In May 2005, I found the following entry in the guest book of this website:
Your pioneer Gilbert Thompson did something very famous (to us) in our little town 3000 miles away in Northern California. I'm so excited to make the connection. Do you know Gilbert?
A short time later, I received the following email:
Greetings:
I was so excited when the computer isolated Gilbert Thompson's name on your website. I have been studying parts of his history for many years. To get directly to the point: In 1883 he and a mule skinner named Tom Watson managed to coax two mules to the 14,162 ft. summit of Mt. Shasta, California.
As a local historian and member of the Board of Directors of our local Sisson Museum I've been trying to develop the story of Dynamite and Croppy (the mules) and of the men who did this. Specifically, I've been searching for a photograph of Thompson for twenty years
Is there still any family link in your community? Is there someone to whom you could refer me who might feed me a lead? Thompson is a tough name to search in genealogy.
You probably know that Thompson, even though he made a notable career as a topographer, is best known as the first American to use fingerprints for personal identification. I'm anxious to hear if someone in your community has studied your famous pioneer and perhaps has information to warm an old historian's heart! Thanks in advance for any assistance,
Perry Sims
The Sisson History Project
I had no idea who Gilbert Thompson was, and had to do a search to find out where he was on the website. I found him in this paragraph from Ellen Patrick's story in Hopedale Reminiscences.
We were given instruction in drawing. Gilbert Thompson, whose affection of the old place and friends was strong to the last, and who had hoped to share in these memories, was able to take up the work of a topographical engineer, without further preparation, and to become, finally, a leading topographer; and Lizzie Humphrey, our real artist, received here her first preparation for the career in which she won distinction. Dear Lizzie, loveliest of girls, and always our Queen of the May.
Thompson died in 1909. Hopedale Reminiscences was published in 1910. Evidently he had planned to write his memories for it. More information on Thompson turned up in Ballou's History of Milford and in Who Was Who.
Thompson, Gilbert, son of William V. and Harriet (Gilbert)Thompson, b. in So. Mendon, now Blackstone, March 21, 1840; came to Hopedale, along with his mr. (who joined our Community), in 1849; served apprenticeship, etc., in our printing-office 4 yrs.; enlisted at Boston in the U.S. regular army, in a corps of topographical engineers, Nov. 23, 1861; served in that department 3 yrs., and, after an honorable discharge, was engaged by government to continue in the same business, in which he has remained till the present time. He m. Mary McNeal, pedigree, etc., not given; cer. Washington City, Oct., 1869. Issue: -- Amy Grier, b. Washington, D.C., Aug. 14, 1872. Mr. T. has had a successful career in life. Hi is not only a man of sterling intellectual capabilities, but of generous sentiments, noble moral principles, and of unswerving integrity. As a civil and military engineer, he has won distinction and golden commendations. An interesting and valuable article appeared in "The American Journal of Science," vol. xix, May 1880, by G.K. Gilbert, on "The Outlet of Lake Bonnville." This name, "Bonnville," is the name given to a vast body of water, presumed by geologists to have once covered the desert basins of Utah to the height of a thousand feet above the present level of Great Salt Lake. In that article the author thus speaks of our Mr. Thompson: "After the publication of my former article, I learned that the outlet had been independently discovered by my friend, Mr. Gilbert Thompson; and I am glad to give him credit. Mr. Thompson is not a professional geologist, but he is an expert topographer; and his close study of the natural forms, which it is his work to delineate, has more than once led to observations valuable to the geologist with whom he has been associated. I quote the following from his letter dated April 10, 1878: 'Thanks for your brochure, The Ancient Outlet of Great Salt Lake. The past season I was along the northern limits of the ancient lake, between 111 deg. And 112 deg, 22?, 30?, and was absolutely ignorant of your examination of its limits, and also of its outlet. Toward the last of the season, as I surveyed from the north the road through Red Rock Pass, after noting the remarkable topographical features of Marsh Creek, and keeping a close run of the profile as given by the aneroid, I was delighted at Red Rock to see unmistakable evidences of the ancient outlet of Great Salt Lake. Thus you may have the gratification of knowing of an independent and entirely unbiased verification of your determination on this point; and it is nowhere else within the limits I have mentioned.'" Mr. T. has been on topographical service in Utah for several yrs., and is still there. Adin Ballou, History of Milford, pp. 1064 - 1065.
Thompson, Gilbert, topographer U.S. Geological Survey; b. Blackstone, Mass, March 21 1839; [1840, according to Ballou] s. William Venner and Harriet (Gilbert) T.; ed. common sch.; m. Mary Frances Reed McNeil, (McNeal, according to Ballou) Sept 28, 1869. Printer by trade; soldier, U. S. engr. Battalion, Nov. 22, 1861 to Nov. 21, 1864; asst. engr. Headquarters Army of Potomic, 1864 - 1865 on Western explorations and surveys, etc., 1866 - ; comd. Engr. Battalion, D.C. militia, 1890 - 98; historian Veteran U.S. Engrs. Assn. Address: Washington, D.C. Died 1909. Who Was Who.
From the Aladdin Passport website: In 1882, Gilbert Thompson of the U.S. Geological Survey in New Mexico, used his own fingerprints on a document to prevent forgery. This is the first known use of fingerprints in the United States.
From The Forensic Scientist website: 1882 Gilbert Thompson, an American engineer building railroads in Mexico adopted "the practice of pressing his thumb print on wage chits for his workers" to combat forgeries.
A Hopedale map from the 1890s shows Gilbert Thompson's name on a lot on Freedom Street, just above the home of the Charles Roper family. It seems rather doubtful that he lived there after leaving Hopedale to enter the army, but probably his mother remained there for the rest of her life and after she died, he may have rented it out.
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