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Thomas Elliott Vinson was born in Trigg County, KY, on May 23, 1851. He was one of 7 children (James Washington, William Riley, Sarah Jane, Finis Carroll, Thomas Elliott, John and David Woodruff) born to Coleman C. and Permelia (Johns(t)on) Vinson. Coleman and Permelia were married January 18, 1843 in Caldwell County KY. Coleman Vinson was born April 3, 1818 on his parents' homestead in what would become Trigg County. Coleman was the sixth child of Ezekiel and Mary Vinson and the first of his parents' twelve children to be born in Kentucky. Ezekiel was born in North Carolina in March 1791 and was married November 24, 1808 in South Carolina to Mary Wallis, born in South Carolina February 12, 1789.
Thomas Vinson's mother, Permelia, was the daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Johns(t)on. They were residents, from childhood, of the area that would become the Lamasco community of Lyon County, KY, but both were born in North Carolina. Benjamin and Sarah were married January 6, 1821 in Caldwell Co. Sarah was the daughter of early Caldwell settlers Martin and Permelia Hall.
Thomas Vinson married Mary Amerzing Oliver October 25, 1877 at her parents' home near Lamasco. She was born, one of triplets, April 28, 1857 to Levin T. and Lydia G. Oliver. Her siblings were William August, John Eddy, Nathan Marion, and Lucinda (triplet). The third triplet, Robert Allison, died as an infant. Levin T. and Lydia (Oliver) Oliver married December 29, 1845 in Caldwell County, KY.
Mary's mother, Lydia, was the daughter of Nathan and Hannah Oliver who lived near Lamasco. Nathan was born in Maryland about 1775 to Levin and Elizabeth Oliver, early settlers of the Lamasco area. Nathan married Hannah Gray in Fauquier County, Virginia January 27, 1795. She was the daughter of Garrett and Susannah Gray of New Jersey and also an early settler of the Lamasco area. Garret was a Revolutionary War Veteran and served with Washington's Army at Valley Forge. The parent's of Levin T. Oliver, father of Mary Amerzing Oliver, parents are unknown but it's very likely that Levin T. was a grandson of Levin Oliver of Maryland making Levin T. and Lydia first cousins.
Thomas Vinson continued the traditional family occupation of village blacksmith as practiced by his father. He began by working with his father and later his brother James in Lamasco but soon struck out on his own. He served as a blacksmith in the Trigg County communities of Wring and Montgomery in the 1880's and Wallonia from about 1890 to 1904. He and his family then left Trigg county for the new coal camp of Graham in Muhlenberg County where he worked as blacksmith until his death December 2, 1925. His wife Mary died in Luzerne, Muhlenberg Co. KY, July 2, 1934. They are buried in Unity Cemetery near Graham.
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Thomas and Mary had eight children, all born in Trigg County and all deceased, to reach adulthood. They are: Melvin Augustus, Maggie Ella (m. John Stull), Oscar Elliott, Eldred Alonzo, Lola Vergie (m2. Yuell, m1. Mayo Williams), Cecil Cordelia (m. James Tarrants), Robert Denzil, and Thomas Jefferson. They resided in Hopkins and Muhlenberg Counties, KY; Evansville, IN; and Herrin, IL.
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