Thomas Jefferson Youngblood, Marion Mayor, was born in Osage, Laclede County, Missouri, March 8, 1857. His father was Solomon B. Youngblood, who was born on the old Jacob Sanders place, about seven miles northeast of Marion, on February 18, 1827. His father moved to Missouri in his youth and on January 5, 1854, married Lucinda Tyree, a native of Southwestern Missouri, where she was born in 1827. During the Civil War Solomon enlisted in the Union army serving with Company D, 24th Regiment of the Missouri Infantry. Solomon received an injury which his third wife would claim after his death at age 63 on October 6, 1891 in Hardin County, Illinois.
The 1860 census found the Youngblood family farming near Osage, Missouri. Solomon 33 and Lucinda 31 appeared to have two sets of children. Their children in common were John R. 6, Thomas J. 3 and Lucinda aged 9 months. The second set carried the name King and are presumed to be from Lucinda’s previous marriage, they were John R. King 11 and Sarah A. King aged 9. Solomon claimed a real estate value of $1,000 and a personal estate of $300. Not a bad sum for a farmer of the time.
The early life of T.J. Youngblood was spent in Missouri, where he received such education and training as the meager advantages of that country then afforded, securing a total of only two terms of subscription school of three months each.
Thomas’s mother, Lucinda, died in December of 1869 at the age of 42, but not before birthing at least three more children. In the 1870 census, the family is still in Osage but Solomon is now widowed and aged 43. He then claimed $2,000 in real estate value and $362 in personal estate. Children present were John 15, Thomas J. 12, Eliza Jane 9, Nancy I. 7, Elizabeth 5, Alice 2 and one child from the previous marriage, Sarah A. King, aged 18. The two oldest sons were listed as farm hands on the family farm.
Later in the census year, on November 13, 1870, Solomon found another woman to help care for his children and married Adeline Stith.
By the time the Youngblood family returned to Illinois in 1874, the marriage of Solomon and Adeline had hit the rocks and they divorced. He then married his third wife, Mariah Lodusky, on December 18, 1874. This was the fourth marriage for Mariah who first married a Barber, then a Gurley, then a Newton and lastly Solomon Youngblood. The family lodged in Stonefort in Saline County.
Thomas J. Youngblood, in 1875, at the age of 18, and after one term at the public school, went to select school until he had fitted himself for teaching which he followed.
By the time of the 1880 federal census, his father, Solomon, had deserted his family and Mariah, now 52, and all the children, including three of her daughters from her last marriage were still living in Stonefort. Thomas J., 23, and his older brother J.R., 25, were supplementing the income of the home by teaching. The remaining children in the home were Martha Newton 15, Ester K. Newton 12 and Victoria Newton aged 10. Mariah officially divorced Solomon on February 20, 1886 for desertion.
Thomas followed teaching until 1885 when he took up the study of law. He kept up the practice of teaching winters, however, and read law summers at odd times as he got opportunity, and was admitted to the bar in 1889.
The following winter he taught his last term of school. Receiving the nomination on the Republican ticket for County Superintendent of Schools he moved to Marion, was elected in spite of opposition, and served two terms from 1890 till 1898.
He was the first to require each applicant for a certificate a fee of $1.00 to be used in meeting the expense of a Teachers’ Institute. John H. Duncan, the previous superintendent, had looked toward grading the rural schools by using John Framer’s Manual and Guide and holding central and final examinations. The writer took the first central examination and had taken the next two before making a passing grade.
Mr. Youngblood continued the progress being made. By this time the county contained several good high schools, which included Marion, Carterville, Creal Springs, Crab Orchard Academy and Creal Springs College and Conservatory of Music.
This experience brought him into politics, and he never took up the practice of law even though he was a member of the Williamson County Bar Association. Instead, he took up the real estate, insurance and abstract business.
In the city elections of April, 1899, the saloon and anti-saloon forces in Marion were coming to a head. The push for temperance had become a political hot button in this year. Marion had always had its share of saloons in the past, but the temperance movement had been sweeping not just the nation, but Marion as well. Youngblood ran for Mayor of Marion on the anti-saloon side against local businessman and prominent citizen Joab Goodall who stood squarely on the saloon side. The local paper exclaimed the election results thusly, “For some time past the saloon party has been in power and well-fortified, but owing to the open violation of the law and conduct exceedingly bad, their works were weakened and gave an opening for the assault that swept them out of power.” It went on to say, “With Mayor Youngblood at the head of the city government, with the Board he has, we fear no evil.”
Youngblood served two, one year, terms as Mayor of Marion in 1899 and 1900. During his term of office John H. Duncan, James C. Jackson, John H. Burnett, Charles A. Gent, R.L. Hudgens and Lloyd Campbell were aldermen.
On January 27, 1892, he was united in marriage to Miss Nora Erwin, daughter of T. J. and Angeline Erwin, of Stonefort, by whom they had one son named Reuel (Ruel) Youngblood.
When the 1900 census was taken, T.J. 42, and Nora 31, were living at 302 S. Van Buren Street which became their permanent home. Their son, Reuel, was aged 7. Thomas listed his occupation as real estate. They were found in the same location and listed the same occupation in the 1910 census.
Their son, Reuel, graduated from Marion Township High School in the class of 1911 and after completing his education went to work with his father as Youngblood & Youngblood with an office located at 101 ½ W. Main Street.
In the 1920 census, T.J., now 62, and Nora, 50, were caring for Nora’s widowed, 79 year old father, Thomas J. Erwin, in their home. He was listed as a retired miller. Their son, Reuel, was 26 years old and still living with his parents on S. Van Buren St.
On March 13, 1926, Thomas passed away at his home at 302 South Van Buren Street. He had been in ill health for several months. Mr. Youngblood and his son were engaged in the abstract business at the time of his death. He was a member of the I. O. O. F.
He was preceded in death by one brother, J.R. Youngblood, and is survived by three sisters, Mrs. Isabelle Martin of Stonefort, Mrs. Eliza Groves of Marion, R.F.D. and Mrs. Alice Finney of Evansville, Indiana.
Funeral services were conducted Monday afternoon from the First Baptist Church by Doctors Prince and Throgmorton and interment followed at the Rose Hill Cemetery.
Casket bearers were Rufus Neely, Ivan Roberts, M.N. Swan, Ray Miller, James H. Felts, and Ed Alexander.
Thomas’s wife, Nora, continued living in Marion and passed away in early August of 1956.
Sam’s Notes:
Reuel Erwin Youngblood was born on March 5, 1893. He worked with his father at the abstract business and carried on the business after his father’s death. He had offices at 101 ½ W. Main with his father, in the 1930’s he was in an office over the F.W. Woolworth store and in the 1950’s and 1960’s he was located at 802 ½ Public Square over Boatright’s Tavern. After his father died, he cared for and lived with his mother on S. Van Buren until she passed away in 1956. Late in life, he appears to have married a female named Felicia and was working as a book keeper for William Bracy. They lived at 405 N. Russell St. when he passed away in May of 1965. They had no children.
(Extracted from Marion Daily Republican Obit, March, 1926; 1905 Souvenir History of Williamson County; Federal Census Records; Illinois Marriage Records; Illinois Death Records; Civil War Records; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 03/04/2014)