Man of color born around 1838 in Alabama. (Race is given as Black, White, and Mulatto in various records.)
First appeared in 1870 census of Escambia County, Florida, living on his own in Molino, Florida. He was 27 years old; his occupation was given as Teamster. Described as Mulatto in this record, and able to read but not write.
He married Elizabeth Owens on March 16, 1876 in Escambia County, Florida. The service was performed by J.B. Vaughn, Justice of the Peace. Thornton was described as Colored; Elizabeth was not. [Elizabeth’s maiden name was actually Flemming; she was the daughter of George Flemming and Nicey Pyburn. Nicey’s last name was Owens at the time of Elizabeth’s marriage.]
In 1882, an Escambia County deed from William J. Johnson, administrator of the Estate of Daniel Scott of Santa Rosa County, FL, confirms an earlier transfer of land (9 February 1878) from Scott to Thornton. The land is in the city of Molino and runs along the L & N Railroad line. (Escambia County [FL] Deeds, Y/74; 6 APR 1882)
In the 1885 State Census of Florida, Thornton was in Escambia County with his wife (called “Lizzie”) and a son whose name is illegible; his age appears to be 7. Thornton was described as a Black male, 52 years old, working as a laborer. He and both his parents were born in Alabama. Lizzie was described as a White female born in Florida, 30 years old, and their son is described as Mulatto. They lived with George Hardy, 18; and Lena Hardy, 12 – these were described as Thornton’s wards, but they were Lizzie’s children from a previous marriage.
The son’s name in the 1885 census was transcribed as “Wince,” though the name is barely visible. William Adams, age 16, died 14 May 1897 of brain fever congestion in Molino. He was identified as Colored; his father was born in Alabama and the mother in Florida. He was buried in Vaughn Cemetery, where his Find a Grave entry declares him to be the son of Thornton and Lizzie.
Thornton was listed in the Pensacola City Directories begining in 1903. He was living at 422 East Romana Street and his occcupation was given as either a laborer or bayman. In the 1913 listing, he is asterisked as “colored,” and in 1916, he is described as Mulatto, but in other entries, he is listed without racial notation (which means White).
The next census Thornton appears in is 1910 in Escambia County. He and Lizzie were living at 422 Romana St. with no one else in the household. Thornton was described as a White male, 70 years old, married for 38 years. His occupation was Bayman. He could neither read nor write.
Lizzie died on 13 May 1916 of Bright’s Disease at the house on Romana St. She was described as Colored, age 66. She was buried in St. Joseph’s cemetery.
Thornton does not appear in the City Directories after 1916 (1917 and 1918 are not extant), where he is listed as being a watchman but still living on Romana St. It may be that he moved to the unlisted location where he lived in the 1920 census.
Thornton was enumerated in the 1920 census in Pensacola. He was described as a White male, 82 years old. He was widowed and lived alone. Both he and his parents were born in Alabama. His address was West Main St., but the house number is “none.” He was working as a Watchman for “private property,” so he may have been living in a guardhouse of some kind. Nearly all of his neighbors were listed as being fishermen or working at the dry docks or shipyard. Thornton was again described as being unable to read or write.
Thornton died 31 October 1928 in Pensacola Hospital, Pensacola, FL; his age was estimated at 91. Cause of death was benign hypertension, interstitial nephritis, cardiac insufficiency and cystitis. His last residence was listed as Bruce Dry Docks. There is no information on his family on the death certificate other than that he was widowed. The hospital was the informant.
He was buried in the Escambia Poor Farm cemetery.
FAMILY:
Wife: Elizabeth (“Lizzie”) Flemming Owens
Son: William Adams
SOURCES:
Year: 1870; Census Place: Molino, Escambia, Florida; Roll: M593_129; Page: 589A. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. [accessed 6 November 2021].
Escambia County, FL Marriage Records, 1821-1900. Transcribed from the original by West Florida Genealogical Society. [accessed wfgs.org, 6 November 2021].
Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Ancestry.com. Florida, U.S., State Census, 1867-1945 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. [accessed 6 November 2021].
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12513924/william-t.-adams [accessed 6 November 2021]
Year: 1910; Census Place: Precinct 12, Escambia, Florida; Roll: T624_160; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 0014; FHL microfilm: 1374173. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. [accessed 6 November 2021].
Year: 1920; Census Place: Pensacola, Escambia, Florida; Roll: T625_219; Page: 27; Enumeration District: 32. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. [accessed 6 November 2021].
Florida Certificate of Death, Florida Deaths, 1877-1939. Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.