An American Family History

The city of York was incorporated as Toronto on March 6, 1834. The city grew and developed significantly during the the 19th century. The Irish famine brought a large number of Irish immigrants to the city and they became the largest ethnic group. Toronto 1856

John Morgan Thomas was born on March 2, 1806 in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England. According to the Thornbury parish records, his parents were John Thomas and Hannah Newman. He was baptized on March 2, 1806.

John Thomas, Sr. was born about 1780 in England. He died on May 28, 1810 at Thornbury when he was 30 years old. Hannah Newman was born about 1785 in England.

John and Hannah Thomas were married December 23, 1802 at Thornbury. The witnesses were William Thomas, Maria Llewellyn, Ann Thomas, and Obed Pitcher. They had four children. Their children were Elizabeth Thomas (1803), John Morgan Thomas (1806) Hannah Thomas (1808), and Ann Thomas (1810), Ann was born after her father's death.

John Morgan married Mary Lewis about 1827. Their children and life together are described in detail in the section on John and Mary Thomas.

He began building organs in Montréal in 1832 and established a partnership in Toronto with Alexander Smith in 1839. In 1840 the partners obtained a patent for a metallic frame around the tuning pegs of a piano, designed to take pressure off the case. In 1844 the headquarters were located on King Street West, and it was here that Thomas built the first organs to be placed in St Michael's Cathedral and Holy Trinity Church. By 1856 the company was known as John Thomas & Son. In fact, Thomas had five sons active in the trade. (Florence Hayes, Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)

The Holy Trinity Church organ was replace by the Lye Company in1883. The case and the four stops of the small organ made by John Thomas were retained, moved from the north transept to the chancel, and incorporated in a large new three-manual tracker instrument of 28 stops.

He died on March 2, 1875 in Toronto of erysipelas, which is a skin infection or congestion of the lungs. He was buried March 4 at St. James Cathedral Cemetery in downtown Toronto in Section R, Lot 8, Centre Grave. The Reverend W. S. Darling officiated.