52 Ancestors 2020: Week 8: Prosperity

John Rowan Thompson wasn't born into riches, nor was he an incredibly wealthy man in today's standards... but back in his day, John R. Thompson didn't do half-bad for himself. 

My Great-Great-Grandfather, John was born October 4th, 1876, in Union County, Kentucky, more than likely the more rural area of the county - perhaps somewhere between Morganfield and Uniontown. 

He was the son of Martin Henry Thompson and Elizabeth Levina "Lou" Nally. His father was a farmer and of course, John followed in his Dad's footsteps. 

On October 28th, 1902, in Henderson County, Kentucky, he married Miss Mary Janella Nally, the daughter of Henry Oliver Nally and Vandalia Delia Gibson. John and Janella were second cousins. 

In the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses, they live in the Smith Mills area of the county. This is verified in the fact that my Great-Grandmother, John & Janella's daughter, attended Smith Mills School. 

Sometime in around 1920 to 1925 -- John bought a Ford Model T and according to family story, he was only the third person in Henderson County to own one. Sometimes the story is told he was the third person in Henderson County to own a car period, but, I believe that's a stretch -- I believe more realistically, he was the third person in the county to buy a Model T. 

Ford began manufacturing the Model T in 1908 and quit by 1927. I believe it was probably around 1920, but possibly as late as 1925 when John bought his. He had certainly made enough money farming to do so. 

By the 1940 census, John had moved himself, his wife, and the two kids left at home: Milka and Jake out to the Niagara area of Henderson County. I'm unsure if John built the house they lived in, or if he moved into it, but they lived there for many many years... and certainly through the end of John's life. 

Even during my Mom's childhood -- the house never had indoor plumbing. My Great-Great-Grandmother, Janella, I honestly don't believe she ever had proper indoor plumbing until she moved into the Henderson Rest Home in the late 1960's/early 1970's. 

I believe it was around 1954 when John R. Thompson sold some of his land for the Henderson County School System to build the new Niagara Elementary School, the one that stands today. Because I know in 1955, when the new Henderson County High School opened (where North Middle School is today) -- my Grandma was in her 9th grade year and was of the first class there. 1955/1956, then she was a sophomore in 1956/1957, junior in 1957/1958, and a senior in 1958/1959 -- she graduated May of 1959. If the High School at Niagara hadn't closed -- she would have started school there, instead, because they lived out on 416 in Niagara. 

Sometime between moving to Niagara in the late 1930's and him passing away in 1959 -- John R. struck oil on his land. He never sold his mineral rights, the county paid him for the oil on his land. My Mom believes by the time she was born in 1963 -- the oil wells had dried up. By that point though, Mom said that Janella had plenty of money and lived quite comfortably. 

After John's death in 1959, it was Janella, the eldest son Stron, and one of the daughters, Milka, that lived there. In 1964, Milka passed away. Some years after that, Janella moved to the rest home and then passed away in 1972. Stron continued to live in the old house until the mid 1980's, when he ended up having to move into the rest home as well. He passed away on my birthday, February 12th, in 1989. 

Ultimately, their prosperity came from many things: farming, oil, and selling property to the school system. I guess you could say John and Janella Thompson were a bit of entrepreneurs. In the 1940 census, John says that his home is OWNED and it is only worth $500... which in 2021, that would be about $9,342.21. That's a pretty substantial house for 1940, for a farmer out in the county, in my opinion. I'm unsure just how many acres he owned, but it was enough to sell to the school and have plenty left over. 

John Rowan Thompson passed away on January 15th, 1959, and his wife followed him in death on December 29th, 1972. If you're ever here in Henderson -- stop by Roselawn Memorial Gardens and pay them a visit sometime. Buried beside of them is their son Stron and their daughter Milka. I'm sure they'd appreciate the visit.