Thomas Family Papers - Accession 147

Authors

Thomas Family

Files

Identifier

Accession 147

Inclusive Dates

1885-1978 (Bulk: 1920-1945)

Restrictions

Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections

Collection Size

16,500 pieces, 8.25 linear feet

Language

English

Historical Note

Dr. Roy Zachariah Thomas (1879-1962) was a professor of Chemistry and Physics at Winthrop from 1914 through 1926. He brought his family with him to Rock Hill when he assumed the position of professor of Chemistry at Winthrop and quickly became one of the prominent families in Rock Hill, SC. The Thomas Family founded Thomas Tours, Inc. which was a Rock Hill travel agency founded in the 1920s and existed until 2010 when it was merged with Mann Travels.

Scope and Content Note

The collection is a valuable source of information concerning family life in Rock Hill, S.C. during the period from 1920-1945. The collection includes diaries, Thomas Tours brochures, newspaper clippings speeches, financial and estate records, genealogies, menus, photographs, memorabilia and extensive body of correspondence comprising the largest part of the collection. Dr. Roy Zachariah Thomas brought his family to Rock Hill when he assumed the position of professor of Chemistry at Winthrop College in 1914. The correspondence in the collections traces the growth of the Thomas family and the tour business, Thomas Tours, Inc., that Dr. Thomas founded in the 1920’s. Letters exchanged by family members give keen insight into the following: 1) the activates offered by Winthrop Training School and Winthrop College in the 1920’s and early 1930’s, 2) the burgeoning tour business, 3) the social events offered by Duke University during the mid-1930’s, 4) life during the depression, 5) the rigorous training of ROTC cadets at Clemson University during the early 1940’s, 6) the accelerated training of enlisted men and officers of the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII, 7) the effects of the U.S. atomic bombing of Japan, and 8) the growth of one of Rock Hill’s prominent families. A later addition was made to the collection in March 2022 by Nancy Thomas Wofford (Class of 1967 and 1984) of an article titled “History of Curriculum of Early Childhood Education of Winthrop College” by Nancy Wofford and a Winthrop Thesis titled Teaching The Individual with Special Reference to Florida by Nancy’s aunt, Lula Craig Mills (Class of 1936).

Provenance

The papers of Thomas family whose head was Roy Zachariah Thomas, the founder of Thomas Tours, Inc. of Rock Hill and a former professor of chemistry at Winthrop College (1914-1926), were received by the College Archives as a gift from Louise Thomas Miller (1904-1985) on December 6, 1977. An addition was made to the collection in March 2022 by Nancy Thomas Wofford (Class of 1967 and 1984) of an article titled “History of Curriculum of Early Childhood Education of Winthrop College” by Nancy Wofford and a Winthrop Thesis titled Teaching The Individual with Special Reference to Florida by Nancy’s aunt, Lula Craig Mills (Class of 1936).

Keywords

Rock Hill SC, Tourism, World War II, Winthrop College, Correspondence, Great Depression, Local History

Copyright

For information concerning copyright please contact the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University.

Finding Aid Citation

Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, Winthrop University, "Thomas Family Papers - Accession 147". Finding Aid 89.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/89

Related Collections

• Biographical File: Roy Zachariah Thomas
• W412 – Personnel Records– Roy Zachariah Thomas (126-1663)
• W430-0-1 - WTS Roll of Honor- WWII (1-8, 1-9)
• Accession 1786 (M841) – Fort Mill Textile Thesis Collection by Nancy Thomas Wofford