Thomas Herbert was born on May 16, 1820, in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to John and Mary Herbert. The family moved to Boston, Massachusetts, in the early 1820s, and he grew up and attended school there. When he was 13, he began working as a roller boy at a printing office. He later became an apprentice bookbinder. He joined a military company called the “Young Volunteers” in the 1830s.
He moved to Lynn, Massachusetts, around 1840, and he worked as a merchant and book dealer. He married Nancy G. Coller on December 25, 1843, but she died in childbirth on August 5, 1845. He married Mary Bassett on June 22, 1847, and they had at least three children: George, born around 1849; William, born on December 27, 1853; and Frederick, born on May 3, 1860. By 1860, he owned $1,000 of personal property.
He served as a captain in the 8th Massachusetts Militia Infantry, which was activated for federal service in September 1862. In 1863, he became a 2nd lieutenant in Company G of the 3rd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. He was promoted to captain on October 1, 1863, and he was discharged for disability on May 3, 1865.
He returned to Lynn after the war, and he operated a boot and shoe store. By 1870, he owned $2,000 of personal property. He moved to Weare, New Hampshire, around 1887, and he died there “after a short illness” on June 4, 1899.
Image: Thomas Herbert (The Daily Item, 5 June 1899)