Thomas Sherman Flynn

1. Thomas Sherman Flynn was born on 17 Mar 1865 in Crossville, Cumberland, TN. He died on 8 Jan 1945 in Sacramento, CA. He was buried in East Lawn Cem., Sacto., CA.

Flora said that Tom passed in '45, but S.S. Death Index has '44?

Marriage announcement, Crossville Chronicle, 15 May 1890: "Married: Flynn-Brown. At the home of the

bride's father, in Glen Alice, Tuesday, May 6, Thomas Flynn, of the third district, to Miss Flora Brown."

Occupation: Farmer and Surveyor

1900 census in Cumberland Co, TN

1910 census in Buhl, Twin Falls, ID

1920 census in Poplar Groves Twp, Twin Falls, Co, ID with Flora & the 2 youngest children: Hazel, and Richard.
Claud was listed but was actually in Alberta with his older brothers.

1930 census in Castleford, Twin Falls, ID has son Clifford and family living with parents.

The early '20s were especially hard on Tom & Flora with the loss of four of their eight children: Claud - Pneumonia;
Violet - suicide; White - gas explosion; Bob - gun shot.

Thomas married Flora "Flora Belle" Isabelle Brown, daughter of James Washington Brown and Muhulda Paralee Narramore on 6 May 1890 in Glen Alice, TN. Flora was born on 4 Jul 1865 in Glen Alice, Roane, TN. She died on 7 Jun 1954 in Sacramento, CA. She was buried in East Lawn Cem., Sacto., CA.

Flora was born on Independence Day and was named Flora Independence, but at age six, she asked that it be changed to Isabelle, keeping the same initials. She got her way and the family bible was duly altered.

Flora wrote her biography in 1948. [go to: TEXT ]

Thomas and Flora had the following children:

2 M i. Clifford Clinton Flynn was born on 4 Mar 1891 in Crossville, Cumberland Co, TN.
He died on 26 Jun 1967 in Sacramento, CA.

1930 Cliff and family living with his parents in Castleford, Twin Falls.

Left for Sacramento prior to 1936.

Clifford married (1) Loretta Alice Colt , daughter of William I. Colt and Alice O'Brien, on 27 Mar 1917 in Buhl, Twin Falls, ID. Loretta was born on
23 Mar 1897 in Fredricksburg, IA. She died on 14 May 1954 in Sacramento, CA.

Clifford married (2) Hazel Minnie Slack , daughter of William Walker Slack and Addie Adel Logan, in Sep 1954 in Sacramento, CA. Hazel was born on 24 Jan 1908 in Grinnel, Poweshiek Co, IA. She died on 14 Dec 1980 in Sacramento, CA.

3 M ii. Whitelaw “White” Reid Flynn was born on 17 Jul 1892 in Crossville, Cumberland Co, TN. He died on 14 Apr 1920 in Buhl, Twin Falls, ID. The cause of death was accidental.

White was named for Whitelaw Reid, U.S. Ambassador to France, and 1892 vice-presidential candidate for the Republican party.
White was killed in a gas explosion of their carbide lighting system. Death Cert. #030291

Whitelaw married Laura Eliza Ulrich , daughter of John Hellmuth Ulrich and
Amanda Melvina Purdum, on 8 Dec 1913 in Buhl, Twin Falls, ID. Laura was born on
15 Jan 1892 in IA. She died on 6 Dec 1949 in Buhl, Twin Falls Co, ID.

4 F iii. Violet Lillian Flynn was born on 15 Apr 1894 in Crossville, Cumberland Co, TN.
She died on 14 Mar 1920 in Lethbridge, Alberta, CAN. The cause of death was suicide.

Lethbridge Hearld - 24 March 1920

Coaldale – “It is impossible to express the feeling that came over the community at the

news of the sad death of Mrs. F. Palmer. To know Mrs. Palmer was to appreciate her,

although ill health and a small family confined her much to her own domestic circle, as

occasion offered she was always of a most helpful and pleasant disposition. Much

sympathy is felt for the three small children.

Mrs. Palmer was sister to Mr. C. Flynn, who died recently from pneumonia. The

bereaved father and mother in Idaho have our sincerest sympathy in this additional grief.”

(Considering the death of her brother the month before, and the recent birth of her daughter,
postpartum depression may have caused Violet's breakdown. She did leave a suicide note.)

Violet married Frank Israel Palmer on 13 Apr 1912 in Twin Falls, ID. Frank was born on 20 Feb 1886 in Leeds, Greene Co, NY. He died on 27 Mar 1981 in Twin Falls, ID.

5 M iv. Wesley “Tom” Thomas Flynn was born on 6 Feb 1896 in Crossville, Cumberland, TN. He died on 27 Nov 1955 in Goldfield, NV. He was buried on 1 Dec 1955 in Mountain View Cem., Reno, NV.

Wesley & Ada were first in Council, Adams Co., ID where their first child, Barbara, was born in Jun 1915.

In Oct 1917 Wesley, Ada, and 7 mo. old Willard, joined oldest brother, Cliff, in Alberta, Canada. They farmed wheat there until wiped out by cut worms in 1921. Both Don & Reid were born in Alberta.

The family then relocated to Venice, Calif. where Wesley had a job as chauffeur to silent- screen star, Pauline Frederick . They were back in Idaho by the time Howard was born in Dec 1923.
Pauline followed in '25, and was named after film star Pauline Frederick.

About 1928/29 they were in Longview, Wash. Then the 1930 census has them in Great Falls, MT. Wesley was an automobile salesman there, and alternated that line of work with ranching for the rest of his life.

