Thomas, William A., 1938-

William Archibald Thomas (1888-1957) was born in Chillicothe, Ohio to James Milton Thomas and Flora Eidson Wayland Thomas. He attended private prep schools, graduated from Kenyon College, and then attended Episcopal Seminary at Bexley Hall located at Kenyon College. Thomas received his ordination as a priest at Christ Church in Xenia, Ohio. In 1915, the Reverend Hudson Stuck, Archdeacon of the Yukon, spoke at Christ Church. Inspired by Stuck's plea for Episcopal ministers to serve in Alaska, Thomas resigned his position at Christ Church and set out for the Alaska Territory in 1916. First assigned to the parish at Nenana near Fairbanks, Reverend Thomas later served at St. Thomas' mission at Point Hope. Thomas' sister, Virginia, also called "Daint," joined William at Point Hope from 1918-1919 where she taught school and assisted with the daily working of the mission.

In 1920, Thomas met Ruth Ione Ward on the ship "Herman," which was sailiing from Seattle to Alaska. Ward had answered a church advertisment for trained nurses to work at the Alaska missions and the Reverend had set out to escort both Ward and her teacher friend to Alaska. The long voyage sparked a romance between William and Ruth and at the end of the voyage, they married.

The couple had three children. Theodore Katalah, born on 24 August 1922; Doug Milton, born 22 April 1925; and Ione Flora Lee, born 25 November 1926. In 1927, with Theodore ready to start school, the family moved to Jackson, Wyoming where Thomas served as rector of St. John's Church. They next moved to the parish at Kingman, Arizona in 1928 where they lived until 1936 when the Reverend became rector of St. John's in San Bernadino, California. Shortly after the start of WWII, Thomas returned to Alaska to serve as Priest-in-Charge of St. Peter's by the Sea in Sitka. After the war, the Reverend served at parishes in Ohio and Wyoming. Thomas died of heart failure on 11 January 1957.

Biography adapted from "Genealogy, the Descendants of James Milton Thomas, 1858-1904 prepared by Theodore K. Thomas.

From the guide to the Reverend William A. Thomas Collection, circa 1910s - circa 1940s, (University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Polar Regions Collections & Archives)