John Files Tom was born in Maury County, Tennessee, on 1818 April 22, the son of William Tom and Mary Files. He moved with his family to Texas in 1835 and settled at Washington-on-the-Brazos. During the Texas Revolution, he and his father joined the army, participating in the Siege of Bexar. At the battle of San Jacinto, Tom was seriously wounded and listed as killed when a musket ball shattered his knee.
Tom and his family moved to Seguin in 1846, and he served as a Guadalupe County sheriff from 1856 to 1860. Moving to Atascosa County in 1862, Tom was commissioned to organize a ranger company for frontier protection during the Civil War. He represented Pleasanton (Atascosa County) in the Texas House of Representatives for one term, 1873-1874.
Tom married Mary Ann Moffitt (1820-1873) on 1840 July 2; the couple had four daughters. Following his wife’s death, Tom married Nancy Henderson (1848-1928) and had seven additional children. He became a Mason in 1867 and died on 1906 March 26.
John Files Tom biographical file, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
John Files Tom Papers, 1835-1952, Doc 5213, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
Long, Edith Harriette. “John Files Tom.”
San Jacinto Descendants Records, 1965-2010, Col 6245, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
The collection contains military service records, letters, and genealogical material related to John Files Tom and his family. Included are copies of documents associated with Tom's service during the Texas Revolution, letters from William P. Zuber regarding a reunion of Texas veterans, and other family letters. Some items in the collection are photocopies.
No restrictions. The collection is open for research.
Please be advised that the library does not hold the copyright to most of the material in its archival collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure those rights when needed. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights, and libel.
The DRT Library also has a William Tom family Bible:
[Identification of item], John Files Tom Papers, 1835-1952, Doc 5213, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
Probably a gift of Edith H. Long, 1963 August.
Processed by Warren Stricker, 1997 November.
Finding aid edited and encoded by Tom D'Amore, 2011 October.