William Thomas was born on 22 July 1809 in Sydney, NSW, AUS.
1,2,3,4 He and
Mary Tukiwaha were married on 2 February 1844 in The Neck, Stewart Island, Bishop Selwyn.
3 He and
Ann (Nancy) Lidiard were married in 1859 in Riverton, SI, NZ.
5 Note some sources have born 1811
dictated his stories to his grand children LLES
from facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/aotearoanzhistory/posts/729748065514225/
William Thomas born 1811 from 1834 he worked as a whaler under Captains Stevens and Howell, and also had command of his own, trading between Riverton and Australia. For 5 years he worked out of Zeehan in Tasmania before returning to Riverton. He was married twice, his first wife Tukuwaha (Mary) born 1816 from Wairewa Runanga who had fled south to her uncle 'black jack' a chief from Ruapuke Island where they lived. They had several children before she died at age 45 in 1861 and his second wife raised them all. He married Ann, or Nancy, daughter of John Clark Lidiard in 1859, at Riverton. The only child was a step son Edward John Stevens.
John Simon married to Emma Mason Thomas. Emma was the youngest daughter of William Thomas and Mary Tukuwaha. She was born on 23 May 1853 on Rakiura (Stewart Island). Emma spent most of her youth in Riverton where she was educated. John and Emma purchased a property known as Herne Hill at Myross Bush where they raised a family of five daughters and three sons. According to our written record, first William Thomas was the convict , second was his son William Thomas, a whaler, who married our tupuna Tukuwaha on Rakiura 1844. The third William Thomas, in this photo, was their eldest son who married Ann Stevens.
Whakapapu surnames are Thomas, Flint, Simon.
The third William Thomas, in this photo, was their eldest son who married Ann Stevens. William Thomas was baptized on 2 October 1809 in St Philip's Church, Sydney, NSW, AUS.
5 He immigrated to to Wellers whaling station Otakau in 1834 deserted from ship Mary and Elizabeth LLES.
1 He was a workman at the Neck in 1851.
6