THOMAS (TOM) EDWARD VERNER

Thomas (Tom) Edward Verner (1st son of John Thomas Verner and Mira Lucretia (Norris) Verner Born Dec. 15, 1893 Died Oct. 7, 1971 Married Gracie Sephronia (Gage) Verner born Sept. 22, 1895 in Arkansas on Dec. 6, 1915. Both buried in the Meadow Memorial Cemetery located outside of Meadow, Texas. Thomas (Tom) Edward Verner and Gracie Sephronia (Gage) Verner had 7 children: Thomas Darrell Verner born Feb. 1, 1918, Boyce Truman Verner born June 4, 1920, Died on June 28, 1997. Buried in the Meadow Memorial Cemetery located outside of Meadow, Texas. Afton Wayne Verner born Jan. 31,1922, Marjorie Kathryn (Verner) Smith born Sept. 9, 1924,Wanda Nell (Verner) Ashburn born Sept 5, 1927, Died on Jan, 2002, Buried in the Plains Memorial Cemetery located in Plaina, Texas, Anita Gracie Verner born 1935 (died as an Infant and is buried at the Meadow Memorial Cemetery located outside of Meadow, Texas) and Neva Carolyn (Verner) Gregg born July 23, 1940.

Thomas (Tom) Edward Verner along with his father John Thomas Verner begin his career as a construction engineering at the early age of 18th. As a contractor he started in the Burkburnett oil field and continued on to the Desdomonia oil boom. Thomas, with his wife Gracie Sephronia (Gage) Verner and their two sons Thomas Darrel and Boyce Truman (only four month old) departed for Erath County, Texas where they had spent more of their lives. Their parents settled in Erath County, Texas in 1899, Thomas coming there with his parents from Kerr County, Texas and Gracie with her family the T. A. Gage's from Boone County, Arkansas. Both families had settled near Stephenvillie Texas earlier.

In Sept. 1920 Thomas and his wife made plans to re-locate to West Texas. In October, they boarded an emigrant car with all their belongings including horses, furnishing, stock, and poultry. They landed at Challis Switch halfway between Brownfield and Meadow in Terry County, Texas. There they enjoyed the new frontier country of wide open space and rolling plains. The very sparce population created an atmosphere of real pioneering. Cattle Ranches dominated most of the high plains. Prospectors started moving in, in 1925 seeking new agricultural land. The ranchers soon began dividing their land holdings and moving on to cheaper grazing farther west. The population increased ten fold in a few years and the area became the richest agricultural section in the nation by 1950. The early 30's marked a general set back for the Verner's but in 1932 Thomas entered the wholesale oil and gas business and owned and operated a number of service stations. He engaged in this business for fourteen years with great success enabling him to educate his three sons and three daughters. In 1933 he was elected to the city council in Meadow, Texas, which position he held for fourteen years. He was elected Mayor by write-in. He was defeated in 1954; but re-elected in 1960 by a four to one margin. In 1946 he sold his oil business and entered the construction business. Now we can look back with pride on some of his lovely living memorials to his talents as a builder of such beautiful works of art. The First Baptist Church of Meadow, his hometown, also churches in Denver City, Lockney and The South Baptist Church of Seminole, Texas are some of the structures he take great pride in. On Feb. 20, 1960 Thomas Verner suffered a broken leg which slowed his activites at the age of sixty-seven. After a lapse of one year he recovered enough to start a business of engineering, architecture and building. He remained constantly on the alert for opportunities to promote beautification projects and better living conditions in his community and state.