Thomas Tuglas was born on December 7th, 1831 in , Hawkins, Tennessee. Thomas Tuglas' father was Mark Ross and his mother was Elizabeth Still. His maternal grandparents were Lewis Still and Jincy Russell. He had two brothers and a sister, named Benjamin, George F. and Ross. He was the youngest of the four children. He died at the age of 68 on December 31st, 1899.