Francis Wolferstan Thomas
Encyclopedia
Francis Wolferstan Thomas (1834-1900), General Manager
of the Molson's Bank, and a philanthropist
of Montreal
.
, Cornwall
, the son of the Rev. Francis Wolferstan Thomas, Rural Dean
and Rector
of Parkham
, North Devon
, a family held living through the Reverend's mother's family, the Wolferstans of Berry House, Hartland, Devon
, descended from the Wolferstans of Statfold
Hall, Staffordshire
. Francis' mother was “a lady of the ancient and important family of Shearme, whose seat is Woodlands, Cornwall”. The Thomas family were formerly possessed of large estates in Glamorganshire.
Educated at Sherborne School
, Dorset
, he had a classical education as his parents desired for him to enter the church, like his father and grandfather (a Fellow
of Oxford University) before him. But Francis wanted a military career, and at the age of seventeen, before a decision could be reached for him, he left for Rice Lake (Ontario)
, with the intention to farm.
, he met someone who professed to be able to teach him agriculture
, but his instructor proved worthless, so he found employment on the Grand Trunk Railway
. Idle and adrift in a world of strangers, he was not disheartened and soon secured for himself a position in the Bank of Upper Canada
. He was quickly noticed, and offered a job in the Toronto
branch of the Bank of Montreal
, and his hard work there paid dividends, rising to the position of Manager of the London, Ontario
Branch in 1865.
In London he also became a director of the Huron and Eerie Savings and Loan Company, a director of the Canada Life Assurance Company, and Deputy Grand Master (Masonic)
of the Masonic Lodge there. In 1870, at the recommendation of Edwin Henry King
, ex-president of the Bank of Montreal
, he accepted the job of Chief Cashier
at Molson's Bank in Montreal
.
In Montreal
, he served as vice President of the MacKay Institution for Protestant Deaf-Mutes; a member of the managing committee for the Montreal General Hospital
, and was a director of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
and of the Mount Royal Cemetery
. It was said of him that “his hand is never closed when she (the Church of England
) needs his help, though at the same time he does not refuse his aid to any meritorious object, because it's promoters differ from him in creed.”
and his wife Louisa, daughter of Major John Matthews (1771-1831) of the Royal Artillery
(later Member of Parliament
for Middlesex County, Ontario
), who came to Canada
as Aide-de-camp
to the Governor General of Canada
, Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
. Part of Matthew's Canadian estate was sold to the eccentric Stephen Moore, 3rd Earl Mount Cashell
. The first Mrs Thomas (whose sister married a son of Bishop Benjamin Cronyn
) helped her husband in his many philanthropic and beneficent efforts. She became an elective governor of the Mackay Institute for the Deaf and Blind, the first directress of the Church Home, treasurer of the Ladies' Protestant Benevolent Society, and president of the Montreal School of Cookery, founded by Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
. They lived at 649 Dorchester Street, Montreal
, and they were the parents of several children including the wife of Brigadier-General Duncan Sayre MacInnes
; Harold Wolferstan Thomas and John Matthews Wolferstan Thomas.
After his first wife died, he married Anne Madeleine VanKoughnet (1863–1945), grand-daughter of Colonel Philip VanKoughnet
and sister of Lady Casimir Cartwright van Straubenzee
. Her father, Matthew, practised law with his brother, Philip Michael Matthew Scott VanKoughnet
, the 2nd Chancellor of Upper Canada
. Her mother, Elizabeth Hagerman Macaulay (1826–1899), was a daughter of barrister George Macaulay (1796–1828), and a niece of John Simcoe Macaulay
, Sir James Buchanan Macaulay
, Christopher Alexander Hagerman
and John Solomon Cartwright
. After Wolferstan Thomas died, his widow married Frederick Edmund Meredith
. By his second marriage, he was the father of two daughters and a son. A daughter by his second marriage, Shearme, married Colonel Philips of Abbey Cwmhir Hall
, where his widow died.
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of the Molson's Bank, and a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Boyhood in England
Born January 9, 1834, at MorwenstowMorwenstow
thumb|Parish Church of St Morwenna and St John the Baptist, MorwenstowMorwenstow is a civil parish and hamlet in north Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hamlet is situated near the coast approximately six miles north of Bude....
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, the son of the Rev. Francis Wolferstan Thomas, Rural Dean
Rural Dean
In the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church, a Rural Dean presides over a Rural Deanery .-Origins and usage:...
and Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Parkham
Parkham
Parkham is a small village within the Parish of Parkham four miles south of Horns Cross and the A39 on the North Devon coast. The parish lies within the Kenwith ward in the Torridge district. About 800 people live within Parkham and in the surrounding area....
, North Devon
North Devon
North Devon is the northern part of the English county of Devon. It is also the name of a local government district in Devon. Its council is based in Barnstaple. Other towns and villages in the North Devon District include Braunton, Fremington, Ilfracombe, Instow, South Molton, Lynton and Lynmouth...
