William Holland Thomas' father was Richard Thomas of Welsh descent, who fought at Kings Mountain and was a cousin to Zachary Taylor, President of the United States. His mother was Temperance Calvert of English descent, a grand niece of Lord Baltimore the founder of Maryland.
As a friend, counselor and chief of the North Carolina Cherokee Indians he spent more than thirty years in their service. He drew up a simple form of government for them, fought continually for their rightful claims upon the United States, helped them acquire homes and subsisted the needed among them. He laid off their land in the Qualla Boundary into five townships: Bird Town, Paint Town, Wolf Town, Yellow Hill and Big Cove.
He was a member of the North Carolina Senate, 1846-1862. During that time, except for one session, he was a member of the committee on internal improvements and served as its chairman for four sessions.
He was a pioneer leader in the development of Western North Carolina. While in the North Carolina Senate he secured charters for turnpikes through out that section and for the Western North Carolina Railroad. This was one of the greatest railroad-building eras in the history of North Carolina. He worked for the creation of Watauga, Jackson, Madison, Allegany, Mitchell, Transylvania, and Clay Counties.
He served in the Session Convention of 1861-62, and rose to the rank of Colonel in the Confederate Army as Commander of the Thomas' Legion.
This memorial was erected by the request of his daughter Sarah Love Thomas Avery, Wife of A.C. Avery, Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
THOMAS¡¯S RESTING PLACE ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï Greenhill Cemetery Col. William Holland Thomas (Feb-ruary 5, 1805¨CMay 10, 1893) is among the Confederate officers and soldiers buried here in Greenhill Cemetery. His grave is located about thirty yards in front of you on the right. Thomas, who began trading with the Cherokee when he was six-teen, was the first and only white man to serve as a Cherokee chief and an influential figure in antebellum western North Carolina. He repre-sented the Cherokee in the state capital and in Washington, D.C., to help establish the Qualla Boundary (the reservation for the Eastern Band of Cherokee). He organized Thomas¡¯s Legion of Cherokee Indi-ans and Mountaineers in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the Confederacy on September 27, 1862. The people of this area were sometimes referred to as highlanders, and local resi-dents called Thomas¡¯s unit the ¡°Highland Rangers.¡± Thomas even-tually recruited more than 2,000 officers and men, including two companies composed of 400 Chero-kee. The unit fought in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia and largely prevented the Federal occupation of western North Carolina. Part of the Legion served in the final engage-ment of the war in North Carolina at Waynesville on May 6¨C7. Thomas surrendered the Legion to Union Col. William C. Bartlett on May 9. The officers in Thomas¡¯s Legion from this area included Col. William Stringfield, Col. James Robert Love II, Lt. Col. William C. Walker, and Capt. John T. Levi. Stringfield is buried here in Green-hill Cemetery. William H. Thomas Courtesy North Carolina Office of Archives and History Capt. Alden Howell (February 18, 1841¨C March 19, 1947), a Haywood County native, is buried in Greenhill Cemetery. At the time of his death, there were 110 living Confeder-ate veterans, but Howell was the last remain-ing Confederate officer. He enlisted in 1861 and served four years in the 16th North Carolina Infantry, Company B, rising to the rank of captain. After the war, Howell became a prominent Waynesville banker and landowner. Time magazine published his obituary on March 31, 1947: ¡°Died. Captain Alden G. Howell, 106, who rode to war 86 years ago, saw Stonewall Jackson shot, lived to be the last surviving Confederate officer, oldest Mason in the U.S.; in Los Angeles.¡± Alden Howell Courtesy Mary E. Underwood, Faith of Our Fathers¨CLiving Still Cherokee veterans of Thomas¡¯s Legion at the 1903 Confederate Reunion in New Orleans. Courtesy The Mountaineer∼Wilusti means "Little Will" in the Cherokee language.
Contributor: Sharlotte Neely Donnelly
As a friend, counselor and chief of the North Carolina Cherokee Indians he spent more than thirty years in their service. He drew up a simple form of government for them, fought continually for their rightful claims upon the United States, helped them acquire homes and subsisted the needed among them. He laid off their land in the Qualla Boundary into five townships: Bird Town, Paint Town, Wolf Town, Yellow Hill and Big Cove.
