According to St Cyffig's (Whitland) Church records, Sarah, the daughter of a farm labourer, was born on 5th February, 1788, on Ffynnoncyll Farm, near Whitland, Carmarthenshire close to the border with Pembrokeshire.

Sarah married in Whitland, became Mrs Sarah Thomas and had two daughters. After her daughters were born Sarah and her husband moved to Llanelli.

Unfortunately for Sarah her husband was tragically killed around 1857 in an accident involving a shunting engine. After her husband died Sarah went to live with her surviving daughter Mrs Grylls, mother to sixteen children. Sarah, her daughter and some of her grandchildren lived in a cottage on the corner of a cul-de-sac off Pencoed Road. There were also two semi-detached cottages and a house in the cul-de-sac, which was just below Heol Elisabeth. One of her great-granddaughters is said to have enjoyed the task of putting her great-grandmother to bed every night, and had the added responsibility of placing a ‘warm brick’ in her bed to warm her feet.

Sarah, a widow, and unable to work, was supported financially by the parish and donations from friends.

In 1894 when Sarah was 106, Mr J G Thomas of Burry Port arranged for the Royal Family to be informed and the Princess of Wales sent her a cheque for £5 6s 0d as a birthday gift, which was intended to represent one shilling for every year of her life. [Following decimalisation in 1971 one shilling equates to 5 pence and 106 would equal £5.30.]

Sarah Thomas had eight grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren and was passionately fond of the ‘fragrant weed’.

Messrs Franklyn and Davey obviously thought that Sarah was an excellent advertisement for their product and every week they gave her about three ounces of shagg tobacco. The remarkable Mrs Sarah Thomas died on Friday, 29 January 1897 and was buried in Llanelly cemetery on Monday 1 February 1897.