Thom, Peter

Other Events:

• Immigration: Abt Feb 1868; on the ship Ottawa from Glasgow
• Political Office: Between 1894 and 1896, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA; Mayor of Appleton
• 1900 Census: 1900, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
• 1910 Census: 1910, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
• Biography: 1911; History of Outagamie County, Wisconsin Page 0942
• 1920 Census: 1920, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA

Notes:

1900 Census:
Peter R Thom50
Christina Thom36
George N Thom15
Helen G Thom13
Jois M Thom7
Edgar R Thom4
Cara B Collins17

1910 Census:
Peter R Thom60
Christina W Thom46
George W Thom25
Helen G Thom23
Lois M Thom16
Edgar R Thom14
Mary E Thom3
Annie Sinkel24

Biography:
PETER R. THOM is general superintendent of the Kimberly- Clark Company, with headquarters at Neenah, Wisconsin. This important organization of combined capital and business talent controls the output of eight mills, owns and leases valuable water power and gives lucrative employment to 1,500 people. The officers and directors of this vast combination of interests are as follows: J. A. Kimberly, president; F. J. Sensenbrenner, first vice-president; J. C. Kimberly, second vice-president; S. F. Shattuck, treasurer; C. B. Clark, secretary, and Peter R. Thom, general superintendent. Of the original board of directors, C. B. Clark died in September, 1891; F. C. Shaddock died in 1900, and Alvina Babcock died in 1902. The Kimberly-Clark Company was established in 1872 by J. A. Kimberly, C. B. Clark, F. C. Shaddock and Alvina Babcock, at Neenah, Wisconsin, under the style of the Globe Mills, the business being the manufacture of paper and the output of their plant being three tons per day. In 1875 they expanded to a small degree, purchasing the Smith & Van Alsten Mill at Neenah and thereby increasing their production of paper to five and one-half tons per day, this plant now being known as the Neenah Paper Mill. The business prospered, and in 1877 the company purchased from Wharton Brothers, Appleton, their sawmill and on this site they erected the Atlas Paper Mill, which then had a capacity of ten tons of paper a day, and at the present writing its output is thirty tons a day. In 1881 they still further increased their interests, building the Vulcan Mills at Appleton, which were subsequently dismantled. In 1880 the company also bought the Conkey Flouring Mills and continued to operate them as such for two years, when they made additions and changes which made them suitable as paper mills and began paper manufacturing in the remodeled structures in 1883. In 1885 they dismantled the flouring mill at Neenah, owned by J. A. Kimberly, and at first its capacity was five tons of paper a day, which has been increased to eleven tons. In 1886-87 the company tore down the Neenah Mill and on the site erected new buildings and put in equipments for two paper machines with capacity of ten tons a day. The master business men at the head of this great enterprise saw opportunity for still further enlargement in 1887, when they bought not only the iron works of Edward West, at Appleton, but all the interests of his, with the water power, in the West Canal. On July 5, 1887, they started to build the Telulah Mills, which were completed and occupied by March 19, 1888, the capacity of these mills being fourteen tons per day. With remarkable sagacity, all of these purchases had been made, and in 1888 the company purchased the Kimberly water power, all the water power of the Fox River at this point. They built ground wood, sulphide and wrapping mills. In 1890 they built the two-machine mill at Kimberly, and in 1891 added one more machine, making the output capacity forty tons per day. In 1900 the paper mill was burned, but was rebuilt and business was resumed in July, 1905. Prior to this other purchases had been consummated by the company, all showing the foresight and good judgment of alert and astute men of business. In 1889 they purchased the water power at De Pere, Wisconsin, and organized the Shaddock & Babcock Paper Company, built mills and put them into operation in April, 1891, the output being fifteen tons of writing paper per day. This plant was operated by that company until 189-9, when it was sold to the American Writing Paper Company. In 1897-8 the company bought the mills of the Badger Paper Company at Quinnessec Falls, Wisconsin, and rebuilt the mills, taking out one machine and adding two more improved ones, also building sulphide mills, and the capacity of this plant is eighty tons of ground wood, sixty tons of sulphide and seventy-five tons of news print. They are also building a ground wood mill. The combined output of the mills of this company aggregates 450 tons of writing paper per day, together with wrapping, book and news paper. The Neenah Paper Company also manufactures writing paper, but does not belong to the Kimberly-Clark system, although all the members of the latter are interested in the former.
For twenty-eight years, Peter R. Thom has been with the Kimberly- Clark Company and is now general superintendent of their mills. He has had a large amount of experience in Massachusetts, Indiana, Connecticut and New York, in 1883 coming to Appleton and soon after identifying himself with the present company. He was married in 1882 to Miss Christina Watt, at Norwich, Connecticut, and they have five children. In politics he is a Republican, and he has been an active and useful citizen of Appleton, which city he served as mayor in 1895, 1896 and 1897. He is president and on the directing board of the Appleton Chair Company, the vice-president of the Riverside Fibre Paper Company, the Kimberly-Clark Company and the First National Bank. Fraternally, he is an Odd Fellow, a Pythian, a thirty-second degree Mason and a Shriner. He belongs to the Congregational.Church Society.

