His death certificate states that he had been living in Nanaimo for 21 years (so, he moved there around 1895). It also states that he had suffered from skin cancer of his hand for a year, and had been in the hospital for 6 weeks. It also states that he was a farmer before he retired. The informant was Robert M. Ellis, his eldest son.

By the 1901 census, Thomas, his wife Sarah, and children Robert and Mary were living in Nanaimo, BC. Thomas is listed as a farm laborer.