Thomas, John

DESCRIPTION

NameThomas, JohnDate of Birth1828 Last edited by: June Hockey

Date of Death1910 Last edited by: June Hockey

OccupationBaker, AldermanPlace of ResidenceShellharbour VillageBiographyJohn Thomas was the son of William and Sarah Thomas who came to Australia in 1838 from County Kent England. They arrived on the ship " City of Westminster" in June 1838.

John was ten years old when the Thomas family arrived, and his parents took up employment with Henry Osborne of Marshall Mount.

John married Maria Haslam of Terry’s Meadows (Albion Park) in 1854. Maria, was the daughter of William Makin Haslam and convict, Catherine Allison who was transported from Glasgow for stealing aboard the 'Louisa', aged 19 years. Maria's grandfather Samuel Haslam was also a convict, transported from England aboard the 'Barwell' in 1797.

In 1857 John established a store and residence in Addison Street Shellharbour Village, then known as Peterborough.

The store was on a site purchased in 1855 from T.A. Reddall section 9B Lot 5 Village of Peterborough west of Robert Martin’s Settlers Arms Hotel. (deeds research Tongarra Heritage Society ).

As storekeepers, John and Maria became important figures in the development of the Village.
(Thomas family tree “Three Score Years and Ten” by Stan Thomas).

Due to the absence of Churches for Divine Service, committees held meetings at Robert Wilson’s Mill to consider building Churches in the district. John Thomas was a founder of the first Anglican Church built by voluntary labour on the corner of Towns and Wentworth Streets Shellharbour in 1859. He gave land for the first Presbyterian Church built 1859 in Addison Street, west of Wentworth Street.

John also gave land at Albion Park for the first Presbyterian Church, built in 1866. He was an Alderman of the Municipality of Shellharbour in 1864, and a shareholder of the Shellharbour Steam Navigation Co. formed in 1876 and Shellharbour Butter Export Co. in 1870.

John and Maria Thomas had a family of 13, and three of their sons became surveyors by profession.

At the Shellharbour School of Arts in Mary Street, the Thomas Memorial Library was installed in memory of surveyor William Thomas, son of John and Maria. The library consisted of 1150 books bequeathed by him, and the room to contain the library was built in honour of John Thomas. (ref.’Green Meadows’ W. A. Bayley – ‘Three Score Years and Ten’- Stan Thomas).

In later years, John and Maria’s son John, established a bakery at the rear of their Addison Street property, and in the year 2000, the historic 1857 Thomas building and bake house was demolished, and the bakery ovens saved and restored by The Tongarra Heritage Society. Shellharbour City Council with the help of the Society removed and preserved the ovens.

The new owners of the site built a restaurant known as Addisons, and allowed the ovens to be installed in a wall at the rear entrance of their new building, 25 Addison Street Shellharbour built in 2001.

Children of John and Maria:
William bn.1855 died 1919 married Isabella Dickson.
James bn.1856 died 1942.Unmarried.
Sarah bn.1859 died 1938.Unmarried.
John bn. 1861 died 1953 married Sarah Stott.
Harriet bn.1863 died 1941 married Walter Stanford.
Edward bn.1864 died 1947 married Hope Curtis.
Annie Maria bn.1866 died 1947 married John Fellows
Elizabeth bn.1867 died 1876.
Henry (Harry) bn.1871 died 1957 married Mary James.
Martha bn.1872 died 1954 married James Henderson.
Blanch bn.1875 died 1957 married Charlie Hall.
Emily Edith bn.1876 Unmarried.

In 2003 a plaque to the Thomas family was installed at the bakery oven placement, the plaque made possible by the Shellharbour Council and words by the Tongarra Heritage Society.

External LinkShellharbour 1855Important Sale 1856Thomas Slab Store Demolished 1856Death of Mr John Thomas 1910Death of a Shellharbour Identity 1910Coroner's Inquest James Campbell 1865

The former Thomas Bakery, Shellharbour, c.1986.

CONNECTIONS

CollectionPeopleThomas, William and Sarah CollectionThomas, William and Jane CollectionThomas, Walter John CollectionThomas Memorial Library CollectionFamilyThomasHaslamLocalityShellharbour VillageOrganisationShellharbour City CouncilPersonThomas, Edward HaslemThomas, WalterThomas, HenryAtchison, Clorinda (nee Thomas)Thomas, Edward HaslamPlaceThomas Bakery Scotch Oven, Bricks and Facade

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Thomas, John