Kane, Thomas L. (Thomas Leiper), 1822-1883
Dates
- Existence: 1822 - 1883
biographical statement
Thomas L. Kane (1822-1883) was lawyer, abolitionist, Civil War soldier, frontiersman, and advocate for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Thomas Leiper Kane was born January 27, 1822 in Philadelphia to Judge John Kintzing Kane and Jane Duval Leiper. He attained the bar in 1846, after studying law with his father. He served as clerk in his father's court until 1850, at which point he resigned due to a moral conflict with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. He went on to become an active member of the Underground Railroad. Kane became interested in the migration of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the West, and was crucial in securing government aid for the movement. His friendship with Brigham Young is credited with the non-violent resolution of the Utah War. At the advent of the Civil War Kane organized a volunteer Union Army regiment known as the "Bucktails" and served as lieutenant-colonel of that outfit. He later was brevetted the rank of major-general for his service at Gettysburg. After his military service he retired to found the town of Kane, Pennsylvania. In 1853 Kane married Elizabeth Dennistoun Wood, and together they had four children: Harriet Amelia Kane (1854-1896); Elisha Kent Kane (1856-1935); Evan O'Neill Kane (1861-1932); and Thomas Leiper Kane, Jr. (1863-1929). Kane died of pneumonia in Philadelphia on December 26, 1883.
Citation:
Dict. of American Biog. Vol. X, 1928: p. 258 (educated by his father, founded Civil War regiment called "The Bucktails, brevetted rank of Major General for service at Gettysburg, participated in Underground Railroad, peacefully negotiated the end of the Utah War, married Elizabeth Dennistoun Wood in 1853, died of pneumonia in 1883)Story of John Kane of Dutchess County, New York, 1921: p. 4-5 (children named Harriet Amelia Kane; Elisha Kent Kane; Evan O'Neill Kane; and Thomas Leiper Kane, Jr., founded Kane, Pennsylvania)
Ancestry.org, Jan. 29, 2013: (four children: Harriet Amelia Kane (1854-1896); Elisha Kent Kane (1856-1935); Evan O'Neill Kane (1861-1932); and Thomas Leiper Kane, Jr. (1863-1929))
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Kane family notes, cards, and other material, 1849-1866
Contains a letter, several notes, picture cards, and a botanical pressing found within printed works in the Kane family collection. The letter is concerns a trial and injustice in the life of Thomas L. Kane and is signed by his aunt. The notes include copied scriptural and lyrical passages, as well as notes on a book concerning genealogy. The picture cards depict religious scenes. Materials date from 1849 to the late 19th century.
Kane family poems and flower, 1885
Contains a folio found in the third volume of the Kane family photograph album. The folio contains a transcription of a poem in German titled Haiden-Roslein, a note that reads "In Memoriam A.K.F.," a transcription of the same poem in English, and a dried flower. Materials are dated August and September 1885.