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The Thomas Line

Episode 2 of the Family‑Line Series – A Welsh Officer in the Fur Trade

THE THOMAS LINE

“From Carmarthen to Red River — A Welsh surgeon at the heart of treaty‑making and Métis beginnings.”

Welsh origins, HBC leadership, and the making of a Métis homeland

The Thomas lineage begins far from the river lots and buffalo plains of the Red River Settlement.
It begins in Carmarthen, Wales, a landscape of rolling hills, stone farmsteads, and a long tradition of rural labour and maritime trade. Thomas Thomas (1765–1766) was born there — a name that sounds almost like a placeholder in a parish register, yet one that would become woven into the earliest political fabric of the Canadian West.¹

His journey would take him across the Atlantic, into the heart of Rupert’s Land, and into the story of the Hudson’s Bay Company, the Selkirk Settlement, and the birth of the Métis Nation.

I. Origins of the Thomas Line

In 1789, Thomas Thomas joined the Hudson’s Bay Company as a surgeon and sailed to York Factory aboard the King George.²
He rose quickly through the ranks:

  • 1796–1810 — Master of Severn House
  • 1810 — Superintendent of the Southern Department
  • 1811–1816 — Justice of the Peace for the Indian Territory
  • Later — Governor of the Southern Factories³

These were senior administrative roles, placing him among the highest‑ranking HBC officers of his era and positioning him at the centre of the political and economic transformation of the region.

II. A Métis Family Takes Shape

During his years at Severn House, Thomas formed a long‑term partnership with Sarah, a Cree woman born in Rupert’s Land.⁴
Their union represents the merging of two worlds:

  • Welsh HBC officer
  • Indigenous homeland

Their early children — Frances, William, Elizabeth, and Catherine — were born during the Severn years.⁵
This family would become foundational in the Red River community.

III. Our Direct Ancestor in the Thomas Line

Our branch descends through Anne/Nancy Thomas, daughter of Thomas Thomas Sr. and Sarah.⁶

During the winter of 1818–19 at Cumberland House, the Thomas and Bird families lived side by side, and three marriages united the households. Among them was the union of:

Anne/Nancy Thomas + George Bird

This marriage forms the core of our Thomas → Bird connection and anchors the Thomas line in our ancestry.

IV. The Thomas Family in the Métis Homeland

Thomas retired to the Red River Settlement in 1815 and formally married Sarah at St. John’s Anglican Church on 30 March 1821.⁷

By the 1827 Red River census, the Thomas household was established on Lot 755 in the St. Paul–Birds Hill area, with a substantial farm, livestock, and equipment.⁸
Their neighbours included the Bird and Bunn families — households that would become deeply intertwined with ours through multiple marriages.

Thomas died in Red River on 24 November 1828.⁹
His youngest daughter, Sophia, was taken in by Reverend David Jones to receive an education at the Red River Academy — a sign of the family’s standing in the community.¹⁰

V. Our Line — The Thomas → Bird Connection

Through Anne/Nancy Thomas, the Thomas family becomes part of the Bird lineage — one of the most enduring and influential families in the Red River region. Her marriage to George Bird, born at South Branch House and raised within the world of HBC officers and mixed‑ancestry families, united two households deeply rooted in the fur‑trade world.¹¹

Their son, William Thomas George Bird, carried both lineages forward — the Welsh‑born officer tradition of his grandfather Thomas Thomas, and the long‑established Red River presence of the Bird family.
He represents the point where the Thomas surname leaves our direct line, yet the Thomas heritage continues through him and into the generations that followed.

VI. Descendants and Branches

The Thomas family produced eight children whose marriages connected them to many of the most prominent families of Red River:

  • Frances Thomas → Henry Buxton
  • Anne/Nancy Thomas → George Bird (our line)
  • Elizabeth “Betsy” Thomas → Joseph Bird
  • William Thomas → Eleanor Bunn
  • Catherine Thomas → John Bunn
  • Jane Thomas → Levi Bird
  • Thomas Thomas Jr. → Harriet Stewart
  • Sophia Thomas → Reverend William Mason¹²

These marriages linked the Thomas family to the Birds, Bunns, Stewarts, and Masons — families central to the early Métis and settler communities.

VII. Why the Thomas Line Matters

The Thomas lineage is historically significant because it represents:

  • one of the earliest HBC officer families in Red River
  • direct involvement in treaty‑making and early governance
  • a key marriage into the Bird line
  • a bridge between Welsh settler identity and Indigenous/Métis identity
  • a foundational role in the early political and social life of the region

It is a line that stands at the intersection of diplomacy, settlement, and cultural blending — and it leads directly to all of us.

