James Philemon "Jimmie" Thompson was born in Alabama on January 5, 1865. Jimmie moved to Texas sometime prior to October 1888 and worked as a painter in Bonham and Dallas.
He fell in love with Sallie Henry – a sister to Florence's husband Amandus Henry. Jimmie asked Sallie to marry him but encountered resistance from Sallie's father, a prominent Disciples preacher named Dr. Ausburn Cicero Henry. Here Jimmie writes from Dallas to his brother Robert in Alabama. (The letter is dated October 1, 1889. I have left the spelling as it appears.)
"Dear Bob,
"… I have at last got up courage enough to "ask Papa" and he gave his consent provided we would put it off another year so you see I am doomed to disappointment again. I believe I could persuade her to marry me anyway, but I hate to do it, after Papa's writing such a nice kind letter as he did about it. (You see I wrote him about it, & did not have "gall" enough to tackle him personly). He says he thinks I ought to try to get a little better fixed financially before burdening myself with the care of a family, and also he wishes her to go to school at least one year longer before she marrys.
"Well he may be right, but I am afraid if I have to wait for her until I better my finances very much, that I will have to wait a very long time, for it is just simply impossiable for me to save money, especially when I have to associate with a reckless gang of painters, whose sole aim and desire seems to be to spend every cent of their week's wages before twelve oclock Sat. night. Besides that I loaf around at night and every Sun. Evening and spend a sight of money that I would not spend if I had a wife.
"I am not at all afraid but what I could make as good a living for her as she has ever been used to, but he (the Dr.) does not seem to think so, – so I suppose we will have to postpone it another year, but if he wants us to wait longer than that we will fool him a trip… .
"Jim."
…
A year and a half later, and finally with Dr. Henry's approval, Jimmie Thompson and Sallie Henry got married. The wedding took place in Texas, and Dr. Henry performed the ceremony himself. The young couple set up house in the town of Bonham. Jimmie and Sallie had one child, whom they named "Florence" after Jimmie's sister, who had died just a few months earlier. But the new baby died in infancy.
Jimmie and Sallie returned to Alabama in August 1891. But then Jimmie fell sick, and he died on 26 October 1891 "at the home of his aunt, Mrs. Lettie Gresham, at Mars Hill." Jimmie had been married for a little over a year. He was 27.
– bio by Chris Hanlin
James Philemon "Jimmie" Thompson was born in Alabama on January 5, 1865. Jimmie moved to Texas sometime prior to October 1888 and worked as a painter in Bonham and Dallas.
He fell in love with Sallie Henry – a sister to Florence's husband Amandus Henry. Jimmie asked Sallie to marry him but encountered resistance from Sallie's father, a prominent Disciples preacher named Dr. Ausburn Cicero Henry. Here Jimmie writes from Dallas to his brother Robert in Alabama. (The letter is dated October 1, 1889. I have left the spelling as it appears.)
"Dear Bob,
"… I have at last got up courage enough to "ask Papa" and he gave his consent provided we would put it off another year so you see I am doomed to disappointment again. I believe I could persuade her to marry me anyway, but I hate to do it, after Papa's writing such a nice kind letter as he did about it. (You see I wrote him about it, & did not have "gall" enough to tackle him personly). He says he thinks I ought to try to get a little better fixed financially before burdening myself with the care of a family, and also he wishes her to go to school at least one year longer before she marrys.
"Well he may be right, but I am afraid if I have to wait for her until I better my finances very much, that I will have to wait a very long time, for it is just simply impossiable for me to save money, especially when I have to associate with a reckless gang of painters, whose sole aim and desire seems to be to spend every cent of their week's wages before twelve oclock Sat. night. Besides that I loaf around at night and every Sun. Evening and spend a sight of money that I would not spend if I had a wife.
"I am not at all afraid but what I could make as good a living for her as she has ever been used to, but he (the Dr.) does not seem to think so, – so I suppose we will have to postpone it another year, but if he wants us to wait longer than that we will fool him a trip… .
"Jim."
…
A year and a half later, and finally with Dr. Henry's approval, Jimmie Thompson and Sallie Henry got married. The wedding took place in Texas, and Dr. Henry performed the ceremony himself. The young couple set up house in the town of Bonham. Jimmie and Sallie had one child, whom they named "Florence" after Jimmie's sister, who had died just a few months earlier. But the new baby died in infancy.
Jimmie and Sallie returned to Alabama in August 1891. But then Jimmie fell sick, and he died on 26 October 1891 "at the home of his aunt, Mrs. Lettie Gresham, at Mars Hill." Jimmie had been married for a little over a year. He was 27.
– bio by Chris Hanlin
