Jeremiah Todd Thornton was the son of William and Sallie (Todd) Thornton. He married Martha McConnell on March 7, 1861, and to this union were born 15 children, including triplets and twins. (Martha had been a twin, herself.) The family lived on a farm two miles west of Clarksdale, MO.

[Sources: US Census records; DeKalb County, Missouri, MOGenWeb Project; Thornton/Nelson Family History website]
_______

[The following was written by R J Thornton:]

Jeremiah and Martha were married on March 7, 1861, and Martha would have her first child nine months later. As a twin, Martha must have carried the multiple birth genes with her because in the 15 children she and Jerry Thornton had between 1861 and 1886, they included a set of triplets and twins.

Their farm was two miles west of the tiny town of Clarksdale. By 1890 the town had 145 people and it would not double its population in the next 100 years. The “commercial” section of the town was a series of stores that surrounded an open space. This town design, with shops built around a square, was popular in much of the Midwest. In most towns the center of the square would be the county court house. Since Clarksdale was not the county seat the square was a park that had hitching posts for teams of horses. In the center was a bandstand for summer concerts and picnics. Two blocks away was the depot for the Chicago Rock Island Railroad

Most of Jerry and Martha’s children settled in the Clarksdale area, married local residents, made their living from farming; and when they died, they were buried in the Thornton Cemetery in Clarksdale. Here is a brief review of their lives:

The two oldest boys were the exception for most members of the family. William Alexander, born in 1861, never married and settled in Oregon as a teacher and rancher. When his father died in 1916 he returned to Clarksdale to care for his mother until she died in 1925. After which he returned to Oregon where he died nine years later. John Boston, born in 1863, also varied from the others in that he moved to Oklahoma City and married Ella Courtney. They had 8 children.

The triplets, born in 1865, married local men and lived their lives in Clarksdale. Sarah Cyrenia had 4 children and lived to be 100 years old. Elvira Jane married George Swaits and had 5 children. Mary Frances married Wm. Walter Minter who was a salesman and inventor, and had 4 children.

James Calvin, born in 1868, married a local girl, Anna Mary Redman, and had 6 children. Since they are the direct link to our family there is more about James, Anna and their family in the next section of this narrative.

Robert [Robbie] lived only 6 months before his death in 1870. Oliver Albin, born in 1871, married another local girl, Adria Chambers, and farmed in the community. They had 9 children. Adria's sister, Mary, also married into the Thornton family. She married Oliver Albin's cousin, one of William Todd Thornton's sons. Laura Alice, born in 1874, married Willis Coffey and had 3 children. Willis joined his father-in-law, Jerry Thornton, in the hardware and implement business in Clarksdale. Albert Edwin, born in 1876, married Ida Josephine Groom and had 5 children. Ida lived to be only 29 years old. Artie Belle married Albert Carter and had one child.

The twins, born in 1881, Lula May and Lillie Maud spend most of their lives in northeast Missouri. Lula May married David Russell and had 4 children. Lillie Maud first married Robert Crain and then married George Swails and had 4 children. She is buried with her first husband in the Lebanon Cemetery near Hemple, Mo. George Swails is buried in Oklahoma. De Ethelbert, born in 1884, died at 27 with tuberculoses. The last child, Minnie Etta, first married Benjamin Sherwood and had 3 children. Later, she married Melvin Poland.

After several years of farming on the 500 acres in Clarksdale, “Uncle Jerry,” as he was called, opened an implement and hardware business in Clarksdale in 1898 with his son-in-law W. F. Coffey. It was located in a two-story brick building on the southwest corner of the square, just down the street from the Baptist Church. The windows in front were painted with the words “J.T. Thornton & Co. Carriages Buggies and Wagons” and “Hardware and Implements.” From the street you had to walk up some wooden steps to reach the double front doors. As the business grew, in 1900 he moved his home into town and remained there for an additional 6 years. When he sold the business in 1906 he returned to the farm and continued working the saw and gristmill that had been in operation before the War.

Jerry Thornton died on February 17, 1916 at 82 years of age, after a lingering illness of many months. His funeral was the last service in the Salem Church before it closed. Elder Calvin C. Moore, one of William Todd Thornton’s son-in-laws, officiated. Jerry’s oldest son, William Alexander, left his ranch and school where he was teaching in Oregon and returned to Clarksdale to take care of his mother. Martha Thornton lived until October 26, 1925. She was 90 years old.
_______

Addendum by Debbie DuBrucq: The reference to Sarah Cyrenia being a one of 3 daughters (triplets) born to Jeremiah and Martha is incorrect. Her father was brother to Jeremiah, his name was Luke. He married Ms Cyrenia Todd on 5 Dec 1854 in DeKalb County, Missouri. Her memorial is #155918179.

Missouri Death Certificate #5957:

Jeremiah T. Thornton
Married White Male
Age: 81 yr, 4 mo, 20 da
Occupation: Farmer
Father: William Thornton, born in KY
Mother: Sallie Todd, born in KY
Informant: Martha Thornton of Clarksdale, MO
Burial: 19 Feb 1916 in Thornton Cemetery