The history of the Thomas family mirrors the history, struggles, and successes of America. Starting in the 1600s, my ancestors came from Europe and helped settle and build the country, fought in the battles that defined the nation, lost their jobs in the Great Depression, and then enjoyed the prosperity of 20th century America. Along the way was a soldier who fought with George Washington in Braddock's Expedition, a veteran of Bunker Hill who may have heard the famed command "don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes," a father and son who served on opposing sides during the Civil War, and the engineer who kept the Washington Monument running in it's early days. This book, a family history of my parents and their ancestors, tells their stories and presents the lineage of my family.