Thomas D. Fain, 1821 - 1894

Thomas was born 24 Oct, 1821 in Johnson County, IL. He married Nancy Toler on 16 Nov, 1843 in Johnson County. Together, they had 4 children:

James F. Fain (1845 - ?)
John S. Fain (1847 - ?)
Melissa J. Fain (1849 - ?)
Sarah A. Fain (1852 - ?)

In 1856, Thomas and Nancy left Illinois, along with some of Thomas' siblings and his mother, Nancy, to move to Texas. However, Nancy (his wife) became ill on the journey and the party stopped in Greene County, MO for the Winter. Nancy died 3 days before Christmas, 22 Dec, 1856. They never ended up finishing their journey to TX.

2 months after Nancy's death, Thomas remarried Mary "Rebecca" Phillips, daughter of William J. Phillips and Ruthy McElhaney. Interestingly, it was a double-wedding, with Thomas' brother Wiley William marrying Mary Rebecca's sister Caroline Phillips at the same time.

Thomas and Rebecca had one child together:

William "Calvin" Fain (1857 - 1893)

Calvin died less than a year before his father, on 13 Mar 1893. Thomas died 26 Jan, 1894. They are buried together in the Brookline Cemetery in Brookline, MO.

Thomas served in the Union Army during the Civil War in Company A, 74th MO EM Cavalry. It is thought that he may have fought in the Battle of Springfield.

Thomas was very influential in early Greene County, MO history. He began the First Baptist Church of Brookline, then known simply as "Bulah". In 1883, R. I. Holcombe wrote about Thomas in his "History of Greene County Missouri":

REV. THOMAS D. FAIN. This gentleman is the son of Jesse and Nancy (Doil) Fain, and was born October 24, 1821, in Johnson county, Illinois. He was educated in the common schools of his native county. In June, 1866, he came to Greene county, Missouri, and lived near where Brookline now is until the close of the war. In 1866 he moved to Lawrence county, where he remained until 1879, when be returned to this county and purchased a small farm. Mr. Fain was licensed to preach by the Baptist church in 1865, by George Long, moderator, and Wiley W. Fain, clerk. He was ordained to preach the third Sabbath in April, 1869 by Elders Elisha Clark and George Young, with T. B. Youngblood, church clerk. Mr. Fain was married in November, 1842, to Miss Nancy Tollor, of Johnson county, Illinois. Their union was blest with four children, three of whom are living. Mrs. Fain died December 22, 1857, and in February, 1858, he was married the second time to Miss Mary B., daughter of William Phillips. They have one son, Calvin C., by this marriage. Mr. Fain joined the Baptist church at the age of eighteen, in Illinois and both his wives were of the same faith. His father was a native of Georgia, and went to Illinois when six years of age, where he died at the age of sixty. His mother was a native of Kentucky, and died in Lawrence county, Missouri. They had eight children, six of whom are living, Thomas D., being the second child.