Chauncey Thomas (August 13, 1813, in Damascus, Wayne County, PennsylvaniaOctober 5, 1882, in Shohola Glen, Pike County, Pennsylvania) was businessman and bridge builder, best known for his role in the original construction and multiple reconstructions of the Barryville–Shohola Bridge over the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

, and as the father of Rear Admiral and Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, Chauncey Thomas Jr., USN.

Life and career

Chauncey Thomas was born in Damascus Township, Pennsylvania in 1813. He was one of eleven children born to mill owner and entrepreneur Moses Thomas and his wife, Rebecca Monington. On his father's side of the family, his grandfather Moses Thomas had been killed by Indians near Narrowsburg during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. On his maternal side, the Monington family of Philadelphia had come to the Delaware valley from

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

, England, in the early 18th century.Chauncey Thomas
Family chart
Prior to the construction of the Barryville–Shohola Bridge, a ferry boat linked the two towns. In 1854, the Barryville and Shohola Bridge Company was formed, with Chauncey Thomas was president, to construct a suspension bridge over the Delaware river. Thomas attempted to hire civil engineer John A. Roebling but he was preoccupied with another bridge project New York. Using Roebling's instructions, Thomas constructed the Barryville–Shohola Bridge using local labor. The bridge was 495 feet long and ten feet wide. In 1859, it collapsed due to a windstorm. Thomas rebuilt the bridge; however, it collapsed again in 1865. The Barryville and Shohola Bridge Company was unable to rebuild the bridge and soon went out of business. Chauncey Thomas bought the bridge himself and rebuilt it, this time including a center support. This bridge was success and operated until it was replaced by a modern bridge downriver built in 1941.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Chauncey 1813 births 1882 deaths Bridge companies Farmers from Pennsylvania American manufacturing businesspeople People from Wayne County, Pennsylvania Businesspeople from Pennsylvania