HISTORY OF RICHARD THOMAS
By
Granddaughter Cecilia Thomas Draper
Richard
Thomas was the son of Cecilia Evans and Edward Thomas. He was one of a family of 21 children. Not much of his childhood is known. As a young man he went to work in the mines.
He
married Mary Morgans, daughter of Alice Richards and John Morgans, 12 February 1838. He loved
Mary very much. As she would walk with
him to where the road divided every morning, he would watch from the hillside
as the wind blew her clothes about her.
Every day he would brag about his lovely wife to his companions at the
mine where he worked.
One
day after he had thus been boasting, one of the men asked him if something ever
happened to Richard if he could marry his Mary.
Grandpa Richard uttered an oath and said that if I thought you'd ever
marry my Mary, I'd put this pick through you right here and now.
After
Richard embraced the gospel in 1847, he would walk several miles every night to
explain Mormonism to his friends and relatives.
The
Sunday evening before his death, the elders explained the law of tithing. After they had finished, the meeting was
opened for testimony bearing. Richard
arose and bore his testimony and told the people if God would permit him to
live that he was going to pay his tithing from the time he had joined the
Church. Of course he could not take it
all from one check, but a little at t time, until his was paid in full.
He
and his wife Mary went home and Richard got out his record book and began
explaining everything to her: how he was going to arrange to pay his
tithing. Mary asked him why he was
telling her about it, as he was the one that took care of the finances, she had enough to do caring for the home and
children. He told her that one never
knows what a day's journey may bring.
Not
long after this, he and his companions were sitting near the mine entrance
waiting for the air to clear after their shots had been set off to bring down
the coal for the next day's work. While
they were talking, Richard suddenly remembered he had forgotten his lunch
pail. He told the others he would catch
up with them, then he re-entered the mine.
Suddenly, a loud crack was heard.
Richard called to his young son John and asked if he had a light. Before John could answer, there was another
loud crack and Richard was crushed beneath a large slab of coal. John ran and told the other men. It was 15 hours before they got his body out.
Mary
and the seven children were waiting at the mine entrance.
After
the funeral, Mary did as Richard had asked her and she
finished payment of their tithing in full.
Mary
and Richard had planned to emigrate to America, and accordingly,
eventually, Mary was able to carry out these plans. She sent a letter to a cousin in America telling of Richard's
death. The cousin composed this song and
sent it to her. It was a favorite of the
family.
Only A
Miner
1st Only a miner, killed under ground;
Only a miner, and one more is gone,
Killed by an accident, no one can
tell,
His mining is over, poor miner
farewell.
2nd He leaves a dear wife and loved ones too
To earn a sad living as all miners
do.
While he was working for ones that
he loved,
He met a sad fate from a boulder
above.
3rd To the hard working miner we'll bid him
farewell;
How soon we may follow him, no one
can tell
God pity the miner and shield him
from harm,
Protect him from danger while under
the ground.
