Carl Henry Thoma

1895 - 1962

BiographyCarl Henry Thoma was a Pittsburgh, Pa. native of German heritage who owned and operated his own bar and restaurant. Thoma was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 24, 1895 to Paul and Elizabeth (née Wittmer) Thoma. Paul Thoma, originally from Germany, immigrated to the United States in 1873 and was eventually naturalized in 1883. He owned Paul Thoma’s Restaurant and Bar, located at 3813-3815 Penn Avenue in the Lawrenceville area, where the growing Thoma family also resided. Elizabeth Thoma was born in Pennsylvania to two German immigrants. Several members of the extended Thoma family lived nearby in the Lawrenceville and Homewood neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pa. Before the death of Elizabeth Thoma, the couple had three children who survived infancy: Carl Henry, Margaret Katherine, and Edward Wittmer.

Carl H. Thoma graduated from Pittsburgh Central High School in 1912 and continued his education at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. While in school, Thoma served as class vice president and treasurer of the Fulcrum Club. He graduated in 1916 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Commercial Engineering.

After graduating, Thoma lived at 101 South St. Clair Street in the East Liberty area of Pittsburgh, Pa. and worked at several different businesses, including the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Rail Road as well as the Duquesne Light Company. On August 30, 1919, he married Marie E. Lance at the William Penn Hotel. For their honeymoon, the couple traveled across the country, visiting friends and family and seeing a variety of national parks. Carl and Marie Thoma primarily resided at the house they purchased at 2724 Crosby Avenue in the Beechview area of Pittsburgh, Pa. According to available records, they did not have any children.

Carl H. Thoma died on January 31, 1962 due to an acute coronary occlusion. He passed away at home with his wife. Marie E. Thoma passed away in 1973. They are buried side by side in St. Peter’s Cemetery in the Lincoln-Larimer-Belmar neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pa.