sarah May in 1870.

James Lloyd Thomas married Emily Hitt in 1868 in Jefferson County.³ He is living with his wife, four stepchildren, and one biological child in 1870.⁴ Sarah, the possible first wife, is living on her own with her three children in Autauga County.⁵ If James Lloyd Thomas of Jefferson County is the same James L. Thomas of Autauga County, then he may have left his wife and children, remarried and started another family in Jefferson County.

The two wives and the two locations need to be explained. It seems unlikely that James would walk away from a wife and children to start another in a new location. It is possible James and Sarah could have divorced. If they did, there would be court records. Not everyone was formally separated at that time, and they could have agreed to go their separate ways. It seems more likely there were two James’ and the James of Autauga County could have died in the Civil War.

Next Steps

The research objective is to find evidence for the parentage of James L. Thomas, and as an extension determine which James L. Thomas to attach to his parents. This particular case will likely have to rely on indirect evidence. A research plan will provide guidance on what to do next.

Research Plan

• Look for divorce records in Autauga County for James L. Thomas and Sarah. Use Full Text search
• Look at Fold3 and search for James L. Thomas from Autauga and Jefferson Counties.
  • Identify the military units for each county.
  • Include Shelby County
• Research the siblings of Sarah May to see if she is living with family after 1870.
  • Look for a Will or probate for William E. May
• Map the locations of James L. Thomas’s siblings
  • Check census records to see if any siblings of James are neighbors.
• Study the Confederate Pension Record for James.
• Evaluate will and probate for John L. Thomas

Sources

1. 1850 U.S. Census, Autauga County, Alabama, population schedule, p. 52 (stamped), dwelling 747, family 763, John L Thomas household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 7 April 2025); citing NARA microfilm publication M432. ↩︎
2. “Alabama Marriages, 1711-1992,” entry for James L. Thomas – Sarah M I May, 9 August 1855, Autauga County, Alabama, page 13; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 7 April 2025), image 472 of 757. ↩︎
3. “Alabama Marriages, 1711-1992,” entry for James Thomas – Emily Mann, 4 July 1868, Jefferson County, Alabama, page 466; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 7 April 2025), image 562 of 629. ↩︎
4. 1870 U.S. Census, Jefferson County, Alabama, population schedule, Township 16, Range 1 East, p. 3 (penned), p. 309 (stamped), dwelling 352, family 358, J Thomas household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 7 April 2025); citing NARA microfilm publication M593. ↩︎
5. 1870 U.S. Census, Autauga County, Alabama, population schedule, Beat No. 5, p. 36 (penned), dwelling 317, family 317, Sarah Thomas household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 7 April 2025); citing NARA microfilm publication M593. ↩︎