The Thomason family started with George and Eliza Ann Thomason in Pickens County Alabama. They were married in Tuscaloosa County in 1838 and moved to Pickens County. They had four children, 3 daughters and 1 son, John Peter Thomason. We haven’t gotten confirmation as to what happened to George, but in 1845 Eliza Ann married Nimrod Markham and moved to Texas. They settled in Limestone County near Kosse, Texas. John Peter went to the Confederate Army to serve in the Civil War in Texas. From the history we have found that one of the Reavis brothers, (William, son of Dr. William A Reavis an Julina Hinkle Reavis) worked in Palestine Texas for A.S. Hayter of Palestine, Anderson County, Texas, for 6 years. He went into business in Rutersville, Leon County Texas, where we are assuming he met J,P. Thomason. In 1865 William Reavis opened a general merchandise store in Hillsboro, Hill County Texas. Since Mr. Thomason was also a merchant in the same store in Hillsboro with a brother-in-law of his we assume he met his wife Sue Watson there. Families seems to blend here. He married Sue Watson Reavis there in 1870.

Thus a new family was born. After the marriage children came every year and they moved to Covington, Hill County, Texas. Two of the children are buried in Hillsboro and one in Covington. In 1883 they moved to Itasca and our little Julina Hinkle was only 1 year old. Sallie was the oldest living child and she married Mr Hudgins before Sue Thomason died in 1896. The story is that she died of “locked bowel” which could have been appendicitis or bowel obstruction.

Julina had to become the mother to Clay as she was only 11 and he was 7 years old. John and Sallie were already married. Julina had to learn everything on her own without a mother. There were housekeepers, but Julia (Mammy Townsend) was there to help her. She was already married and had three boys.

Julina grew up feeling very responsible for her brother, Clay. Mr. Thomason was a merchant in Itasca and as Iris said” He had the first self-serve store, as he never tried to sell you anything”. His store building burned along with the south side of Main Street in Itasca about 1905 and he never continued his business after that. He continued to live at home with Julina and Clay. they lived near the railroad on the south side of town . In 1910 Mr. Thomason bought the house on Adams Street in Itasca which was the home-place. Fred and Julina married October 17 1912 and lived in the home until it was sold after their deaths.

This was Freddy Sue’s home most of her life before marriage. Grandpapa Thomason died in 1930. Also Mr. Hudgins, Sallie’s husband, and Hattie Thomason, Johnny’s wife, died with in a year of each other. Funerals was the order of the day then.

Mr. Thomason was a devout Christian and raised all his family. He was a charter member of the Central Baptist Church in Itasca and a member of the Masonic Lodge. He was well know in Itasca as Uncle Pete. Most everyone called him by that name until his death.

John Peter and Sue Watson Thomason, Married 1870, Waco TX

Sally, Julina, and Jojinne Thomason, 1884, Itasca TX

Johnnie, Clay, and Julina Thomason