ENDNOTES

  1. Welsh origins of Thomas Thomas (see Appendix B, item B1).
  2. Entry into HBC service as surgeon aboard King George (Appendix B, item B2).
  3. HBCA appointments and administrative roles (Appendix C, item C2).
  4. Early family summary and partnership with Sarah (Appendix B, item B3).
  5. Early children born at Severn House (Appendix B, item B4).
  6. Thomas family list including Anne/Nancy (Appendix B, item B19).
  7. Church wedding of Thomas and Sarah (Appendix B, item B9).
  8. 1827 census summary (Appendix B, item B12).
  9. Death of Thomas Thomas (Appendix B, item B13).
  10. Sophia’s education under Rev. David Jones (Appendix B, item B14).
  11. Cumberland House marriages linking Thomas and Bird families (Appendix B, item B8).
  12. Descendant marriages (Appendix B, items B15–B17).

APPENDIX A — GEOGRAPHIC ANCHORS

A1. Wales (Carmarthen & St. Andrew, Holborn)
Origins of Thomas Thomas documented in parish references and genealogical reconstructions.
Primary; HBCA Biographical Sheet: Thomas Thomas; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

A2. York Factory & Severn House
Locations associated with Thomas Thomas’s early HBC service as surgeon and Master.
Primary; HBCA Biographical Sheet: Thomas Thomas.

A3. Cumberland House (1818–19)
Site of the winter where the Thomas and Bird families lived side by side and intermarried.
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas; Red River Ancestry: George Bird.

A4. Red River Settlement (St. John’s, St. Paul, Birds Hill)
Parishes and river lots where the Thomas family lived, farmed, and appear in census and parish records.
Primary; Red River Parish Registers; 1827 Red River Census.

APPENDIX B — GENEALOGICAL EXTRACTS

B1. Origins of Thomas Thomas
“Thomas THOMAS was born around 1765–66…from the parish of St Andrew, Holborn…later from Carmarthen, Wales.”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

B2. York Factory arrival (1789)
“On Mar 25, 1789…sailed to Hudson Bay on King George, landing at York Factory.”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

B3. Fort Severn posting (1796)
“On Sep 16, 1796…arrived back at Fort Severn as a Master Trader.”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

B4. Early children at Severn
“Their first child was daughter Frances…next three children were William, Elizabeth and Catherine.”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

B5. Superintendent & Governor roles
“Thomas THOMAS was appointed Superintendent…In 1813…Governor of the Southern Department.”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

B6. Justice of the Peace
“Appointed a Justice of the Peace for the Indian Territory…1811–1816.”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

B7. Cumberland House marriages (1818–19)
“…romance blossomed between…George BIRD and Nancy THOMAS…”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas; Red River Ancestry: George Bird.

B8. Church wedding (1821)
“On March 30, 1821…Thomas THOMAS was church‑wed to Sarah…”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

B9. Elizabeth’s marriage (1821)
“The next day…daughter Elizabeth married Joseph BIRD…”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

B10. 1827 census
“Recorded on Lot 755…age 62…house, barn, stable…eight acres under cultivation.”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

B11. Death of Thomas Thomas (1828)
“Thomas THOMAS died on Nov 24, 1828 in Red River.”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

B12. Sophia’s education
“Sophia…was taken in by Reverend David JONES…”
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

B13. Family list
(Frances, Anne/Nancy, Elizabeth, William, Catherine, Jane, Thomas Jr., Sophia.)
Genealogical; Red River Ancestry: Thomas Thomas.

APPENDIX C — HBCA EXTRACTS

C1. HBCA Header — Thomas Thomas
“NAME: THOMAS, Thomas Sr. PARISH: St. Andrew, Holborn…b. ca.1766…d. 24 Nov. 1828.”
Primary; HBCA Biographical Sheet: Thomas Thomas.

C2. HBCA Appointments
“1789–1793 — Surgeon, York Factory…
1796–1810 — Master, Severn House…
1810–1811 — Superintendent of Southern Factories…
1811–1814 — Superintendent, Moose & Albany…
1814–1815 — Governor of Northern Department…
1815 — retired to Red River…”
Primary; HBCA Biographical Sheet: Thomas Thomas.

C3. HBCA Family Listing
“Wife: Sarah (married formally 30 March 1821)…
Children: Frances, William, Elizabeth, Catherine, Jane, Thomas Jr., Sophia, Anne…”
Primary; HBCA Biographical Sheet: Thomas Thomas.

C4. HBCA Will Note
“All eight children are mentioned in Thomas Thomas Sr. will.”
Primary; HBCA Biographical Sheet: Thomas Thomas.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Sources

  • HBCA Biographical Sheet: THOMAS, Thomas Sr.
  • HBCA Post Records (Severn House, York Factory)
  • Red River Parish Registers
  • 1827 Red River Census

Genealogical & Archival Compilations

  • Red River Ancestry: THOMAS THOMAS (1765–1828)
  • Morin, Gail. Métis Families

Scholarly Works (Context Only)

  • Brown, Jennifer S.H. Strangers in Blood
  • Devine, Heather. The People Who Own Themselves