, a family held living through the Reverend's mother's family, the Wolferstans of Berry House, Hartland, Devon
Hartland, Devon
The town of Hartland, which incorporates the hamlet of Stoke to the west and the village of Meddon in the south, is the most north-westerly settlement in the county of Devon, England....
, descended from the Wolferstans of Statfold
Statfold
Statfold is a former village in Staffordshire, England, about north-east of Tamworth. These days little remains of the village itself, but the Norman parish church, and the Tudor manor house of Statfold Hall still exist, as do a few scattered farms and houses.The Statfold Barn Railway is on the...
Hall, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. Francis' mother was “a lady of the ancient and important family of Shearme, whose seat is Woodlands, Cornwall”. The Thomas family were formerly possessed of large estates in Glamorganshire.
Educated at Sherborne School
Sherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, he had a classical education as his parents desired for him to enter the church, like his father and grandfather (a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of Oxford University) before him. But Francis wanted a military career, and at the age of seventeen, before a decision could be reached for him, he left for Rice Lake (Ontario)
Rice Lake (Ontario)
Rice Lake is a lake located in south-eastern Ontario, in Northumberland County, south of Peterborough and the Kawartha lakes and north of Cobourg. The lake is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, which flows into the lake by the Otonabee and out via the Trent. The lake is 32 km long and...
, with the intention to farm.
Canada
In CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, he met someone who professed to be able to teach him agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, but his instructor proved worthless, so he found employment on the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
. Idle and adrift in a world of strangers, he was not disheartened and soon secured for himself a position in the Bank of Upper Canada
Bank of Upper Canada
The Bank of Upper Canada was a Canadian bank established in 1821 under a Charter granted by the colony of Upper Canada in 1819. The incorporators were William Allan, Robert C. Horne, John Scarlett, Francis Jackson, William W. Baldwin, Alexander Legge, Thomas Ridout, his son Samuel Ridout, D’Arcy...
. He was quickly noticed, and offered a job in the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
branch of the Bank of Montreal
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...
, and his hard work there paid dividends, rising to the position of Manager of the London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
Branch in 1865.
In London he also became a director of the Huron and Eerie Savings and Loan Company, a director of the Canada Life Assurance Company, and Deputy Grand Master (Masonic)
Grand Master (Masonic)
In Freemasonry a Grand Master is the leader of the lodges within his Masonic jurisdiction. He presides over a Grand Lodge, and has certain rights in the constituent lodges that form his jurisdiction....
of the Masonic Lodge there. In 1870, at the recommendation of Edwin Henry King
Edwin Henry King
Edwin Henry King was a Canadian banker.Born in Ireland, King emigrated to Canada in 1850. He was general manager of the Bank of Montreal from 1863 to 1869 and was president of the bank from 1869 to 1873. Historian Oscar Douglas Skelton called him "the most striking figure in Canadian banking...
, ex-president of the Bank of Montreal
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...
, he accepted the job of Chief Cashier
Chief Cashier
The Chief Cashier is the person responsible for issuing banknotes at the Bank of England and is the director of the divisions which provide the Bank of England's banking infrastructure. This person is known to the general public because since 1870 the Chief Cashier's signature is printed on all...
at Molson's Bank in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
In Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, he served as vice President of the MacKay Institution for Protestant Deaf-Mutes; a member of the managing committee for the Montreal General Hospital
Montreal General Hospital
The Montreal General Hospital is a hospital in Montreal, Canada, established on May 1, 1819 and an early teaching hospital. First located on the corner of Craig and St-Lawrence Streets with only 24 beds, it moved in 1822 to a new 72-bed building on Dorchester Street. It is currently situated on...
, and was a director of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a major museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1860, making it Canada's oldest art institution, it moved to its current location in 1912 thanks to a large donation from businessman James Ross....
and of the Mount Royal Cemetery
Mount Royal Cemetery
Opened in 1852, Mount Royal Cemetery is a 165-acre terraced cemetery on the north slope of Mount Royal in the borough of Outremont, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The burial ground shares the mountain with the much larger adjacent Roman Catholic cemetery -- Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges...
. It was said of him that “his hand is never closed when she (the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
) needs his help, though at the same time he does not refuse his aid to any meritorious object, because it's promoters differ from him in creed.”
Family
In 1861, he married his first wife, Harriet Amelia Goodhue, third daughter of The Hon. George Jervis GoodhueGeorge Jervis Goodhue
George Jervis Goodhue was a Canadian merchant, landowner, and politician.Born in Putney, Vermont, the son of Josiah Goodhue and Rachel Burr, Goodhue came to Canada in 1820. A merchant in London, Ontario, he owned a store, distillery and ashery. He was elected to Township of London Council in 1838...
and his wife Louisa, daughter of Major John Matthews (1771-1831) of the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
(later Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Middlesex County, Ontario
Middlesex County, Ontario
Middlesex County is a primarily rural county in Southwestern Ontario. Landlocked, the county is bordered by Huron and Perth counties on the north, Oxford County on the east, Elgin County on the south, and Chatham-Kent and Lambton County on the west.The seat is the city of London, although the city...
