Family stories say he abandoned his wife and child in Dunedin, and moved to British Columbia in Canada where he changed his name to Thomas McDonald. One story says that the wife's child was not his child and he was very embarrased when he found out that his wife had had an affair. and so he left New Zealand. Another says he adopted a boy named Roy - but whether that was done in NZ or in Canada, is not specified.
Sources
Birth Record - 1881/9179 - BDM Online - DIA - Dept Internal Affairs - New Zealand
Marriage record - 1907/7875 - BDM Online - DIA - Dept Internal Affairs - New Zealand to Janet Armour Bryson Cadeyne
Birth record - 1908/3835 - BDM Online - DIA - Dept Internal Affairs - New Zealand - Child born to Janet Armour Bryson & Thomas Hedley Simpson Fairbairn, named Roy John Fairbairn.
Death record - 1987/29489 - BDM Online - DIA - Dept Internal Affairs - New Zealand - Roy John Fairbairn, full DoB 7 February 1908.
Death record - 1948/32460 - BDM Online - DIA - Dept Internal Affairs - New Zealand - Janet Armour Bryson Fairbairn, at age 62 years.
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Thomas by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Thomas: