Thomas Toms
Dwelling #231.
Group Number 1

Group Members

The table below shows the people that make up the group.

No Last Name First Names Maiden Name Relationship Occupation Born Died School Year
1 Toms Thomas (1) Husband Tin miner, gold miner, coal miner 1839
2 Toms Letitia Mary Ann Stewart Wife 1845
3 Toms John Henry (Jack) Child 25 Jan 1869 1 Nov 1873
4 Toms Thomas (2) Child Mar 1871
5 Toms Grace Ann Child 20 Dec 1874

Notes

The table below shows any historical notes about the party group.

Note Date Short Description Note Text
2603 1839 Birth of Thomas Toms (1)

Thomas Toms was born at Bodmin in Cornwall. Hi father was John Toms and his mother ws Elizabeth Chapman.

2604 1845 Birth of Letitia Stewart

Letitia Mary Ann Stewart was born in Enniskillen, County Donegal, Ireland to Henry Stewart and Letitia Atwell. Her sister Jane married Henry Wheeler. Her sister Kitty died at the age of 9 years. Her brother Richard was killed in W.W.1. Her brother Robert went to America.

2605 1859 Thomas Toms moved to Australia.

Thomas Toms was previously working as a tin miner in Cornwall. In 1859, he moved to Australia and worked in the Victorian goldfield.

2606 1861 Thomas Toms moved to New Zealand.

Thomas moved to New Zealand, following the Otago goldrush and mined at Gabriel's Gully. He may have arrived via the West Coast and walked to Gabriel's Gully.

2607 1865 Letitia moved to New Zealand.

Letitia Stewart came out from Ireland and the ship 'Leichardt' with her sister, and landed in Dunedin where she worked for some time.

2608 1867 Miss Stewart traveled to Alexandra by bullock wagon.

Letitia traveled to Alexandra by bullock wagon. At this time it appears that Mr Toms had moved to Alexandra and was working on a 'spoon' gold dredge. He had also been working as a coal miner in the Alexandra area. It is not clear if Thomas knew Letitia before she came to Alexandra.

2609 1868 Marriage of Thomas and Letitia.

On 22 May 1868, at Manuherikea, Alexandra, Thomas Toms married Letitia Mary Anne Stewart. The best man was Chapman Wood of Sandy Point, and the bridesmaid was Martha Simmonds. The marriage was the ninth entry in the local register.

2610 1870 Electoral roll listing.

Thomas Toms (1) was listed in the electoral roll as living in a wood and calico dwelling at Sandy Point, Manuherikea, Alexandra.

2611 1873 The Toms family moved to Bannockburn.

Thomas Toms and his family (now 2 children) moved from Alexandra to Bannockburn. They settled in Tineys Gully where they cleared a place in he scrub and built a sod house. It appears that Thomas moved to Bannockburn to work on the Carrick gold reefs, with his tin mining experience he was an expert at stoping out narrow reefs which were common on the Carrick. The initial job on the Carrick may have run out as he returned to the spoon dredge and coal mining in Alexandra. He would walk home to spend time with his family in the weekends.

2612 c1875 The Toms family built a larger house further down Tineys Gully.

About this time, with a growing family, the Toms moved further down Tiney's Gully and built a larger house (see dwelling #449). Dwelling #231 was partially demolished to build this new house.


Images

The table below shows a list of images related to the party group. Click on 'View Image' to display more details about the image, and to view the image.

Image Id Source Date Short Description
1212 J W Toms - Roxburgh 22 May 1868 Marriage Certificate - Thomas Toms & Mary Ann Leticia Stewart View Image
1247 J W Toms - Roxburgh 1886-1892 Pocket Ledger of Mr & Mrs Thomas Toms (1) View Image
1269 J W Toms - Roxburgh c1863 Thomas Toms (1) View Image
1270 J W Toms - Roxburgh c1870 Mrs Thomas Toms (1) with son Henry Toms View Image
1271 J W Toms - Roxburgh unknown Mrs Jane Wheeler (Stewart) - sister of Mrs Thomas Toms (1) (Mary Ann Laticia Stuart) View Image
1272 J W Toms - Roxburgh unknown Robert Stewart - brother of Thomas Toms (1) View Image
1273 J W Toms - Roxburgh unknown Henry Wheeler - brother in law or Mrs Thomas Toms (1) View Image
1274 J W Toms - Roxburgh c1871 Mrs Jane Wheeler - sister of Mrs Thomas Toms (1) View Image
1275 J W Toms - Roxburgh unknown Frank Jeffrey - husband of Lucy Toms View Image
1276 J W Toms - Roxburgh c 1896 Elizabeth Jane Toms (Mrs Thomas Lawrence) View Image
1345 Mrs D Norman - Roxburgh c1920 ? Thomas Toms (1) View Image
1948 Ms B Holland - Wellington c1920 Thomas Toms (1) View Image
1949 Ms B Holland - Wellington c1930 Four Generations - Mrs Thomas Toms (Mary Ann Letitia Stewart) View Image