Thomas Zinn was born in Ritchie County, W. Va., [Virginia] April 1, 1848. He was the fifth child and only son of Otho Preston and Nancy Rogers Zinn, and grew up on a hilly, partly uncleared farm near Berea. About a year before the birth of their son, the parents embraced the Sabbath and united with the Hughes River Seventh Day Baptist Church, in which they became active and self sacrificing members. In 1857 the father of the family died as the result of an injury received in plowing, and the mother was left with the care of eight children, all of whom except one she kept together and raised to maturity. The children attended the country school for the short sessions which were held, and Thomas supplemented this training by reading everything he could get his hands on at home.
In 1866, the family came to Farina to live, where the son and daughters all found work. This was the end of Thomas' schooling, but not of his education. Throughout his life he read much and widely; he knew something of good literature; his knowledge of history and public affairs was extensive, and his English in speaking and writing was the language of an educated man.
Four of the sisters married and made their homes in or near Farina. They were Elizabeth, Perdilla, Ginerva, and Ruth. During Mr. Zinn's later life, his associations with the oldest of the four, Mrs. Lizzie Coon, were close and were the source of some of his happiest experiences. The youngest, Mrs. Ruth Schlagenhauf, died in 1904; Mrs. Coon preceded her brother in death by little more than a year; while Mrs. Jennie Titsworth, now living in Delaware, Ohio, is the only one who survives him.
During the first years in Farina, Mr. Zinn worked at various things, including farming on a small scale. Finally he embarked in a banking business; and when the State Bank of Farina was organized, he was elected to the office of vice-president, which he held until a few years ago, his wise counsel and deliberate actions conserving the interests of depositors.
Having always been prominent in local affairs, appreciation of his services was shown in his election to the Forty-first General Assembly of Illinois in 1898, on the Republican ticket. The sketch of his life in the "History of Fayette County" notes that during Mr. Zinn's occupancy of this office, he introduced several very important measures and was on several of the major committees. He served as supervisor of LaClede township; for a number of years he was school trustee, and he served for many years as president of the Village Board. He was appointed a member of the Board of Trustees of the State Industrial Home for the Blind, by Governor Yates, and held that office for two years.
During his later life, in the capacity of notary public, he acted as legal and personal adviser to his clients, whose number was legion, and who came from the whole surrounding country to consult him. At this time, also, his small farming and gardening interests occupied part of his time, and it was to this outdoor work that he turned more and more in his declining years.
On May 9, 1878, he was united in marriage to Mary Frances Langworthy, and for forty years their home life continued in the same house in Farina. Mrs. Zinn passed away June 22, 1926. To them were born five children, four of whom survive the parents. They are Oscar, who died in infancy, Edna (Mrs. H. C. Stillman of Pueblo, Colo.); Flora; Ruth (Mrs. L. H. Stringer of Milton, Wis.); and Zea.
One of Thomas Zinn's outstanding interests was the church. He joined the Seventh Day Baptist Church at Farina when he was a young man and when the church was still a young organization. He was always an interested, active member, attending the services with unusual regularity, stimulating the interest of his children, giving generously toward its financial support, and working in numerous ways for its advancement. One of the stories of his youth that he remembered and told oftenest in his old age was that of how he helped quarry the stone which Will Rogers and others put into the foundation of the church building; and from that time until the beginning of his last illness, much of his activity was directed toward the welfare of the church.
For many years he was a trustee and the teacher of the men's Sabbath school class. Very often when the secretary's annual report for the Sabbath school was made, his name was on the short list of those who had a perfect attendance record for the year; and had his church and prayer meeting attendance been reported, the same would have been true for those.
After undergoing a serious surgical operation in January, 1926, Mr. Zinn failed steadily in mind and body, and death came to him December 11, 1927. His age was seventy-nine years, eight months, and eleven days. Funeral services were held from the Seventh Day Baptist church Wednesday, December 14, at two o'clock, conducted by his pastor, Rev. C. L. Hill, and burial took place in the Farina cemetery.
C. L. H.
