
Cyrus Thomas (July 27, 1825 – June 26, 1910) was an American
ethnologist
Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology).
Scien ...
and
entomologist
Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...
prominent in the late 19th century and noted for his studies of the
natural history
Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
of the
American West
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is census regions United States Census Bureau
As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the mea ...
.
Biography

Thomas was born in
Kingsport, Tennessee, on July 27, 1825, and was of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
and
Irish descent.
He was educated in village schools in the Kingsport area and an academy student at
Jonesboro, Tennessee
Jonesborough (; historically also Jonesboro) is a town in and the county seat of Washington County, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 5,860 as of 2020. It is "Tennessee's oldest town".
Jonesborough is part of the J ...
, as well as being self-educated. His mother hoped he would join the medical field, so he studied anatomy and physiology, but he was uninterested in medicine and took to the study of law. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1851 and practiced in Murphysboro. Between his study of medicine and law his father-in-law, Dr. John Logan, appointed him to a county seat to "take charge of some business".
From 1851 to 1854 Thomas served as county clerk of Jackson County, Illinois.
He later abandoned the practice of law, and in 1865 became superintendent of some Jackson County schools. This lasted only for a few years. Also during this time he entered the ministry of the Evangelical
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
Church, but was forced to abandon the ministry, as well, due to his "intense independent thought".
Four years later in 1869 he joined the expedition of
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (September 7, 1829 – December 22, 1887) was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union A ...
, who had organized a science corps for the exploration of the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
.
Thomas gained a strong interest in natural history, and in 1858 he founded the
Illinois Natural History Society. In 1869 his professional scientific career began with his appointment as an assistant in
entomology
Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...
in the
United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories under Professor
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (September 7, 1829 – December 22, 1887) was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union A ...
. Thomas was also the agricultural statistician and entomologist on the
Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, whose work supported the creation of
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...
in 1872.
In 1873 Thomas was appointed a professor of
natural science
Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...
at
Southern Illinois Normal University, which gave him a public forum for his ideas. He was later named to the
United States Entomological Commission in 1877 to serve alongside
Charles Valentine Riley
Charles Valentine Riley (18 September 1843 – 14 September 1895) was a British-born American entomologist and artist. He was one of the first individuals to use biological pest control and authored over 2,400 publications. He convinced Congress ...
and
Alpheus Spring Packard
Alpheus Spring Packard Jr. LL.D. (February 19, 1839 – February 14, 1905) was an American entomologist and palaeontologist. He described over 500 new animal species – especially butterflies and moths – and was one of the founders of '' The ...
; at the same time he accepted the position of chief entomologist for the
State of Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
. He kept his title of chief entomologist until 1882 after the commission came to an end in 1879. At this time, 1882, he was appointed archaeologist to the United States Bureau of American Ethnology.
Thomas was married twice, having lost his first wife, Dorthy Logan, sister of Maj. Gen.and later U.S. Senator
John A. Logan. He remarried in 1865 to Viola L. Davis. With her, he fathered five girls and one boy, who died in infancy. Thomas died on June 26, 1910, and was buried in Frederick, Maryland.
Works
Entomology
Thomas made some noteworthy contributions as an
entomologist
Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...
, having helped control the insect plague that was slowing the growth rate of the border states. Thomas, working with Charles V. Riley, found that the
Hessian fly
The Hessian fly (''Mayetiola destructor''), or barley midge, is a species of fly that is a significant pest of cereal crops, including wheat, barley and rye. Though a native of Asia, upon its discovery it was believed to have been transported in ...
, which was terrorizing the wheat and rye of the western states, was most destructive in wet seasons and least destructive in dry seasons.
With this information they were able to predict the outbreaks rather accurately for the upcoming year, and entomologists and farmers worked together for better times to plant and harvest.
The
chinch bug was another culprit damaging crops. Thomas and LeBaron, using the same tactic of studying the chinch bug's relationship to the weather, found that chinch bugs needed at least one or two dry seasons to reach outbreak proportions. Thomas found a pattern between the chinch bug and weather, concluding that outbreaks can be expected about every seven years and then for two years in a row.
After presenting his findings he accurately predicted an outbreak in 1881.
He also accompanied expeditions to the West as an entomologist—one of these being the
Hayden Geological Survey of 1871. On this expedition Thomas addressed the problem of locusts with Riley and Packard (this was also the creation of the United States Entomological commission). During this investigation they found the locusts' breeding ground, how the weather affected them, and what controlled their direction-wind.
Archaeology
However, Thomas is best known for his work in archaeology and ethnology—specifically, his contributions to the question of the origin of the
mound builders
Many pre-Columbian cultures in North America were collectively termed "Mound Builders", but the term has no formal meaning. It does not refer to specific people or archaeological culture but refers to the characteristic mound earthworks that in ...
and
Mayan hieroglyphics.
Thomas was not a field archaeologist. He visited the sites on which he reported, but did little if any field work. He had permanent and temporary field assistants and one clerical assistant. They provided him with their notes, which he organized, formed into a report, and published.
When Thomas began his investigations into the origins of the mound builders, he was under the impression that the mounds were made by a more advanced race that no longer existed. He argued that once America had been settled the people tended to stay in one place, which meant that the archaeological record had been produced by the same people of that area through history.
Although he did not do field work he mapped out a plan of action for the mound excavations, and presented ten years of work in the 12th Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology for 1890–91. By the end of his research into the origin of the mound builders Thomas dismissed each argument advanced in favor of the vanished race theory.
The
Bat Creek Inscription was one artifact that Thomas used to support his hypothesis that "the
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
constructed many earthen mounds"; the evidence being that "the stone represented characters of
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
syllabary".
Thomas divided the mounds into a northern section, which was divided into six sections, and a southern section, which was divided into two.
These eight sections, Thomas suggested, represent more than one nation.
Thomas thought that migration was the reason for the mounds being spread through the east, but also recognized that the idea for mounds diffused through the different tribes.
Climatology
Thomas also wrote on
climatology
Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "slope"; and , '' -logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. Climate concerns the atmospher ...
, a new field in the 19th century. He was a leading proponent of the now-debunked theory known as "
rain follows the plow", which stated that increased population and cultivation of the
Great Plains
The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
would render the land lush and fertile. This theory was used to promote expansion into the American West by persuading would-be settlers that the current lack of precipitation would not hinder their ability to engage in agriculture.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Cyrus
1825 births
1910 deaths
People from Kingsport, Tennessee
American Lutherans
American Mesoamericanists
American people of German descent
American people of Irish descent
Smithsonian Institution people
Mayanists
Mesoamerican epigraphers
American entomologists
19th-century Mesoamericanists
19th-century Lutherans