The Thompson Family Papers

What is it?

Henry Elliot Thompson was born on March 13, 1841, in Cooperstown, Pennsylvania. He was the fifth child of Hugh G. Thompson And Martha E. Nevin (or Nevins) Thompson, and had a twin brother named Joseph. Hugh Thompson was a tailor by trade, and he moved his family from Pennsylvania to Ohio and back before settling in Vernon County, Wisconsin, sometime prior to 1850. Henry and his twin Joseph grew up in the area of Springville, Wisconsin, and worked as farmers before enlisting in the Wisconsin volunteers when the Civil War broke out. Henry joined the 20th Wisconsin Infantry in the summer of 1862 and was assigned to Capt. Augustus H. Pettibone's Company A. Thompson saw service in Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama. Henry survived the war and returned to Wisconsin briefly. He married Janice Mina "Jennie" Odell Thompson (1851-1916). He pursued a career as a carpenter and surveyor in Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, and finally South Dakota where he died on November 17, 1912. John Nevin Thompson was the oldest son of Henry Elliot Thompson and Janice Mina "Jennie" Odell Thompson, born on February 10, 1869, at Hebron, Indiana. In the summer of 1891, John and his brother William, drove a herd of horses with John T. "Buckskin Johnny" Spaulding through Yellowstone National Park and kept a diary of their experiences. He later lived in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, and in 1901 married Lola M. Clay Thompson in Deadwood, South Dakota. The couple had three children: John Nevin Thompson II (1902-1991), H. Elliot Thompson (1905-1976), and Margaret T. Thompson Cousins (1908-2000). In 1904, Thompson took up a homestead claim thirty-five miles south of Ekalaka, Montana. Thompson moved from Carter County, Montana, to Bozeman, Montana, in the 1920s where he worked as a building contractor. John Nevin Thompson, Sr. died on March 15, 1943, in Bozeman, Montana.

The Thompson Family papers consist of biographical papers and diaries kept by Henry Elliot Thompson while serving in the U.S. Civil War and by John Nevin Thompson of a trip through Yellowstone National Park in 1891. Henry's two diaries document his time serving with the 20th Wisconsin Infantry. The first diary, dating from July 9,1862, to August 17, 1863, details his experiences at the battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas; the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi; and the capture of Yazoo, Mississippi. The second diary, dating from May 11, 1864, to February 21, 1865, describes Thompson's experiences while serving at Brownsville, Texas, and participating in the campaign to capture Mobile, Alabama, most notably the siege of Fort Morgan. Son John's diary details his trip through Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 1891 with with John T. "Buckskin Johnny" Spaulding. The Thompson-Spaulding party entered the park near Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, and exited on the west side heading towards Henry's Lake, Idaho. The entries describe visiting some of the principal sites within the park and the difficulties in managing the horse herd they were driving. An additional folder of loose materials includes an 1880 letter to Henry Thompson from Augustus H. Pettibone, then a newly-elected member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee. The last folder contains a self-published genealogy of the Thompson Family.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Thompson Family Papers, Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT, [Item permalink or DOI]

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