William H. Thrash, sheriff of Clay county since 1910 and one of the
prominent farmers of his section of the state, is a native of Clay county.
He was born on the farm of his father on June 10, 1861, and he is now the
owner and operator of that farm, which came to him upon the demise of his
honored parent. The farm is one of the most up-todate and well kept in the
county, and is a matter of much pride to its owner, as well it may be.
Mr. Thrash is the son of Larkin and Sarah (Humes) Thrash. Larkin Thrash
was born in White county, Illinois, in 1818, and passed his life in pursuit
of the farming industry. He settled in Clay county in early life and on the
government land which he filed on when he came here he worked and prospered
and finally died, his death occurring in November, 1911. He was always a
hard-working man and his success was in proportion to the efforts he
expended on his place, in later years being prominently known as a farmer
and stock-raiser of much ability and prosperity. He was a Democrat all his
life, and all his political labors were in behalf of that party. He was the
son of Thomas Thrash, a native of Virginia, who settled in White county,
Illinois, where Larkin Thrash was born, and there spent the remainder of his
life. The maternal grandfather of William H. Thrash was John Humes, born in
Ohio, but later moving into Indiana, where he eventually passed away. He
also was a farmer.
Mr. Thrash, of this review, was educated in the
common schools of Clay county, being permitted advantages such as were
common to the country youth of his period. He remained on his father's farm
and assisted with the conduct of the flourishing business of which his
father was the head. He has made his residence at the farm, which eventually
came into his ownership on the death of his father in November, 1911, until
a short time ago when he moved into Louisville, that he might more
conveniently discharge the duties of his office as sheriff of Clay county,
to which office he was elected in 1910, on the Democratic ticket in a
Republican county, a fact which is most eloquent of the high standing and
general popularity of the man in his county.
In 1883 Mr. Thrash
married Miss Belle Rusher, a daughter of Moss Rusher, a settler in Illinois
in the early days of her statehood. He was a veteran of the Civil war and
was a useful citizen of Louisville for many years, where he plied his trade
as a harness maker with a high degree of success up to the time of his
death, in 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Thrash are the parents of seven children:
Flossie, Charles W., Nellie, Clarence, Arta, Ruth and Esti.
Mr.
Thrash is a member of the Odd Fellows and the Red Men, and in his political
affiliations has always been a sturdy Democrat, and has been a leader in
Democratic politics in Clay county for years.
Extracted 09 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Southern Illinois, by George W. Smith, published in 1912, volume 3, pages 1545-1546.
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