Thomas Cairnes, Moultrie County

Thomas Cairnes (1858 - 1905) was sent west in 1872 at the age of fourteen. five years after he arrived the visiting agent visited the William Kliver home in East Nelson, Moultrie County to determine Thomas' condition and relationship with his guardians.

No record of Thomas appears again until his death in March 1905. Thomas had left farming, as predicted by Mr. Kliver, and had become a printer and member of the Typographical Union. He had worked and made friends in Sullivan, Lovington and Decatur, Illinois. He died in Little Rock, Arkansas on March 5, 1905. He had married Josie Williams in Illinois, but her status at the time of his death was not noted.