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MY GUESTBOOK

GORDON OWEN THOMASSON 1898-1951
HESTER BEATRICE JONES 1895-1969
Married: 28 May 1918 Little Rock, Ark

SETTLERS OF MAGAZINE, LOGAN COUNTY, ARKANSAS

Pedigree Chart for GORDON OWEN THOMASSON

Pedigree Chart for HESTER BEATRICE JONES

Gordon & Hester (Jones) Thomasson
with son Gordon Junior
Magazine, Arkansas
1919

(Donald Earl McKinney Jr)
These notes were compiled from information gathered for many years from materials my mother Eda Faye & Grandmother Hester left me as well as personal research & correspondence. I am deeply grateful to my mother & her sisters, Dorothy Page of Magazine, AR & Ada Ruth Smith of Branson MO as well as Great-Aunt Angie Greer & Great-Grandmother Ada (Owen) Thomasson for their stories, pictures & many contributions which helps us all gain a better understanding of our family heritage.

GORDON OWEN THOMASSON,Sr was born 12 Aug 1898 near Palmyra, Lincoln County, Arkansas and settled in Logan County, Arkansas as a child with his parents HORACE GORDON & ADA (OWEN) THOMASSON. While he was attending the Magazine Ouachita Academy, where his father was Principal, he met his future wife HESTER BEATRICE JONES. They were married in 1918 and made their home in Magazine.

While a student at the Ouachita Baptist College at Arkadelphia during the latter part of 1918, Gordon joined the Army but was soon discharged after World War I ended. He joined the Arkansas National Guard, received a commission and served as a Captain for several years. He taught in rural schools near Magazine but eventually received an appointment from the U.S. government as a rural mail carrier in Logan County, a position he held for many years.

Gordon was an avid outdoorsman and sports enthusiast and gained a reputation as an outstanding fisherman as well as a squirrel, bird and deer hunter. Gordon & Hester Thomasson had one son and three daughters, all born in Magazine. Their son Gordon Jr was killed in the Pacific during World War II. Eda Faye married Donald E. McKinney of Lander, Wyoming. Dorthy Nell married Willis Page of southeast Missouri and Ada Ruth married Paul Smith also of Magazine. Gordon was middle aged when World War II began and had long ago resigned his commission in the Arkansas National Guard, but his patriotic spirit led him to join the Marine Corps in 1942 as a 44 year old recruit. He later advanced to corporal, sergeant and platoon sergeant. His wife Hester performed the duties of rural mail carrier. After the war, Gordon received his appointment as postmaster at Magazine. During the Korean War while a chief warrant officer with the Arkansas National Guard, he awas on active duty at Camp Atterbury, Indiana and his faithful wife again assumed his duties when she was appointed acting postmaster. Gordon died at Camp Atterbury of a cerebral hemorrhage 25 Aug 1951. His funeral at the Magazine Baptist Church was with full military honors and was represented by the Mason Lodge of which he was an active memeber. He was buried in Ellington Cemetery at Magazine, Arkansas.
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HESTER BEATRICE JONES was born 17 Nov 1895 in Charleston, Franklin County, Arkansas where her father practiced medicine at the time. Her parents were Dr WILLIAM ENOCH & ANNIE (EAST) JONES who came from the neighboring county of Sebastian County, Arkansas. As a child, Hester resided in Poteau, Oklahoma, and Paris/Magazine in Logan County, Arkansas where her father also practiced medicine. She met her husband Gordon Thomasson while they were both attending the Magazine Ouachita Academy and they were married in 1918. Prior to that, she attended the Crescent College in Eureka Springs, Arkansas for several semesters. Hester and Gordon made their home at Magazine where Gordon was rural mail carrier and later postmaster for many years. She served as acting rural mail carrier and later acting postmaster when her husband was away on active duty with the military during World War II and the Korean War. After her husband's death in 1951, Hester spent her time visiting her daughters and traveling. She was an accomplished artist and painted many oil and water pieces that are now hanging on the walls of her descendants homes. She died in 17 Mar 1969 and is buried beside her husband in Ellington Cemetery, Magazine, Arkansas.

Children of Gordon & Hester Thomasson:

Child 1: GORDON OWEN THOMASSON, JR
Born: 13 Jul 1919 Magazine(Logan) Ark
Married: Unmarried
Died: 22 Nov 1944 (Killed in Action; Morotai Island, Pacific, World War II)
Buried: Manila American Cemetery, Philippines

Child 2: EDA FAYE THOMASSON (ARKANSAS Page)
Born: 22 Nov 1920 Magazine(Logan) Ark
Married: DONALD EARL McKINNEY,SR 18 Jul 1943 Junction City(Geary) KS
Died: 17 Oct 1998 Topeka(Shawnee) KS
Buried: Fort Riley Military Cemetery

Child 3: DOROTHY NELL THOMASSON
Born: 12 Feb 1922 Magazine(Logan) Ark
Married: WILLIS GUY PAGE 1 Nov 1941 Magazine(Logan) Ark
Died: 29 Apr 1997 Van Buren(Crawford) Ark
Buried: Ellington Cemetery, Magazine, Ark

Child 4: ADA RUTH THOMASSON
Born: Magazine(Logan) Ark
Married: PAUL BRADLEY SMITH 22 Aug 1948 Magazine(Logan) Ark
(Both reside in Branson, MO)