Henry's THOMAS ancestry is Henry 1710,   John 1739,   James 1774,   John 1795, James 1822.

Henry's father James was born in 1822 at Pool Cottage in Llanishen where our THOMAS clan had lived since 1794, and was baptised at St Michael On The Hill in Llanvihangel torymynydd. James was a domestic gardener who married Eliza (nee Vaughan) a dressmaker, at St. Arvans (near Chepstow)  in 1849.  Second son Henry was born 1851 and baptised at St. Arvans on the outskirts of Chepstow, Monmouthshire, South Wales. Henry's siblings were George born 1850, Isaac 1854 & Fred 1856.         Fred's children included Edith 1883 & Harry 1886 who both emigrated to New Zealand in the early 1900s.

In the 1871 census Henry [19] was a "fitter labourer", single, a boarder with the DAVIDSON family (from St. Nicholas in Aberdeenshire Scotland), at St.Brides Minor GLA, Glamorgan Arms cottages.

Younger brother Isaac had emigrated to New Zealand in 1875, and presumably sent good reports back home.

On 17 July 1876 Henry age 25 married Mary DAVIDSON  at Bridgend in Glamorgan Wales. Five months later on 6 December they sailed from England on the "Fernglen", landing at Napier on 20 March 1877.  (Mary must have been pregnant all of the journey)

According to New Zealand Railways (NZR) records, Henry started employment with the NZR at Napier as a locomotive cleaner on 11 March 1877 at 7/- a day, and by 1884 was an engine driver at 10/6 per day. He was subsequently transferred to Woodville, Dannevirke, Napier, Lower Hutt, & Wellington and back to Woodville.

Henry & Mary had 8 children:

James, born May 1877 at Waipukurau, in 1908 married his cousin Edith (see photo above) at Woodville in 1908. James died 1946.
 

children: Clifford Henry 1909, Gwendoline May 1911, Stanley 1914, & Mervyn Ivan 1920.

son Clifford born 1909 married Doris Wilson in 1941, and they had 4 children in the Waikato.

          Gwendoline married Albert EAST in 1938 and they had 4 children in the Waikato.

Mervyn married Jean Macintosh in 1946 and they had 4 children in the Waikato.

Isabella born 1879 Waipukurau, married Hugh GALBRAITH in 1923, died Woodville 1965

Elizabeth born 1881 Kopua, married Richard MORGAN in 1903, died 1979, buried Woodville.
        3 children born at Woodville

Fred, born at Norsewood 1883, married Marjorie GROVENER in 1913, farmed at Papatoetoe Flatbush Road 1928-46, died 1973.

son Fred Wystan born Napier 1914, married Margaret St. PAUL in 1954, 5 children, Fred farmed at Thomas Rd., East Tamaki, died Feb 2004 in Otago.

and 6 daughters:  Marcia 1915,  Kyra 1917,  Nola 1921,  Dorothy 1924,  Vera 1925, & Ruth 1933.

Annie born 1885 Norsewood, married William DEAN in 1907, 2 children, died Napier 1964.

George Vaughan, twin son born at Woodville 1888, 1NZEF in WW1, married Ada HARDING in 1920, farmed at Clive,  died 1967.

sons Colin 1925-2002, & Ronald 1927-1996, 2 daughters.

Walter  Vaughan, twin son born at Woodville 1888, married Lillian COPP in 1912, farmed at Te Poi, died 1966.
3 sons:

Gordon Vaughan, 1913-2004  a Methodist minister,
(Rodney) Rex, 1915-2001, married Rhoda MAFFEY, farmed at Te Poi, 2 sons & a daughter
Allan George, born 1918, teacher, killed & buried at El Alamein in North Africa WW2.

Grace Emily, born Woodville or Dannevirke 1891, married Walter SUCKLING in 1918, died in Tauranga 1967.

Mary died in Wellington in 1897.  Henry retired in 1911, Family stories report that "He got free travel on the railways, had no permanent home, spent his time moving around from one member of his family to the next"    Henry died at Woodville in 1924.

Henry & Isaac's parents lived at St, Arvans until their deaths in 1898 (Eliza) & 1907 (James).

Compiled by cousin Neville Thomas updated January 2009 after the Thomas reunion.