George Thoms was born at Dundee in Angus, Scotland on 25 November 1801 and baptised there on 6 December 1801. His parents were George and Elisabeth Thoms (née Hunter) who married at Dundee on 7 February 1794. George seems to have dropped the "S" from his last name at some stage, likely when he was 19 years old and convicted of theft at Ayr, for which he received the sentence of 7 years. A John Hannah, aged 15, was convicted of the same crime and sentenced on the same date, so they may have been friends and carried out the crime together. By 3 July 1821 George is recorded as being on board the prison hulk 'Bellerophon', moored at Woolwich, near London. By all accounts conditions aboard the prison hulks must have been appalling and disease rife. George survived eight months on board the hulk, before being transferred to the convict ship 'Guildford' on 22 March 1822. The ship sailed from London on 4 April 1822, bound for New South Wales in Australia. The Guildford arrived in Australia on 15 July 1822. It is said that George learnt the art of shipbuilding whilst serving out his sentence. George received his Certificate of Freedom on 20 May 1828. He must have set himself up as a trader between Australia and New Zealand, as it seems he became master of Alexander Berry’s schooner ‘Union of Sydney’. This was during the time of the intertribal Musket Wars between Māori in New Zealand. The traders dealt with flax and muskets (long-barrelled, muzzle-loaded guns), which led to an arms race and wholesale slaughter of iwi without muskets by those who could get them first. It is thought that over 20,000 Māori were killed and many more than that enslaved or forced to flee their traditional tribal areas. During one of these visits to Kāwhia in the Waikato area of New Zealand, in around 1829, George met a Māori woman of rank, Maraea Paituru Te Ra Rata Kautawhiti, daughter of Te Tuhi o Te Rangi and Kirikino. The two formed a relationship and their first child, Mereana, was born in New Zealand on 20 June 1830. Maraea and their daughter went with George when he returned to New South Wales. Their next child was Ellen who was born in 1832 but died in 1835. George Edward was born on 27 August 1834, Agnes on 9 June 1842 and John in 1843. In October 1843 George, trading in the schooner 'Union' between Shoalhaven and Sydney, was judged insolvent with debts of £12. Daughter Isabella was born on 1 January 1844, but son John died in 1844. Their last child, Jessie, was born on 21 August 1846. Three months later, eldest daughter Mereana married John Alexander Vallis in Australia on 12 November 1846. Two years later, on 10 July 1848, 46 year old George went missing while out at sea. Soon after, wreckage washed up on the beach at Terrigal in New South Wales, including the stern of a boat marked ‘Union of Sydney, George Thom’ and several casks containing tallow. The following month, on 16 August 1848, a local farmer discovered the mutilated body of George washed up on the beach. The following day, on 17 August 1848, an inquest was held in Brisbane where it was described how he was wearing the remains of a blue shirt and black silk neckerchief. The jury returned a verdict of ‘found dead, apparently caused by drowning’. It is said that Tāwhiao, who would later become the second Māori King, escorted Maraea and some of the children back to New Zealand following the death of George and recovery of his body. These were likely George Edward Thom (1834-1896), Agnes Preece (née Thom) (1842-1915), Isabella Reeve (née Thom) (1844-1906) and Jessie Thom (1846-c.1851) who is said to have died in Auckland as a child. Maraea did not survive George very long though, and it is generally agreed that she died in Kāwhia in 1850d would have been aged around 39 years of age. Source: Biography by Debbie McCauley (2 August 2020).

However Maraea's grandfather Tawhia - Ki - Te Rangi did not become the second Maori King, due to her marriage to George, and the title went to his half brother instead:. Bryan Simmonds (3 August 2020)

• Name: George Thoms
• Gender: Male
• Birth Date: 25 Nov 1801
• Baptism Date: 6 Dec 1801
• Baptism Place: Dundee,Angus,Scotland
• Father: George Thoms
• Mother: Elisabeth Hunter
• FHL Film Number: 993424