He was a member of the North Carolina Senate, 1846-1862. During that time, except for one session, he was a member of the committee on internal improvements and served as its chairman for four sessions.
He was a pioneer leader in the development of Western North Carolina. While in the North Carolina Senate he secured charters for turnpikes through out that section and for the Western North Carolina Railroad. This was one of the greatest railroad-building eras in the history of North Carolina. He worked for the creation of Watauga, Jackson, Madison, Allegany, Mitchell, Transylvania, and Clay Counties.
He served in the Session Convention of 1861-62, and rose to the rank of Colonel in the Confederate Army as Commander of the Thomas' Legion.
This memorial was erected by the request of his daughter Sarah Love Thomas Avery, Wife of A.C. Avery, Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
THOMAS¡¯S RESTING PLACE ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï Greenhill Cemetery Col. William Holland Thomas (Feb-ruary 5, 1805¨CMay 10, 1893) is among the Confederate officers and soldiers buried here in Greenhill Cemetery. His grave is located about thirty yards in front of you on the right. Thomas, who began trading with the Cherokee when he was six-teen, was the first and only white man to serve as a Cherokee chief and an influential figure in antebellum western North Carolina. He repre-sented the Cherokee in the state capital and in Washington, D.C., to help establish the Qualla Boundary (the reservation for the Eastern Band of Cherokee). He organized Thomas¡¯s Legion of Cherokee Indi-ans and Mountaineers in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the Confederacy on September 27, 1862. The people of this area were sometimes referred to as highlanders, and local resi-dents called Thomas¡¯s unit the ¡°Highland Rangers.¡± Thomas even-tually recruited more than 2,000 officers and men, including two companies composed of 400 Chero-kee. The unit fought in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia and largely prevented the Federal occupation of western North Carolina. Part of the Legion served in the final engage-ment of the war in North Carolina at Waynesville on May 6¨C7. Thomas surrendered the Legion to Union Col. William C. Bartlett on May 9. The officers in Thomas¡¯s Legion from this area included Col. William Stringfield, Col. James Robert Love II, Lt. Col. William C. Walker, and Capt. John T. Levi. Stringfield is buried here in Green-hill Cemetery. William H. Thomas Courtesy North Carolina Office of Archives and History Capt. Alden Howell (February 18, 1841¨C March 19, 1947), a Haywood County native, is buried in Greenhill Cemetery. At the time of his death, there were 110 living Confeder-ate veterans, but Howell was the last remain-ing Confederate officer. He enlisted in 1861 and served four years in the 16th North Carolina Infantry, Company B, rising to the rank of captain. After the war, Howell became a prominent Waynesville banker and landowner. Time magazine published his obituary on March 31, 1947: ¡°Died. Captain Alden G. Howell, 106, who rode to war 86 years ago, saw Stonewall Jackson shot, lived to be the last surviving Confederate officer, oldest Mason in the U.S.; in Los Angeles.¡± Alden Howell Courtesy Mary E. Underwood, Faith of Our Fathers¨CLiving Still Cherokee veterans of Thomas¡¯s Legion at the 1903 Confederate Reunion in New Orleans. Courtesy The Mountaineer∼Wilusti means "Little Will" in the Cherokee language.
Contributor: Sharlotte Neely Donnelly
William Holland Thomas' father was Richard Thomas of Welsh descent, who fought at Kings Mountain and was a cousin to Zachary Taylor, President of the United States. His mother was Temperance Calvert of English descent, a grand niece of Lord Baltimore the founder of Maryland.
As a friend, counselor and chief of the North Carolina Cherokee Indians he spent more than thirty years in their service. He drew up a simple form of government for them, fought continually for their rightful claims upon the United States, helped them acquire homes and subsisted the needed among them. He laid off their land in the Qualla Boundary into five townships: Bird Town, Paint Town, Wolf Town, Yellow Hill and Big Cove.
