Thomas was born on the 7 May 1863 at Rode, Somerset, England and along with his siblings and uncle, emigrated to New Zealand on the ‘Merope’ which arrived in Lyttelton in 1870.
Thomas married Mini Elizabeth Radford on 16 Dec 1891 at Gebbies Valley in the Church of the Epiphany. The Radford family was a very well established name on the Port Hills and there are several biographies completed on that name, including content on Minnie and her family. See book “Garsington – New Zealand Family Radford”.
Charlie was a labourer and helped with extensions to buildings in the local neighbourhood. Minnie acted as midwife for the local area too.
The couple had 5 children as per the image below.
Front Row – Eileen Amelia, Minnie Elizabeth – née Radford and Beatrice Emily (Image: Donald Wheeler)
| Child | Born | Married | Children | Died | Notes |
| Emily Beatrice | 25 Dec 1892 | 1916 | 4 | 25 Mar 1955 | Wheeler |
| Charles Dudley | 10 Oct 1894 | 29 Jan 1924 | 3 | 09 SEP 1955 | Miller |
| Geoffrey Matthew | 21 Oct 1896 | 24 Aug 1920 | 4 | 25 Jan 1953 | Russell |
| Eileen Amelia | 29 Jun 1901 | 26 Mar 1932 | 4 | 13 Jun 1966 | Miller |
| Thomas Messenger | 12 Jul 1904 | 1932 | 3 | 14 Apr 1981 | Streeter |
Thomas passed away on the 20 Sep 1919 at Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand. Both he and his wife Minnie, are buried in the Church of Epiphany in Gebbies Valley.