1920 Census:
Peter R Thom70
Christina Thom56
George W Thom35
Loisa M Thom26
Mary E Thom13
Meta M Lensing27

Peter married Watt, Christina Abt 1882, Norwich, New London, Connecticut, USA. Christina was born 8 Aug 1863, Stoneywood, , Aberdeen, Scotland; died 17 Mar 1942, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Birth - Church Record: 5 Aug 1884
• 1930 Census: 1930, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA

Notes:

Birth - Church Record:
Name:Thom
Birth Date:5 Aug 1884
Birth Place:Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin
Gender:Male
Race:White
Father's Name:Peter R Thom
Father's Birth Place:Scotland
Mother's name:Christina Walh
FHL Film Number:1305137

1930 Census:
Christina Thom66
George Thom45
Erma Kolgen21

Other Events:

• Birth - Civil Record: 16 Jul 1886

Notes:

Birth - Civil Record:
Name:Helena A Thom
Birth Date:16 Jul 1886
Birth Place:Dane, Wisconsin, USA
Reel:D0002
Record:002892

Other Events:

• Birth - Church Record: 15 May 1893
• Passport: 10 Mar 1919
• Social Security Applications and Claims Index: 5 Apr 1990

Notes:

Birth - Church Record:
Name:Thom
Birth Date:15 May 1893
Birth Place:Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin
Gender:Female
Race:White
Father's Name:Peter R Thom
Father's Birth Place:Scotland
Mother's name:Christina Watt
Mother's Birth Place:Scotland
FHL Film Number:1305138

Passport:
Name:Lois Madeline Thom
Birth Date:16 May 1893
Birth Place:Appleton, Wisconsin
Age:25
Passport Issue Date:10 Mar 1919
Passport Includes a Photo:Yes
Residence:Appleton, Wisconsin
Father Name:Peter R Thom
Father's Birth Location:Scotland

Social Security Applications and Claims Index:
Name:Lois Thom Nichol
[Lois T Nichols]
[Lois Thom Thom]
SSN:252728243
Gender:Female
Birth Date:16 May 1893
Birth Place:Appleton Out, Wisconsin
Father Name:Peter R Thom
Mother Name:Christina Watt
Death Date:5 Apr 1990
Type of Claim:Original SSN.
Notes:Dec 1962: Name listed as LOIS THOM NICHOL; 17 Apr 1990: Name listed as LOIS T NICHOLS

Other Events:

• Education - High School: 1914, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
• Death Record - Civil: 2 Jul 1983

Notes:

Education - High School:
Appleton High School Class of 1914

Death Record - Civil:
Name:Edgar R Thom
Birth Date:3 Jun 1895
Death Date:2 Jul 1983
Gender:Male
Residence:Metamora, Lapeer, Michigan
Place of Death:Metamora, Lapeer, Michigan

Other Events:

• Education - High School: 1923, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA

Notes:

Education - High School:
Appleton High School Class of 1923

Mary — Derber, Gordon. Gordon (son of Derber, Robert and Kubley, Mary) was born 1 Mar 1906, Oshkosh, Winnebago, Wisconsin, USA; died 11 Sep 1959, Madison, Dane, Wisconsin, USA; was buried , Riverside Cemetery, Appleton, Wisconsin, USA. [Group Sheet]