Peter Thomas was born in 1822 or 1823, probably in Wilkes-Barre, PA. In the
early 1850s, he moved to Butler County, PA. According to the
accounts of his 50th wedding
anniversary, he came with his parents. However, I have not been able to
find any record of them in the 1860 Butler County Census. I have also not
been able to connect him to anyone in the Wilkes-Barre area in 1850 or earlier.
His death certificate names his parents as Nathaniel Thomas & Nancy Lutz, but I
have found no census records for a Nathaniel that would match the family
situation in 1830.
Peter married Sarah Dufford, a woman of German descent, which raises the
possibility that his ancestors were also German, not English or Irish, as I had
previously thought. Of their children, Philip is named after Sarah's father and
Elizabeth after Sarah's mother. No Nancy or Nathaniel to be found.
Considering the order of their children's births, this would make George or
James a good candidate as a name for Peter's (step)father if his parents died
early.
