John Martin Thompson facts for kids
John Martin Thompson (1829–1907) was an important leader and businessman. He was born in 1829 in the old Cherokee Nation, which is now Bartow County, Georgia, USA. His father, Benjamin Franklin Thompson, was from South Carolina. His mother, Annie Martin, was part Cherokee. Her father, Judge John Martin, was the first Chief Justice of the Cherokee Nation.
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Life with the Cherokee People
John Martin Thompson's family had connections to a group called the Ridge Party. This group supported a treaty that led to the Cherokee people moving from their lands. In 1848, Thompson's family left the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory. They moved with other supporters to settle in Rusk County, Texas.
John's father, B.F. Thompson, bought a large piece of land in 1844. This land was near what is now Laird Hill, Texas. The family made their home there. This area later became known as the Mount Tabor Indian Community. John Martin Thompson grew up in the Cherokee Nation. He also received his formal education at the Western Military College in Kentucky. He studied there for two years with his brother, William Wirt Thompson. After college, they returned to Texas. They became very involved in their family's large farm.
Serving in the Civil War
During the American Civil War (1861-1865), many Cherokees from Mount Tabor joined the Confederate Army. They served under Brigadier General Stand Watie. He was the only Native American to become a General in the Confederate Army.
However, John Martin Thompson did not join Watie's units. Instead, he formed his own units in Bellview, a town near the Mount Tabor Indian Community. These units served with Texas military groups. They included a few Cherokees who did not join Watie. They also included local Yowani Choctaws and white settlers who had married into the community. Thompson was wounded several times during the four-year war. He quickly rose to the rank of Major in the Confederate Army.
The Mount Tabor Indians who served under Thompson faced a major loss. This happened at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry in Arkansas. The war caused many deaths among the male population. Over 25% of the men in the area died.
Building a Business Empire
After the American Civil War, John M. Thompson became one of the biggest lumbermen in Texas. A lumberman is someone who works with wood from trees. He and his sons built a huge timber business. They made smart business choices during the time after the war and into the early 1900s.
In 1881, they moved their operations from Rusk County to Trinity County. This move allowed them to sell their wood using the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad. They also made connections with stores that sold lumber. They created several companies to manage their growing timber business. These companies included the Thompson and Tucker Lumber Company, and later the J. M. Thompson Lumber Company. They also formed the Thompson Brothers Lumber Company and the Thompson and Ford Lumber Company.
By 1907, these companies owned over 149,000 acres (about 600 square kilometers) of land. They also ran mills in towns like Willard, Doucette, and Grayburg. In 1906, the main offices of the company moved to Houston.
Community Leadership
Even with his busy business, Thompson always put his family first. He was also a strong community leader. He led the Mount Tabor Indian Community. This also meant he led the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands. He took on this role after William Penn Adair passed away in 1880. Thompson continued to lead until his own death in 1907. After him, Chief John Ellis Bean became the Executive Committee Chairman. Later, Claude Muskrat took over this role.
His Son's Legacy
John Martin Thompson's son, Hoxie Harry Thompson, took over the family business. Hoxie H. Thompson sold a large amount of land, about 94,126 acres (380 square kilometers), to the United States Forest Service. This land became the biggest part of the Davy Crockett National Forest. By 1960, Hoxie Thompson had sold almost all of the family's land. However, he kept most of the rights to the minerals found under the land.
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