Thomas was born in 1854 England to Joseph and Harriet Reading. They immigrated to Canada in 1860 and settled in Waterloo on a farm where Thomas worked as a farmer.
Jane Frazer was born in 1846-1931 in Ontario and grew up in Grey County. Her family moved to a farm in Puslinch just before 1871.
Thomas and Jane both started working at the Poorhouse around the same time in early 1880. Thomas was working on the farm as a farm hand and Jane was working in the House doing chores and cleaning.
1880 Keeper’s Accounts; Source: Region of Waterloo Archives
1880 Keeper’s Accounts; Source: Region of Waterloo Archives
Thomas and Jane were married on September 9, 1880 in Berlin, at which point it is assumed that they began living in the Poorhouse together as a married couple, as they would have had separate quarters before marriage.
Jane became pregnant about seven or eight months later and gave birth to their first child, Arthur Thomas, on December 10, 1881. At this time, Thomas was working as a teamster, which is someone who drove a team of draft animals, usually a wagon pulled by an oxen or horse.
1881 Keeper’s Accounts; Source: Region of Waterloo Archives
After giving birth to Arthur, the family moved to Lincoln in Niagara Township where Jane’s family was living. The couple gave birth to their second child, Alice, in 1883. The family stayed in the Niagara region until their deaths.
