This trail begins in Yokohama, Japan. My Great Great Grandfather was born there on January 3, 1853. Yokohama is the capital of the Kanagwa Prefecture. It is a busy seaport west of Tokyo Bay where fishing, cargo and passenger vessels are major industries.

 

When Great, Great, Grandfather was young, he was a very trusting boy. He was tricked into reading a letter to a family while they stood at the door to their house. While he read this letter that asked for help for the poor, the thieves sneaked into the back of the house and robbed the family. This was called reading a "poor letter".

Great, Great Grandfather was shocked to find out that the men had involved him in a crime. He wanted to turn himself in to the police to preserve family honor. His parents wanted to save face but could not think of their son going to jail. They devised a plan. Great Great Grandfather was put on a boat sailing for America. A man servant accompanied him on this journey.

He entered America at the Port of Baltimore in Maryland and was adopted by a family on the Eastern Shore named Thomas. From then on he was known as John Robert Thomas. John never told anyone his real Japanese name. He thought he was a disgrace to his family in Yokohama.

John worked very hard to regain some honor for himself. He was a mariner and oysterman in the Chesapeake Bay. John soon owned 8 boats. He ran a few boats down to Norfolk, VA to haul fruits and vegetables up to Baltimore, MD.

Although John could read Japanese, he never learned to read English. To sell a boatload of oysters, he would just trust someone for what it said and make his mark of an X. That would have worked out fine if everyone was as honorable as John. Unfortunately, his path crossed another scoundrel who tricked him. John thought he was signing a contract to sell one boat load of oysters. It was really to sell all but one of his boats. John had seen hardship before and looked it square in the eye. With hard work, soon he had new boats to take their place.

One day, John saw a woman crying with several children when he docked his boat in the Baltimore harbor. Louise O'Brien told him that she was there to meet her husband, Thomas Mullrooney. He had come ahead of her from "French", Canada. Louise had waited all day and there was still no sight of her husband as it grew dark.

John reassured her. He put Louise and the children up in Mother Manning's boarding house while he searched the city of Baltimore for Thomas Mullrooney. Her husband was never found. But yet he was.... John married her in 1884 and raised her children as his own. They had 5 children.Louisa named them all after flowers; Rosie, Pansy, John and Sweet William. One of which was my Great Grandfather; William Plumber Thomas, Sr.on August 11,1895.