Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Teacher, farmer, municipal councillor and long time resident of West Bolton, was born in Frost Village, son of William A. and Sarah Ann (Martin) Thomas. That this family were early residents of Shefford Township is evident in the fact that, the parents of John, were married March 6, 1825 by the Rev. Rhichard Whitwell, a new Church of England missionary sent to Shefford in 1821. The Williams, the Martins, the Goddards, the Frosts, the Fosters were all early settlers in Frost Village at this time. In the 1860's John Thomas taught in the first Creek School, District No. 1 in West Bolton. He married Emmeline Rooney whose home was next north of where the Creek Church was later built, this has been the home of Clarence Johnson in more recent years whose mother was a Rooney. After marriage John and Emmeline settled on the west half of Lot 4, Range I which was property just opposite the Creek School. Their sons, Arad and Myron, became business men of Foster, in Brome Township which was becoming a village by 1880.
The Ruth E. Thomas, mentioned in one of the documents was John's sister, who had married Arad Williams of Frost Village. They had also settled in Bolton on the property on the right just south of the railroad tracks where Heman Salisbury lived in the 1950's and Gordon Smith Family in the 1960's. There is a sketch of this farmhouse in the Belden's Atlas of 1881.
John's son, Arad Thomas, proprietor of the Foster House acquired some land at the outlet of Brome Lake and there now is a THOMAS ROAD leading down to the lake from the main road. Arad's daughter, Annie Thomas (Mrs. Norris) owned a cottage on this property during the 1940's and 50's and 60's.
It is interesting to learn that the John Thomas farm in West Bolton has been called by some present day residents the MARY BLAKE PLACE. Mary (1872-1960) was John and Emmeline's daughter who had married Howard Blake of South Stukely. In her older years she lived in Waterloo but had a penchant for moving around and buying up home properties. In the 1950's she did acquire this place in West Bolton where she had been brought up as a girl, but, being in her 80's at the time, only rented it.
John and Emmeline (Rooney) Thomas had other children, in all we should mention, not only the two older sons, Arad b. 1866 and Myron b. 1868, but Edith b. 1874, Mary of course, and two younger sons Evelyn and Melvin who lived in Ottawa.