THOMAS JEFFERSON SHOEMAKER, M. D., Union County, was born in Spencer County, Ky., June 5, 1837, a son of John and Ruth (Offutt) Shoemaker, and is of German-English extraction. His father was born in Pittsburgh, Penn., in 1787, and his mother, Ruth C. Offutt, in the State of Maryland in 1801. The ancestors of Dr. Shoemaker came to America from Germany. His father's death took place in Spencer County, Ky., in 1852. The boyhood of our subject was spent in attending the common schools and St. Mary's College, in Marion County, after which he taught school for some years, and was one of the most successful teachers of his day. In 1862 he began the study of medicine in the office of Drs. R. D. Spaulding and William A. Jones. He attended the Medical department of the University of Louisville, 1863-64, and 1865 he received a diploma from the Kentucky School of Medicine, and one (a diploma) from the University of Louisville, Ky., 1868. In 1865 he began the practice of his profession at Morganfield, and here has since continued. He was married, June 4, 1866, to Miss Frances E. Payne, of Waverly, Ky., daughter of John and Jane Payne. Of eleven children born to this union, only six are living. Dr. Shoemaker is a Democrat and a member of the Catholic Church; through his untiring energy he has made life a success.
Source: J. H. Battle, W. H. Perrin, & G. C. Kniffin. Kentucky. A History of the State. Louisville, KY, Chicago, IL: Battey, 1885. Page 1022.