Flora M Thomas

Brief Life History of Flora M

When Flora M Thomas was born on 12 February 1877, in Jones, Newberg Township, Cass, Michigan, United States, her father, William Thomas, was 52 and her mother, Delight Galpin, was 40. She married John McClellan Diffenderfer on 16 June 1898, in St. Joseph, Michigan, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 2 daughters. She lived in La Salle, LaSalle, Illinois, United States in 1910 and Three Rivers, St. Joseph, Michigan, United States in 1920. She died on 11 January 1976, at the age of 98.

Photos and Memories (0)

Do you know Flora M? Do you have a story about her that you would like to share? Sign In or Create a FREE Account

Family Time Line

John McClellan Diffenderfer
1863–1933
Flora M Thomas
1877–1976
Marriage: 16 June 1898
George Difenderfer
1895–
Jean Difenderfer
1899–
Helen Difenderfer
1900–

Sources (17)

  • Flora Gependifer in household of Delight Thomas, "United States Census, 1920"
  • Legacy NFS Source: Flora M Thomas - Government record: Census record: birth-name: Flora M Thomas
  • Flora Melissa Ott, "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952"

World Events (8)

1879 · New State Capitol Building Dedicated

After the second state capitol had been destroyed, Michigan Governor Henry P. Baldwin initiated the passing of a bill that would cover the costs for a new building. The bill was adopted and raised over $1 million by a six year state income tax. Architect Elijah E. Myers' design named Tuebor, or I will defend, was selected and he was commissioned to design the new capitol building. The renaissance revival brick and sandstone building soared 267 feet from the ground and was dedicated on January 1, 1879.

1881 · The Assassination of James Garfield

Garfield was shot twice by Charles J. Guitea at Railroad Station in Washington, D.C. on July 2, 1881. After eleven weeks of intensive and other care Garfield died in Elberon, New Jersey, the second of four presidents to be assassinated, following Abraham Lincoln.

1903 · Department of Commerce and Labor

A short-lived Cabinet department which was concerned with controlling the excesses of big business. Later being split and the Secretary of Commerce and Labor splitting into two separate positions.

Name Meaning

English, French, Walloon, Breton, German, Dutch, Flemish, Danish, Greek, West Indian (mainly Haiti and Jamaica), and African (mainly Tanzania and Nigeria): from the personal name Thomas, of Biblical (New Testament) origin, from Aramaic t’ōm’a, a byname meaning ‘twin’. It was borne by one of the disciples of Christ, known for his scepticism about Christ's resurrection (John 20:24–29). The Th- spelling is organic, the initial letter of the name in the Greek New Testament being a theta. The English pronunciation as t rather than th- is the result of French influence from an early date. In Britain, the surname is widely distributed throughout the country, but especially common in Wales and Cornwall. In North America, the English form of the surname has absorbed many cognates from other languages (e.g. Assyrian/Chaldean or Arabic Toma and Tuma , Albanian Toma and Thoma , and Slavic surnames listed in 3 below), and their patronymics and other derivatives (e.g. Polish Tomaszewski and Slovenian Tomažič; see Tomazic ). In France, this surname is most common in the Vosges and Brittany. The name Thomas is also found among Christians in southern India (compare Machan , Mammen , and Oommen ), but since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames, the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. This surname is also very common among African Americans.

Native American (e.g. Navajo): adoption of the English personal name Thomas (see 1 above) as a surname.

Germanized or Americanized form of Polish Tomas , Tomasz, and Tomaś, Sorbian Tomaš (see also 4 below), Croatian Tomaš and Tomas , Slovenian Tomaš and Tomaž, Czech and Slovak Tomáš, all meaning ‘Thomas’.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

Possible Related Names

Discover Even More

As a nonprofit, we offer free help to those looking to learn the details of their family story.

Create a FREE Account

Search for Another Deceased Ancestor

Share this with your family and friends.