Thomas S. Battles
.
......."n/a" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation..."n/a" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation..
- Name
- Thomas S. Battles
- Born
- 19 January 1803
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Residence
- Shreve, Ohio
- Died
- 24 October 1900
Nokomis, Illinois
- Resting
- Nokomis, Illinois
- Farmer ()
- Partners
- Anne Elright (b.1815–d.1896)
1842–1896
- Children
- Dr. William S. Battles (b.1827–d.1895)
- Johnson G. Battles (b.1829–d.1909)
- Thomas Battles Jr. (b.1833–d.1894)
- Neland Battles (b.1846)
- Susan Battles (b.1846–d.1929)
- Barbara Battles (b.1850–d.1872)
- Melancthen/Ella M. Battles (b.1853–d.1936)
- Anna Battles (b.1857–d.1951)
See also: Dr. W. S. Battles
Spelling Variations
no spelling variations found.
Surnames
Battles
Given Names or Nicknames
none.
Biographical Sketches
Thomas S. Battles, born on January 19th, 1803, was one of the prominent abolitionists in Shreve, Wayne County. He played a leadership role in operating the Shreve-Millbrook route with the help of other local abolitionists. Battles was born in Philadelphia; in his later years he moved to Nokomis, Illinois where he was buried as well. Although he did not reside in Wayne County for the longest amount of time, his contribution to the Underground Railroad has secured him a permanent spot in the history of Wayne County. The Battles farmhouse north of Shreve was considered to be a significant landmark of the local Underground Railroad operations.
Background
It is unclear when the Battles family migrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio. Based on the leading articles written by E. H. Hauenstein and Ola M. Arick on the Underground Railroad, the Battles family was present during the period of active Underground Railroad operations and resided in the Battle farmhouse in Shreve. There is a 1850 census of the Battles family residing in Shreve, however in the 1870 census, Thomas Battles and his wife seemed to have moved to Nokomis, Illinois. Although Dr. W. S. Battles, one of the sons of Thomas Battles, stayed in Shreve and played a huge part in the Underground Railroad, it is uncertain whether T. Battles was there throughout the whole period.
Abolitionism
Like many other local abolitionists, it is hard to determine the exact timeline of the Battles family's participation in the Underground Railroad. What can be found is several stories of their experiences. Emma Battles Slaybaugh, the daughter of Dr. W. S. Battles, has recollected stories of her father and grandfather's endeavors. Often times the whole family will come together to make an operation successful. One story is that two slavecatchers came down to Shreve to track the escapees and visited the Battles farmhouse area. What they did not know is that the fugitives were very discreetly taking shelter in the Battles barn, and they did not suspect anything. As soon as they left, Dr. William Battles took them on a wagon, hiding them under layers of wheat as he left for the next station.[1]
Family
- Spouse: Anne Elright (May 20th, 1815- Aug 27th, 1896)
- Children-
- Anna Battles (1857-1951)
- Barbara Battles (1850 - April 17th, 1872)
- Hannah Battles
- Johnson Battles (April 1829 - 1909)
- Melancthen Battles (Dec 25th, 1853 - May 24th, 1936)
- Neland Battles (1846 - ?)
- Susan Battles (Jan 25th, 1846 - Feb 6th, 1929)
- Thomas Battles Jr. (1833-1894)
- William S. Battles (1827-1895)
- Relatives-
- Mahala Kiester Battles (wife of Dr. W. S. Battles)
- Ellen Stewart Battles (wife of Thomas Battles Jr.)
- Grandchildren
- Emma Battles Slaybaugh (Oct 15th, 1866- Feb 6th, 1951)
- Catherine/Kate Battles Brown (1859- Jun 23rd, 1945)
Vital Records
Birth
January 19th, 1803- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Marriage
Anne Elright (March 10th, 1842)[2]
Death
October 24th, 1900- Nokomis, Montgomery, Illinois[3]
Burial
Nokomis Cemetery
Census Records
- 1850 US census for Clinton, Wayne County, Ohio[4]
- Thomas S. Battles, 48, PA, Farmer
- Anne Battles, 34, PA
- Johnson Battles, 21, PA, Farmer
- Thomas Battles, 19, PA, Farmer
- Susan Battles, 4, OH
- Melancthen Battles, 4, OH
- Barbary Battles, 2, OH
- William S. Battles, 23, PA, Physician
- Ellen Stewart, 25, PA
- 1870 US census for Nokomis, Montgomery County, Illinois[5]
- Thomas S. Battles, 70, PA, Farmer
- Anne Battles, 60, PA
- Neland Battles, 24, OH, Farmer
- Barbara Battles, 22, OH
- Melancthen Battles, 18, OH
- Anna Battles, 16, OH
- Hannah Battles, OH
- 1880 US census for Witt, Montgomery County, Illinois[6]
- Thomas S. Battles, 78, PA, Farmer
- Anna Battles, 63, PA
- Anna Battles, 23, OH
- 1900 US census for Witt, Montgomery County, Illinois[7]
- George N Uzzell, 59, IL, Farmer
- Anna Uzzell, 42, OH
- Barbara S. Uzzell, 15, IL
- Lucy N Uzzell, 9, IL
- Thomas S. Battles, 97, PA
- Sophia L. Stander, 17, IL, Servant
- John H Beck, 17, IL, Farm Hand
Places of Residence
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Shreve, Wayne County, Ohio
- Nokomis, Montgomery County, Illinois
Immigration and Naturalization Records
not applicable.
Court Records
unknown
Tax Records
unknown
Land Records
unknown
Denomination Affiliations
unknown
Military
none
Occupations
Farmer
Community Involvement
Abolitionist.
Education
- unknown
Awards and Recognition
- unknown
Notes
N/A
References
- ↑ Arick, Ola M. "The Slave Traffic." The Daily Record, February 2, 1946. Wayne County, OH- African Americans Underground Railroad Lateral Files
- ↑ https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/3162858:61378?tid=&pid=&queryId=b88d0be32de20def428da0ce1a1f8e5b&_phsrc=kYD24&_phstart=successSource
- ↑ https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/54444267:60525
- ↑ https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/16010248:8054
- ↑ https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/15277297:7163
- ↑ https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/30938960:6742
- ↑ https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/12449448:7602