RBH Report Keene for the Thompson-Brooks family
Item
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Title
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RBH Report Keene for the Thompson-Brooks family
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Rights
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RBH Keene
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Type
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Text
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Creator
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Carroll, Jennifer
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Date
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2023
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Description
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Recovering Black History report compiled by volunteers from Keene for Thompson-Brooks family
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Format
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PDF
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Language
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English
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extracted text
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Thompson & Brooks Family
Residing in Westminster, VT and Keene, NH
BACKGROUND SUMMARY
John Thompson born in Bennington, VT.
1860s: John Thompson served in the military.
1875: She was born in 1857 in Cavendish, VT. On Jan 29, 1875 she married John Thompson in
Putney, VT.
1880 Census: Ida Harriet Thompson, 22 year old black female residing in the home of John
Thompson, was living in Westminster, VT. John is listed as mulatto, 30 years old, and was
working as a teamster.1
1880: William A. Brooks was born in October, the son of Herbert Brooks and Ada Thompson
Brooks of Putney, VT.
1900: daughter Ada Thompson Brooks was a 22 year old black woman, living with her husband
Herbert Brooks in Rockingham, VT. She was born in 1877 to John and Ida Thompson. She
had two children: Hattie 5 and Lottie 3.2
1900: Ida H. Thompson was a 45 year old housekeeper residing in the home of Walter Moody in
Westminster, VT. She was married for 25 years at the time. She was born in VT in Feb 1855.
Her father was born in VT and her mother NH. and had born 7 children with three living. She
has her children with her: Dau Adarin B (22), son Willie B (19), Belle A. (17). The daughters
were working as servants and the son as a farm laborer. Also in the household were Hattie A.
and Lottie P. Brooks, aged 5 and 3 respectively (these are Ida’s granddaughters and they also
show up in the 1900 census living with their parents Herbert & Ada Brooks in Rockingham, VT)
Walter Moody was a 38 year old widow working as a teamster and renting the house. They are
all listed as white.
1904: On April 23, 1904 John Thompson died. He is buried in Vermont Veterans Cemetery in
Bennington.
1910: Ida H. Brooks is residing with her family at 252 Gilsum Street in Keene. They are
neighbors with the Sadoques family, an Abenaki family that had moved from Quebec to Keene.
All are listed as black and born in VT. Hattie is 15 years old and completed high school. She
1
2
1880 US Federal Census
1900 US Federal Census
Jennifer Carroll
works as a cleaner. Lottie P. is 13 years old and attending school. Walter C. is 9 years old and
attending grammar school.3
1905: William A. Brooks died on Dec 13, 1905 in Boston, MA of pneumonia. He was the son of
Herbert and Ada Brooks, born Oct 1880 in Bellows Falls, VT. He was 25 at his death, working
as a teamster, and married.4
1910: Ada Thompson Brooks’ daughters Hattie and Lottie are 13 and 15 years old and were
living with their grandmother Ida H. Thompson in Keene.5 Ada is not around.
1920: Ida H. Thompson, 62 year old black female, living in her grandson Walter Brooks’
household, died Mar 31, 1920 of heart disease in New Bedford, MA. She is buried in Pine
Grove Cemetery. Her parents were Linus B. Williard of Charlestown, NH
(11/25/1827-11/18/1901) and Harriet Williard, died 11/17/1904). She was the widow of John
Thompson. Ida was living with her grandson before she died.as well as with her daughter, now
called Belle, not Isabel6
1942: Walter Carroll Brooks was a 40 year old black man residing in New York City, according to
his WWII registration card. He was described as 5'7", 160 pounds. Walter was born Feb 26,
1901 in Westminster, VT, the son of Herbert and Ada Brooks. He was single. Walter worked for
W. Zaraffese Paper Company of NYC. Ida H. Thompson's grandson who was living in Keene
with her at age 9 in 1910.
Note:
ITEMIZED RESEARCH FINDINGS
Census Records
REPOSITORIES VISITED
3
U.S. Federal Census, 1910
Find a grave
5
1910 US Federal Census
6
FInd-a-grave
4
2
Recovering Black History in the Monadnock Region project: Roxbury
ONLINE RESOURCES USED
Ancestry.com
Keene Evening Sentinel. http://keene.advantage-preservation.com/
FURTHER RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS
3
Recovering Black History in the Monadnock Region project: Roxbury
