J. McNicol

Signed family name

McNicol

Signed given name

Given address

Marton

Sheet number

521

Town/Suburb

Marton

City/Region

Whanganui region

Notes

Biography contributed by Bernadette Siebert

Jane Wilson McAdam was born in 1869 in Dumbarton, Scotland to Robert McAdam, a ship joiner and Mary nee Steel. Robert died just after Jane’s birth and her mother Mary remarried in December 1869 in Dumbarton to Robert McNicol. The family left for NZ a few days after the wedding, arriving in Canterbury aboard the City of Glasgow in March 1874. Robert was a miller and they spent the first couple of years in Canterbury. By 1878 they had moved to the North Island, near Marton.

In 1894, at the residence of the groom’s father, Porewa, Jane (also known as Jeannie) married William Alfred Thoms. He was 22, a farmer, and had lived at Porewa all his life. The wedding was described in the local newspaper, 'The bride wore a dress of rich fawn silk with veil and orange blossoms. Her bridesmaid was Miss Bartlett, who, looked very well in a crepon dress trimmed with lace. Mr E Thoms acted as best man. The happy pair left by the afternoon train to Wellington'.

William Alfred Thoms was the ninth of twelve children of Charles Thoms and Elizabeth nee Thompson. They were from Northumberland, England and married in 1855 just before they immigrated to Wellington, New Zealand with Charles’ parents and siblings. Charles and Elizabeth moved to Porewa in the Rangitikei district where William was born in 1871. Before he was married, he farmed at Riverdale with his brother Edwin.

William and Jane had three children in Pakihikura:

Elsie Jessie (1895–1985)
Arnold Charles Robert (1899–1966)
Ralph Reginald (1909–1982)

Around 1908 William and Jane bought land and farmed at Mairoa, in the Waitomo district. William and Jane were involved in the local community. The Mairoa school picnics were held in a paddock kindly lent by Mr W A Thoms. The local football club held a series of fortnightly dances and Jane was on the committee that decorated the hall very nicely, and made the supper arrangements and William was MC. Jane exhibited at many of the Winter Exhibitions and won prizes for her plain scones and 2 lb loaves of bread, and growing roses. In 1934 William was chosen as the Patron of the Mairoa Tennis Club.

In 1943 William and Jane disposed of their farm and sold at auction the whole of the Live and Dead Stock totalling 3000 sheep. They moved into Te Kuiti township. William died at home in July 1943 aged 71, and was buried in the Te Kuiti Old Cemetery.

Jane lived for many years with her son Arnold and family in Ngāruawāhia. She spent the last year with her married daughter Elsie in Papatoetoe, Auckland. When she died in 1969, Jane was over 100 years old. She was cremated at the Purewa Crematorium in Auckland.

J McADAM is the daughter-in-law of 521 E THOMS Marton