), who came to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as Aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
, Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox KG, PC was a British soldier and politician and Governor General of British North America.-Background:...
. Part of Matthew's Canadian estate was sold to the eccentric Stephen Moore, 3rd Earl Mount Cashell
Stephen Moore, 3rd Earl Mount Cashell
Stephen Moore, 3rd Earl Mount Cashell , styled Lord Kilworth until 1822, was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat.-Background and education:...
. The first Mrs Thomas (whose sister married a son of Bishop Benjamin Cronyn
Benjamin Cronyn
Benjamin Cronyn was the first bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Huron. A noted Low Church cleric, he distrusted what he considered to be the romanizing tendencies of Toronto's Trinity College, in 1863, he founded Huron University College which in 1908 grew into the secularised University of...
) helped her husband in his many philanthropic and beneficent efforts. She became an elective governor of the Mackay Institute for the Deaf and Blind, the first directress of the Church Home, treasurer of the Ladies' Protestant Benevolent Society, and president of the Montreal School of Cookery, founded by Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
The Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
. They lived at 649 Dorchester Street, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and they were the parents of several children including the wife of Brigadier-General Duncan Sayre MacInnes
Duncan Sayre MacInnes
Brigadier General Duncan Sayre MacInnes DSO CMG was a Canadian soldier and engineer who served in South Africa before, during and after the Second Boer War. Before a during World War I, MacInnes played a key role in the establishment and development of the Royal Flying Corps...
; Harold Wolferstan Thomas and John Matthews Wolferstan Thomas.
After his first wife died, he married Anne Madeleine VanKoughnet (1863–1945), grand-daughter of Colonel Philip VanKoughnet
Philip VanKoughnet
Colonel The Hon. Philip VanKoughnet M.P. landowner, businessman and political figure in Upper Canada.- History of the name :...
and sister of Lady Casimir Cartwright van Straubenzee
Casimir Cartwright van Straubenzee
Major-General Sir Casimir Cartwright van Straubenzee KBE CB CMG , was a British soldier of the Royal Engineers.-Education and career:...
. Her father, Matthew, practised law with his brother, Philip Michael Matthew Scott VanKoughnet
Philip Michael Matthew Scott VanKoughnet
The Hon. Philip Michael Matthew Scott VanKoughnet , President of the Executive Council of the Province of Canada, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands and Chancellor of Upper Canada.-Early life:...
, the 2nd Chancellor of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. Her mother, Elizabeth Hagerman Macaulay (1826–1899), was a daughter of barrister George Macaulay (1796–1828), and a niece of John Simcoe Macaulay
John Simcoe Macaulay
Colonel The Hon. John Simcoe Macaulay was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada. In 1845, he donated the land on which the Church of the Holy Trinity was built.-Early Life:...
, Sir James Buchanan Macaulay
James Buchanan Macaulay
Colonel Sir James Buchannan Macaulay, CB was a Canadian lawyer and judge.Macaulay, born at Newark, Upper Canada, 3 December 1793, was the second son of James Macaulay by his wife Elizabeth Tuck Hayter...
, Christopher Alexander Hagerman
Christopher Alexander Hagerman
Lt.-Col The Hon. Christopher Alexander Hagerman was a Canadian militia officer, politician, and judge.Known as 'Handsome Kit', he was born at the Bay of Quinte, Adolphustown, the son of United Empire Loyalist Major Nicholas Hagerman J.P., and his wife Anne , sister of Judge Alexander Fisher M.P.,...
and John Solomon Cartwright
John Solomon Cartwright
Lt.-Col. The Hon. John Solomon Cartwright QC was a businessman, lawyer, judge, farmer and political figure....
. After Wolferstan Thomas died, his widow married Frederick Edmund Meredith
Frederick Edmund Meredith
Frederick Edmund Meredith K.C., D.C.L. was a Canadian lawyer and businessman, the 8th Chancellor of Bishop's University, Lennoxville; honorary President of the Montreal Victorias for three of their Stanley Cup championships in the late 1890s, and Chief Counsel to the CPR at the inquest into the...
. By his second marriage, he was the father of two daughters and a son. A daughter by his second marriage, Shearme, married Colonel Philips of Abbey Cwmhir Hall
Abbey Cwmhir Hall
Abbey-Cwm-Hir Hall is a neo-Elizabethan country house in the Welsh county of Powys. It was built in 1833 for Thomas Wilson on the site of a house built c.1656 for the Fowler family, which was later owned by the Hastings family, Earls of Huntingdon...
, where his widow died.