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KANAWHA COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: THOMAS, Frederick S.
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Sandy Spradling
SSpradling@AOL.com
September 25, 1999
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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and Representative
Citizens
W.S. Laidley
Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, ILL.
1911
p. 383-384
FREDERICK S. THOMAS, M.D., who for a number of years was well known as one of
the leading medical men in the southwestern part of the state, and as
proprietor and physician in chief of the Thomas Private Hospital, at
Charleston, was born near Sissonville, in to Charleston in 1884, he entered
into practice here, and was for a time interested in a drug business, in
partnership with Mr. Potterfield, under the style of Thomas & Potterfield,
but in 1892 he sold out his interest to his partner. He then devoted his main
attention to the practice of medicine and surgery and soon built up a wide
reputation as one of the leading members of his profession. It was he who
introduced the bath treatment for typhoid fever, since adopted by many other
able physicians. But perhaps Dr. Thomas was more widely known as the
proprietor of the Thomas Private Hospital at Charleston, a noble institution,
in which the residents of the city take a just pride. The fine and
commodious building was erected by the city during I 89&97 at a cost of
$30,000 and was under lease to Dr. Thomas, who with a corps of able
assistants conducted the institution in a most efficient manner, reflecting
credit upon him and his confreres and making it of great value to the
southwestern part of the state. Among his assistants were able specialists
upon every disease or class of diseases to which human flesh is heir. The
hospital is conducted on broad lines and is admirably equipped. Not only are
the dangerously sick provided for, but provision was made for those who
merely sought rest and restoration from the strain of either business or
social life.
Dr. Thomas was regarded as at the head of his profession for some years
before his death, which event took place January 7, i908. He had been
influential in the establishment of other hospitals and sanitariums and
belonged to the American and State Medical Associations and the County
Medical Society. Aside from his profession, he was interested in several
important business enterprises, being president of the Charleston Ice & Coal
Company, a stockholder in the Charleston National Bank, and being interested
also in coal mining operations. He was a member of the First Presbyterian
church and was a man of high-minded and charitable disposition, giving freely
of his means to worthy causes. In politics he was a Republican.
Dr. Thomas was married, Oct. 7, 1879, in Maiden, W. Va.,to Ruth Lee Putney,
who was born in Maiden, March 19, 1856, a daughter of Dr. James and Mary E.
(Reed) Putney. Mrs. Thomas is a great-granddaughter of Ellis Putney, a native
of England who, coming to this country settled in Virginia and married Fannie
Fearn. He and his wife resided in Buckingham county. Their son, Dr. Richard
Ellis Putney, born in Virginia, March 13, 1774, was a physician, and ahout
1812 or 1814 settled in Maiden, Kanawha county, where he died May 12, 1862.
He was a man of considerable local prominence, both as a physician and in
politics, serving as magistrate for 25 or 30 years. He was also engaged in
the manufacture of salt. He married Oct. 11, 1815, Ann, the daughter of David
Ruffner. She was born in 1792 and died some years before her husband, who
subsequently contracted a second marriage, of which there was no issue. By
his first mar-riage Dr. R. Ellis Putney had several children, including Dr.
James Putney, father of Mrs. Thomas. Dr. James Putney was a graduate of the
Cincinnati (0.) Medical College and an active physician in MaIden for some
years, where he died in 1876, being then in his 6ist year. He was married
May 7, 1850, in Farm-ington, Iowa, to Mary E. Reed, who was born in Palmyra,
Mo., April 13, 1830, and was reared and educated in Farmington. She is still
living and although advanced in years, is bright and active both mentally and
physically, and keeps well informed on current events. She is, indeed, one of
the intellectual women of her day and her interest in the progress of
humanity, the advancement of her sex, the purification of politics and other
weighty subjects, is deep and keen. Her father, Samuel C. Reed, was
government Indian agent in Iowa from 1836 until his death in 1848. He was
also elected more than once to the Iowa state legislature. Born in
Pennsylvania in 1798, he was reared in Ohio, and married in Charlston, W. Va.
to Maria Slaughter. She was born in 1799, a daughter of Coodrigh and Hannah
(Van Bibber) Slaughter, pioneer settlers in Kanawba county. At the time of
Mrs. Mary E. Putney's residence in Iowa, there were many Mormons settled in
that state with whom, owing to her father's official position, she was
brought more or less into contact, thus obtainmg a familiar knowledge of
their religious, social and political ideas.
Dr. and Mrs. Thomas have been the parents of two children: James Putney and
Ruth Mary. James Putney Thomas, horn July 13, 1880, was educated in a
military school and at the University of West Virginia, and is now an
electrician residing in Los Angeles, Calif. He married Miss Drusilla Bolin
of Ohio. Ruth Mary, born 25 years ago, is a graduate of Lewisburg college
(W. Va.), class of 1906. She married R. W. Edmunds, of a Farmville, V~
family, hut now residing in Charleston, W. Va. He is a graduate of
Hamden-Sidney college, a civil engineer by profession, and is also engaged in
the coal business.
Sandy Spradling
SSpradling@AOL.com
State Contact for WV GenExchange
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