Prominent People Tied to Hopkin Thomas
Compiled by John B. McVey
Contents
Introduction
Prominent People Tied to Hopkin Thomas
This web site contains biographies of 1909 people tied to the Hopkin Thomas family of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
Hopkin Thomas emigrated from Wales in 1834, at the age of 42, and came to Philadelphia where he worked for the Baldwin Locomotive Works and the Garrett and Eastwick Locomotive Shops. He was urged to take on the position of Master Mechanic at the Beaver Meadow Railroad, a predecessor of the Lehigh Valley R. R. where he developed the first 0-6-0 locomotive. Hopkin then went to Tamaqua, PA where he set up the Thomas and Ollis Iron Works, a business that was wiped out in the Great Flood of 1850. A few years later he took on the position of Master Mechanic of the Crane Iron Works that was led by his childhood friend, David Thomas. Hopkin retired at the age of 80 years.
These bios are those of his friends and descendants.
Updated April 2020
This web site contains biographies of 1909 people tied to the Hopkin Thomas family of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
Hopkin Thomas emigrated from Wales in 1834, at the age of 42, and came to Philadelphia where he worked for the Baldwin Locomotive Works and the Garrett and Eastwick Locomotive Shops. He was urged to take on the position of Master Mechanic at the Beaver Meadow Railroad, a predecessor of the Lehigh Valley R. R. where he developed the first 0-6-0 locomotive. Hopkin then went to Tamaqua, PA where he set up the Thomas and Ollis Iron Works, a business that was wiped out in the Great Flood of 1850. A few years later he took on the position of Master Mechanic of the Crane Iron Works that was led by his childhood friend, David Thomas. Hopkin retired at the age of 80 years.
These bios are those of his friends and descendants.
Updated April 2020
Contact
PO Box 397Jackson, NH 03846