p 4 - The sixth and next to youngest child of John and Frances was Thomas Lawrence Fiers, born August 30, 1798, the great-grandfather of Dale. Only seven when his family made its westward journey, he undoubtedly saw the experience through a young boy's eye as a thrilling adventure. By January of 1822, Thomas, then a veteran of the War of 1812, was marrie dto Ann Lewis, and to this union were born twelve children. The Ohio years found him plying his trade as a cooper. Like his father before him Thomas was lured farther west by the prospect of better fortune in the state of Indiana. He initially settled in Delaware County during the early 1840s. At that time, Indiana had only three cities of more than 2,500 people - Madison, New Albany, and Indianapolis -and the lines between rural and town life were vaguely formed. A decade later, Thomas moved his family on to Jay County, where they remained throughout the Civil War. Thomas died there about 1870. His government grave marker in the old pioneer cemetery in Redkey, Jay County, Indiana reads simply: "Thomas L. Fiers - US Soldier - War of 1812."
