Above : Thomas Reader
Below : Mary Eliza Reader ( Nee Butler)
Below : Thomas in the Later Years
Thomas Headstone
Thomas was born on the 28th of December 1857 and baptised on the 24th of January 1858 at St Michaels All Saints Church in Christcurch. He married Mary Eliza Butler on the 15th of May 1878 at St Barnabas Church in Fendalton Christchurch, being his fathers suberb he lived in.
Mary's father William Henry Butler and Thomas's sister were the witnesses. Mary's father was a bricklayer at the time.
Thomas and Mary had ten children in total, they had six boys and four girls. Seven were born in Christchurch and the other three in Palmerston North. Thomas's brothers Charles and William lived in the Taranaki Region, so we presume he left to join them. Once in Stratford they set up in a little town called Toko which was the boom town at that time as industry was growing at a fast pace. In 1900 Thomas's brother had a child at his homestead whom was also called Charles john and his grand son Bertram Joffree was also born there in 1915.
As the township started to fade because of a new highway being built to go to the Port of New Plymouth the family moved to Stratford where they set up a Paint / wall paper shop which also sold his daughters Laura and Ione's paintings.
There is a story that Thomas's sons, John Thomas Sydney Reader ( Syd ) and Guy Osborne Reader fell in love with one of the Russ girls whom lived next door. It was said that one of the boys came home to find some flowers on the kitchen table and when he asked who they were for, their mother said that the other one was going to propose to the girl. Hence he took the flowers and proposed first upsetting the other brother in the process. The other brother decided to take second best and married the other daughter.
It is true that Guy married Laura Evelyn Russ and moved away from the family because of problems with his father and that J.T.S Reader married Ivy Alice Russ. Thomas was admitted to Maitland Hospital in Palmerston North for a liver operation, but never recovered. He was 68 when he died. Mary lived at French Street in New Plymouth for 15 years. She died at the age of 83 in 1941.
Descendants
Mabel Emily ( May ) 31 March 1879
John Thomas Sydney ( Syd ) 8 October 1880
Lydia Ione ( Ione ) 24 August 1882
William Howes ( Bill ) 23 June 1884
Guy Osborne 5 November 1885
Harriot Gladys ( Gladys ) 29 October 1887
Laura Mary 4 March 1890
Charles Robert ( Chas ) 8 July 1892
Tom Henry 22 July 1894
Leonard Leslie ( Len ) 15 June 1896
Reads : In Loving Memory
of
Thomas
Beloved Husband of
Mary Eliza Reader
Died 29th Aug 1926
AGED 68 YEARS
Below: Toko Township