He was a member of the North Carolina Senate, 1846-1862. During that time, except for one session, he was a member of the committee on internal improvements and served as its chairman for four sessions.
He was a pioneer leader in the development of Western North Carolina. While in the North Carolina Senate he secured charters for turnpikes through out that section and for the Western North Carolina Railroad. This was one of the greatest railroad-building eras in the history of North Carolina. He worked for the creation of Watauga, Jackson, Madison, Allegany, Mitchell, Transylvania, and Clay Counties.
He served in the Session Convention of 1861-62, and rose to the rank of Colonel in the Confederate Army as Commander of the Thomas' Legion.
This memorial was erected by the request of his daughter Sarah Love Thomas Avery, Wife of A.C. Avery, Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
THOMAS¡¯S RESTING PLACE ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï Greenhill Cemetery Col. William Holland Thomas (Feb-ruary 5, 1805¨CMay 10, 1893) is among the Confederate officers and soldiers buried here in Greenhill Cemetery. His grave is located about thirty yards in front of you on the right. Thomas, who began trading with the Cherokee when he was six-teen, was the first and only white man to serve as a Cherokee chief and an influential figure in antebellum western North Carolina. He repre-sented the Cherokee in the state capital and in Washington, D.C., to help establish the Qualla Boundary (the reservation for the Eastern Band of Cherokee). He organized Thomas¡¯s Legion of Cherokee Indi-ans and Mountaineers in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the Confederacy on September 27, 1862. The people of this area were sometimes referred to as highlanders, and local resi-dents called Thomas¡¯s unit the ¡°Highland Rangers.¡± Thomas even-tually recruited more than 2,000 officers and men, including two companies composed of 400 Chero-kee. The unit fought in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia and largely prevented the Federal occupation of western North Carolina. Part of the Legion served in the final engage-ment of the war in North Carolina at Waynesville on May 6¨C7. Thomas surrendered the Legion to Union Col. William C. Bartlett on May 9. The officers in Thomas¡¯s Legion from this area included Col. William Stringfield, Col. James Robert Love II, Lt. Col. William C. Walker, and Capt. John T. Levi. Stringfield is buried here in Green-hill Cemetery. William H. Thomas Courtesy North Carolina Office of Archives and History Capt. Alden Howell (February 18, 1841¨C March 19, 1947), a Haywood County native, is buried in Greenhill Cemetery. At the time of his death, there were 110 living Confeder-ate veterans, but Howell was the last remain-ing Confederate officer. He enlisted in 1861 and served four years in the 16th North Carolina Infantry, Company B, rising to the rank of captain. After the war, Howell became a prominent Waynesville banker and landowner. Time magazine published his obituary on March 31, 1947: ¡°Died. Captain Alden G. Howell, 106, who rode to war 86 years ago, saw Stonewall Jackson shot, lived to be the last surviving Confederate officer, oldest Mason in the U.S.; in Los Angeles.¡± Alden Howell Courtesy Mary E. Underwood, Faith of Our Fathers¨CLiving Still Cherokee veterans of Thomas¡¯s Legion at the 1903 Confederate Reunion in New Orleans. Courtesy The Mountaineer∼Wilusti means "Little Will" in the Cherokee language.
Contributor: Sharlotte Neely Donnelly
As a friend, counselor and chief of the North Carolina Cherokee Indians he spent more than thirty years in their service. He drew up a simple form of government for them, fought continually for their rightful claims upon the United States, helped them acquire homes and subsisted the needed among them. He laid off their land in the Qualla Boundary into five townships: Bird Town, Paint Town, Wolf Town, Yellow Hill and Big Cove.
He was a member of the North Carolina Senate, 1846-1862. During that time, except for one session, he was a member of the committee on internal improvements and served as its chairman for four sessions.
He was a pioneer leader in the development of Western North Carolina. While in the North Carolina Senate he secured charters for turnpikes through out that section and for the Western North Carolina Railroad. This was one of the greatest railroad-building eras in the history of North Carolina. He worked for the creation of Watauga, Jackson, Madison, Allegany, Mitchell, Transylvania, and Clay Counties.
