Thomas Tice homesteaded in Kansas (Wilmot, KS, Cowley County) after the Civil War. Thomas was in the Civil War on the Union side.Company G, 50th Ohio Infantry. He sent for his wife, Elena, also spelled Eleanor and Ellanor, and daughter Ida, when Ida was eighteen months old. That would have been in March, 1873 He built a sod hut for them to live in. He borrowed a team of oxen to drive to Wichita to meet Elena and Ida at the train depot. They came from Batavia, Ohio. He met Elena through Elena's brother who was in the Civil War with Thomas. Note: There are a lot of Wallaces in the cemetery in Batavia who are related, but no Tices there.. Thomas had a brother Dan and a sister Dicey that he spoke of often. I think Dicey must have been his sister Delilah, born 01-24-1840. It took him a considerable time to get to Wichita and back. The Indians were still roaming the prairies at that time. They had to haul water one half mile, and in the fall he and other men would kill buffalo along the Walnut River for winter food. Elena said the Indians would come begging and would steal anything they could. They particularly liked sugar, and when she could spare it, she would give them a cup of sugar. Elena related to my mother Edith Adams Orrill, her granddaughter that there was a woman who went all over the county, and sewed for people. She would come and sew all day long for a week, but kept a loaded pistol by her side all the time.
In 1874 the grasshoppers came and destroyed everything.(My mother related that her grandmother Elena referred to them as Locusts rather than grasshoppers) She said they came just like a huge black cloud and Elena said they ate her laundry hanging on the clothes line right off up to the clothes pins. There were four children of the union. Ida, Edgar who was a drinker and drank and gambled away his inheritance, Lila, and Gertie, who died when she was very young of intestinal problems. Her picture sat on an easel in the parlor. At some time Thomas and Elena built a big house near Rock, KS.
Elena loved flowers and they had a long white picket fence that ran beside a long driveway. She had flowers planted all along beside it. She made mention in a letter that she had sold a 1000 seedlings. They had a big picture of Thomas in his Civil War Uniform hanging on the wall in the parlor. They also had large pictures of each of their mother's wearing white bonnets, and framed in black and gold filligree The Tices did well in Kansas. They had a large house and three farms. When they died they left son Edgar the best farm and he lost it gambling. Left daughter Ida Tice the upland farm, one mile west and one mile north of Henry Green Adams place, and the third one was left to daughter Lila May.
In a letter from Susan Orrill, dated Sept. 27, 1981, she stated that she received Thomas Tice's Army Company's history. His company attacked or fought over the Chattanooga railroad and waterways. She found that interesting since her family had lived in Chattanooga. Thomas related to my mother, Edith Adams Orrill that they were with Sherman on his march to the sea, and they burned so many big beautiful Southern mansions. He hated to see them burn. The men were taking things they could carry out of the houses, saying they would just burn anyway, but he could never bring himself to take anything. One time he weakened and took a small time piece off a fireplace mantle, but when he got back outside his conscience bothered him so he took it back in and placed it back on the mantle and it burned with the house.
(Note) Thomas may have been born November 29, 1843 instead of Nov. 28th. Source: Civil War Record, Diary, Raleigh May. Thomas Tice was raised in a log cabin near Batavia, Ohio. He was 5' 9" tall, dark hair and grey eyes. He served in the Civil War in Co. G, 50th Ohio Infantry. Tom's cousin paid him $200.00 to serve in the Army in his place. Tom was 17 yrs old when he joined. Born 28 Nov 1843. After discharge he homesteaded near Rock, KS and sent for wife and eighteen month old Ida. Thomas left Ohio because of lung trouble, the effect of having the Measles, Rhumatic Fever and Typhoid Fever while in the Army.
The Tices had a big orchard on their place Following is the copy of a newspaper (unidentified) from Middletown, Ohio, written May 1897 on the Tice trip from Kansas to Batavia, Ohio: "WITH A WAGON AND PAIR THEY COVERED THE DISTANCE" Twelve hundred miles in thirty five days is a record smasher. An average of over thirty-four miles a day for thirty five days is not bad traveling. But Thomas Tice, of Kansas has accomplished it. Thomas lives on a farm about twelve miles from Wichita, in the Sunflower State.
Both he and his wife have relatives in Buckeye State, among others being Mrs. A. Thayer, of this city, who is a sister of Mrs. Tice, and they determined to visit them. After long consideration they decided that much more pleasure could be derived by journeying the distance in a wagon than by throwing away their hard cash to swell the dividends of monopolistic railroad companies, and accordingly the horses that hitherto had been accustomed principally to being hitched to the plough were backed into the family wagon, with a long vista of 1200 miles facing them to get over as best they might.
On May 11th (1897) this enterprising couple started on what will certainly prove to them the most memorable journey of their lives, leaving the fruitful fields of corn in Kansas just as it was about putting forth the tender leaves of hope and giving promise of the plentiful harvest that was to raise all the mortgages off the state that had been borne down by the eloquence of the Mary Teili' Lease, Sockless Jerry and a few others of that ilk, to find that on arrival in Ohio, it was marketed in large quantities. The journey occupied only thirty-five days between objective points, the first stop being made in Clermont County, where the couple remained for some time visiting relatives.
Today they were making themselves acquainted with all that Middletown had in the way of sightseeing. They are the guests of Mrs. A. Thayer and propose to stay a week. They are highly pleased with Middletown which, they say is one of the most progressive cities of its size found in their journey and they kindly remembrances of it and its people with them. They intend going from here to St. Mary's where they also propose to spend a week, and start on their return journey, expecting to reach home about the latter part of October. Success attend them.
Headstone: Small Civil War stone next to headstone; Co. G 50th Ohio Infantry. Stone reads; At rest Thomas Tice Born November 28, 1843 Died Feb 20, 1922 Gone but not forgotten. Every Memorial Day Thomas Tice would take my mother (Edith Blanche Adams, his granddaughter) and visit all the local cemeteries around Wilmot and Rock KS etc. and place flags on the graves of Civil War veterans. My mother enjoyed it so much.
They held very large Revivals on the Tice place, and the baptisms were in Dutch Creek on the Henry Green Adams place (daughter and son-inlaw)
Lone Tree School, abt 1883-1885. Ida Tice with "x" above head, my grandmother.
School was about 3 miles west of Tice place near Rock, KS
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 on Sandstrum farm |
 Walter Lewis standin by the engine |
 Adams Bridge. |
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