Richard Thomas (1795 - 1861)

Born 1 Jun 1795 in St Mawes, Cornwall, England

Ancestors

Husband of Jane (Richards) Thomas — married 16 Jul 1825 in Redruth, Cornwall, England

Descendants

Died 12 Aug 1861 at age 66 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Gillian Thomas [send private message] and Rebecca Thomas [send private message]

Biography

Richard Thomas was born in Cornwall, England.

Richard Thomas migrated from Cornwall, England to Australia in 1855.

Richard Thomas was born in 1795 at St Mawes, a pretty harbourside village that looks out over the River Fal towards the busy maritime town of Falmouth. He was the son of Richard Thomas and Elizabeth Pearce. Richard was a stonemason by trade, as his father and grandfather before him had been.

In 1825, at the age of 30, Richard married Jane Richards from the mining town of Redruth. Jane was 19 and the daughter of George Richards, a miner, and Judith Hawk. In 1841, Richard and Jane and 7 children were living at Wynns Hill (Bakes Hill) near Falmouth. By 1851 the family had moved to Perrywinkle Hill, Falmouth (possibly to the house were his parents were living in the 1841 census). In 1851, Richard employed 1 journeyman and 1 apprentice - these were likely to have been his sons, John and Charles Henry. By this time, Richard and Jane had 11 children, 9 boys and 2 girls.

In the 1850's in Cornwall, opportunities were limited, and we can presume that the prospect of sending his eldest sons,as assisted immigrants to the colonies was an attractive proposition. Richard's four eldest sons, and his youngest daughter Elizabeth set out from Plymouth on 23 September 1854, on the Assisted Immigrant Ship 'Rajasthan'. The young family of the eldest son, Richard Pearce Thomas, were also on board. It is presumed, but not proven, that Richard travelled with his children as a butcher on the crew of the 'Rajasthan'. Also on the 'Rajasthan' were two single girls, Ann Reddaway and Eliza Purse, who were to later marry two of the Thomas boys. The 'Rajasthan' was a three masted rig of 601 tons, 126 by 29 by 22.7 ft in dimension, and was built in Bombay in 1837. On board were 274 immigrants, 85 male adults, 130 female adults, 23 boys, 27 girls, 3 male and 6 female infants.

The Thomas's arrived in Sydney on 11 January 1855. Over the next two years, Richard and his sons worked to raise the money to bring the rest of his family to Australia.

Richard lived in Sydney for 6 and a half years, until his death in 1861 of a disease of the throat. In 1859 the family were living at 166 Palmer Street Sydney and Richard was working as a stone mason. He was also variously described as a rubble mason and a builder and contractor. He was living in Crown Street Sydney when he died. He was buried on 13 Aug 1861, at Camperdown Cemetery.

Sources

• "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQGT-N4Y : 30 December 2014), Richard Thomas, 17 Jan 1796; citing ST JUST IN ROSELAND,CORNWALL,ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 246,801.

• "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJH1-9S15 : 28 October 2015), Richard Thomas and Jane Richards, 18 Jul 1825; citing Marriage, Redruth, Cornwall, England, Cornwall Records Office, Truro.

• 1841 Census, England, Cornwall, Falmouth, District 6, Piece 154, Book 3, Folio 51, Page number 12. Record held by Gillian Thomas

• 1851 Census, England, Cornwall, Falmouth, District 1g, Piece 1911, Folio 347, Page number 41. Record held by Gillian Thomas

• Immigration: New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896. Reel 2471. Vessel Name: Rajasthan, Arrival date: 25 Jan 1855. Copy of record held by Gillian Thomas

• Death: NSW Death Certificate. 734/1861. Available from http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au. Copy held by Gillian Thomas