Acknowledgments

This book would never have been if it weren’t for Cornel and Gretchen Thomas, who lovingly compiled a binder of our Thomas family history. Special thanks go to family members Ryan and Ann Thomas, Patrick Thomas, Megan Hebdon, Mike Thomas, and Caitlin Thomas for their willingness to read draft after draft, and to Kyoko Mori for her advice and guidance in developing the first half of this manuscript for my master’s thesis. Gratitude is extended toward Amanda Dambrink for editing my book proposal and providing commentary on several chapters, and Jared Gillins for supplying a number of sources and saving the day by reminding me to back up my manuscript days before my computer crashed. And then to Zach Winter, who helped me recover some of the lost documents. Fond remembrance to Sandie and John Robinson and Anna Headington for their graciousness in helping me with housing and offering other assistance in Merthyr Tydfil. A salute goes out to Abby Falls and Greg Smith, who made pleasant companions on my research trips, and to all my friends who sent me articles or otherwise supported me throughout the writing process. I am especially grateful for the peer reviews provided by Philip Notarianni, Allan Kent Powell, Kenny King, Carolyn Jacob, and Rick Bradford.