Thomas William Smith
b. 15 December 1867 at Barrie, Ontario, d. 6 September 1946 at Duncan, British Columbia
Father: James Smith, b. 24 January 1838 at Toronto, Ontario, d. 4 February 1910
Mother: Ellen Loane, b. 14 June 1840 at Limerick, Ireland, d. 7 May 1924
Thomas lived a gay life during his early days in the East. He played trumpet in a Toronto band and turned a fancy step on the dance floor. The story goes that "Lady Eaton often booked him at the Mount Royal Hotel dances".After his marriage to Minnie in 1898, they moved to Winnipeg, where Thomas took over the management of a CPR boarding house owned by one of his cousins from the Richard Smith side of the family. The rest of the Smiths were nearby in Ridgeville. Minnie was very different from the other city women he was used to. She was blonde, cute, religious and only 18 years old. He was 32 and worldly from fast-living in Toronto.
J. Henry Smith was a cousin and close friend of Thomas and about the same age. They'd shared many experiences together long before they arrived in Duncan. Henry was a wheeler-dealer businessman who held a number of management positions within the R. Smith & Company organization. He was the persuasive force that coaxed Thomas to the west coast in 1920. In later years, whenever Henry visited the farm, he and Pa would party together into the wee hours. This was a side of Pa that Minnie never shared.
A farmer at heart, Thomas was a lover of the land and his home. He took great pride in his garden. He was a superb, outdoor man and excellent shot and had many tales to tell of the years when Canada teemed with game. During the years in Manitoba he trained hunting dogs.
Spouse: (Minnie) Wilhemena Ellen Tohm, b. 5 October 1880 at Poland, d. 28 September 1957 at Duncan, British Columbia
Father: Daniel Tohm, b. 7 May 1860 at Zhitomir Parish, Poland, d. 16 March 1943 at New Westminster, British Columbia
Mother: Caroline Bittner, b. 25 September 1858 at Poland, d. 22 December 1944 at Duncan, British Columbia
Married: 1898 at St John's, Norway, East Toronto
Children and grandchildren:
Nelson William Smith, b. 12 September 1900 at Ridgeville, Manitoba, m. Marie Helen Rhena Peters, m. Gladys May Baxter at Vancouver, British Columbia, d. 28 August 1994 at Duncan, British Columbia; 3 grandchildren
Josephine Julie Smith, b. 26 August 1902 at Emmerson, Manitoba, m. Barton John Creighton, 1921, d. 28 January 1963 at Victoria, British Columbia; 1 grandchild
Henry Smith, b. 24 July 1904 at Emmerson, Manitoba, m. Pearl Pritchard, d. 1984 at Duncan, British Columbia; 6 grandchildren
Laura Emily Smith, b. 5 February 1906 at Birdshill, Manitoba, m. Augustus Bergman, 1926 at Duncan, United Church, d. 10 December 1972 at Duncan, British Columbia; 1 grandchild
Gordon Thomas Smith, b. 19 July 1907 at Birdshill, Manitoba, m. Patricia Swanson, d. March 1940 at Lake Cowichan, British Columbia; 2 grandchildren
Fred Marshall Smith, b. 14 May 1912 at Birdshill, Manitoba, m. Margery Bone, 24 August 1932 at Nanaimo, British Columbia, d. 17 November 1975 at Duncan, British Columbia; 6 grandchildren
Caroline Ellen Smith, b. 1 March 1914 at Birdshill, Manitoba, m. Richard (Dick) Foster, 15 December 1937 at Victoria, British Columbia, m. Cyril Shearing, 27 April 1963 at Victoria, British Columbia; d. 18 November, 2007; 2 grandchildren
Leslie Clifford Smith, b. 15 August 1919 at Clark's Crossing, Saskatchewan, m. Ethel Clara Brown, 25 September 1942 at Victoria, British Columbia; d. 8 May 2012; 4 grandchildren
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| Thomas William Smith and his family of 7 children traveled across Canada by train in 1920. They stopped for a time at Clark's Crossing Saskatchewan while their youngest child, Les, was born. |
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| This farmhouse is located on the original Smith homestead in Ridgeville, Manitoba. The last occupant was James Jr, brother of Thomas William who moved to Duncan, British Columbia. In 2002, when I visited, the adjoining property that had been the homestead of Thomas William was uninhabited pasture with scattered patches of woods. |
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