In about 1931 the family returned to Idaho, to ranch in the Stanley Basin area of the Saw Tooth Valley.
Later they went to Buhl and remained there until leaving for Sacramento around 1934, along with brothers, Cliff and Richard. Wesley's parents, Thomas & Flora, followed in 1936.

In 1939 Wesley’s father, Thomas, and brother Cliff, opened a bar & gas station called Flynn's Station, at 3901 Sacramento Blvd. In '41 Tom was selling cars at Sutton Sales for Wm. A. Sutton.

Wesley preferred to go by Thomas Wesley Flynn. That's how he signed the WWII Draft Reg. Card in '42.

Tom & Ada divorced in 1942, and Tom married Mildred Lewis. Tom was in Bayview, ID, north of
Coeur d'Alene, in Sept. '42, but returned to Sacramento to take over management of Flynn's Gas Sta.
Tom & Mildred left for Idaho in '46.

Ada married Mildred's ex-husband Mason, but they were soon divorced. After Wesley & Mildred left, Ada needed work and helped run Flynn’s bar. By '47 Willard was also helping at Flynn's Place.

In the late ‘40s, Tom partnered with Babe Stunz, to build the Panther Creek Inn near Cobalt, ID. A few years later Stunz bought out Tom's share.

About 1951, Tom and Mildred settled in Reno, where he and son, Willard “Bill,” set up a partnership establishing Flynn's Auto Sales at 1250 So. Virginia St. Tom would often go as far as Texas to the car auctions for good deals. Bill did any necessary body work or painting in his shop.

Tom was killed in highway accident on Hyw. 95, 13 1/2 miles south of Goldfield, NV. He was heading north to Reno, towing a Jeep with his Ford sedan, when the Ford developed trouble about 12:30 a.m. He stopped, leaving his high beams on and tried to flag down a south bound lumber truck. The driver, blinded by the headlights, didn't see him in the road until too late. The truck struck him with the left front fender.

He is buried in Oak Lawn plot E-251-6 of Mountain View Cem., Off w. 7th St.., Reno.

Wesley married (1) Ada Vietta Howard, daughter of Hiram H. Howard and Mary Elizabeth Davidson, on 25 Sep 1914 in Twin Falls, ID. The marriage ended in divorce. Ada was born on 18 Sep 1896 in Rocky Comfort, McDonald, MO. She died on 9 Dec 1996 in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa, CA.

Wesley married (2) Mildred M. Baxter, daughter of Solomon Baxter and Catherine Yustin about 1942. Mildred was born on 16 Oct 1896 in Ravenna, Sanborn, SD.
She died on 13 Apr 1973 in Sacramento, CA.

6 M v. Robert “Bob” Sheridan Flynn was born on 28 Mar 1898 in Crossville, Cumberland Co, TN. He died on 18 Aug 1922 in Hammil Valley, Mono Co., CA. The cause of death was a gunshot. He was buried in Buhl, Twin Falls Co, ID.

At the time of Bob's death he was employed at the James Dehy ranch in Hammil Valley at Mocalno, Mono Co., CA. The shooter was Aug. W Bloomdale, a 55 year old section foreman for the railroad. The two had a previous falling out and Bob had threatened to murder Bloomdale - presumably for something said about Bob's wife. On the day of the shooting Bob had approached Bloomdale and asked where his bodyguard was, and that he was going to drag him from his rail-road hand-car and murder him. Bloomdale then shot Bob twice, killing him. He was subsequently acquitted of the murder charge - the jury finding that he had acted in self-Defense.

Robert married Etta Levena France on 16 Aug 1919 in Twin Falls, ID. Etta was
born on 1 Nov 1902 in Centralia, Lewis Co, WA. She died on 28 Dec 1990 in Sacramento, CA.

7 M vi. Claud Sutton Flynn was born on 18 Sep 1901 in Crossville, Cumberland Co, TN.
He died on 8 Feb 1920 in Coaldale, Alberta, CAN. The cause of death was Pneumonia. He was buried in Twin Falls Co, ID.

Enumerated on the 1920 Census, 14 Jan 1920, at his parent's home in Idaho, but was not present. He died in Alberta, Canada, 25 days later of pneumonia. He had been working on the Coaldale farm of his sister, Violet, and brother-in-law, Frank Palmer.

8 F vii. Hazel Ellen Flynn was born on 24 Dec 1905 in Crossville, Cumberland Co, TN.
She died on 25 Jan 2000 in Sacramento, CA.

1930 living next to parents in Castleford, Twin Falls, ID.

Hazel married Walter J. Tschannen on 8 Apr 1923 in Twin Falls, ID. Walter was born on 3 Aug 1901 in Montgomery, IL. He died on 27 Jun 1991 in Sacramento, CA.

9 M viii. Richard Narramore Flynn was born on 24 Sep 1909 in Crossville, Cumberland Co, TN. He died on 5 Sep 1979 in Red Bluff, Tehama Co, CA.

Richard & Hazel left Idaho and were in Sacramento by Mar. 1934.

Richard married (1) Hazel Minnie Slack, daughter of William Walker Slack and Addie Adel Logan, on 24 Nov 1931 in Elko, NV. The marriage ended in divorce. Hazel was born on 24 Jan 1908 in Grinnel, Poweshiek Co, IA. She died on 14 Dec 1980 in Sacramento, CA.

Richard married (2) Vonda May Evans on 11 Nov 1941 in Winnemucca, Humbolt Co, NV. Vonda was born on 26 Nov 1920 in Chowchilla, CA.