He served in the Session Convention of 1861-62, and rose to the rank of Colonel in the Confederate Army as Commander of the Thomas' Legion.
This memorial was erected by the request of his daughter Sarah Love Thomas Avery, Wife of A.C. Avery, Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
THOMAS¡¯S RESTING PLACE ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï Greenhill Cemetery Col. William Holland Thomas (Feb-ruary 5, 1805¨CMay 10, 1893) is among the Confederate officers and soldiers buried here in Greenhill Cemetery. His grave is located about thirty yards in front of you on the right. Thomas, who began trading with the Cherokee when he was six-teen, was the first and only white man to serve as a Cherokee chief and an influential figure in antebellum western North Carolina. He repre-sented the Cherokee in the state capital and in Washington, D.C., to help establish the Qualla Boundary (the reservation for the Eastern Band of Cherokee). He organized Thomas¡¯s Legion of Cherokee Indi-ans and Mountaineers in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the Confederacy on September 27, 1862. The people of this area were sometimes referred to as highlanders, and local resi-dents called Thomas¡¯s unit the ¡°Highland Rangers.¡± Thomas even-tually recruited more than 2,000 officers and men, including two companies composed of 400 Chero-kee. The unit fought in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia and largely prevented the Federal occupation of western North Carolina. Part of the Legion served in the final engage-ment of the war in North Carolina at Waynesville on May 6¨C7. Thomas surrendered the Legion to Union Col. William C. Bartlett on May 9. The officers in Thomas¡¯s Legion from this area included Col. William Stringfield, Col. James Robert Love II, Lt. Col. William C. Walker, and Capt. John T. Levi. Stringfield is buried here in Green-hill Cemetery. William H. Thomas Courtesy North Carolina Office of Archives and History Capt. Alden Howell (February 18, 1841¨C March 19, 1947), a Haywood County native, is buried in Greenhill Cemetery. At the time of his death, there were 110 living Confeder-ate veterans, but Howell was the last remain-ing Confederate officer. He enlisted in 1861 and served four years in the 16th North Carolina Infantry, Company B, rising to the rank of captain. After the war, Howell became a prominent Waynesville banker and landowner. Time magazine published his obituary on March 31, 1947: ¡°Died. Captain Alden G. Howell, 106, who rode to war 86 years ago, saw Stonewall Jackson shot, lived to be the last surviving Confederate officer, oldest Mason in the U.S.; in Los Angeles.¡± Alden Howell Courtesy Mary E. Underwood, Faith of Our Fathers¨CLiving Still Cherokee veterans of Thomas¡¯s Legion at the 1903 Confederate Reunion in New Orleans. Courtesy The Mountaineer∼Wilusti means "Little Will" in the Cherokee language.
Contributor: Sharlotte Neely Donnelly
Inscription
CENOTAPH
THIS MONUMENT COMMEMRATES WM. H. THOMAS
WHO DONATED THIS PRPOPERTY APPOX. 5 ACRES
FOR A CAMPGROUND CEMETERY IN 1858
COLONEL THOAMS IS BURIED IN GREEN HILL CEMETERY IN WAYNESVILLE, N.C.
ERECTED 1982 BY THE HEIRS OF COLONEL THOMAS
JOSEPHINE BIRD. TRUSTEE
BUSINESSMAN, PLANTER, AUTHOR
AGENT AND ATTORNEY FOR THE EASTERN CHEROKEES
MEMBER OF NORTH CAROLIN STATE SENATE AND
CHAIRMAN OF ITS COMMITTEE ON INTERNAL
IMPROVEMENTS
EARLY RAILROAD BUILDER IN WESTERN NORTH
CAROLINA
BUILDER OF THE FIRST WAGON ROAD ACROSS THE
GREAT SMOKIES
COLONEL OF THE 69TH NC REGIMENT
COMMANDER OF THE THOMAS LEGION C.S.A.
FRIEND AND BENEFACTOR OF THE CHEROKEE PEOPLE
Gravesite Details
These photos are of a memorial marker place in honor of William Holland Thomas
