Hi a puzzle to be sure, an online tree has Charles as Charles M Thornton same parentage/pob born 3rd Sept 1854, and being in Clifton, Wilson, Kansas by 1870 aged 15/16 he dies 21st July 1934 Sutter, California.Is this your tree/man?
The tree is on Ancestry.com
Be aware that these trees are notoriously unreliable. As with all family history check the original source. I have family mentioned on there who are apparently living and dying in the USA when they have never left the UK and I am not alone. There is one on there that seems to be collecting evidence of their facts.