Tom Thomson

Tom Thomson
Life & Work by David P. Silcox
Boyhood Years
Thomas John Thomson was born on August 5,
1877, in Claremont, Ontario, a hamlet-sized
farming community about fifty-five kilometres
northeast of Toronto. He was the sixth child and
the third son of John Thomson and Margaret J.
Matheson, who had ten children in all.
Documentary information about his life is
sparse, though a few details were recorded in
anecdotes from people who knew him.
When Thomson was two months old, his
parents moved to a farm in Leith, on the Bruce
Peninsula. The closest town was Owen Sound,
a major shipbuilding centre and a bustling Great
Lakes port. He grew up in a large music-loving
family that read widely (his mother saw to that)
and learned the pleasures and excitement of
hunting and fishing (his father’s pastimes). Most
of the Thomson children liked to draw and paint,
but Tom was no prodigy. The children also sang
in the church choir and performed in the local
band. Later in Toronto, Thomson took singing lessons and played the mandolin.
At some point Thomson was taken out of school for a year because of illness,
which was described at the time as weak lungs or inflammatory rheumatism. As he
wandered about in the hardwood and coniferous forests near his home, he became
familiar with woodland lore. He also had the opportunity during family visits to collect
specimens with Dr. William Brodie, his father’s cousin, who was a well-known naturalist.
In this way he learned to observe nature closely and respect its mystery. Once he
recovered, he returned to his studies and may well have finished high school. Standing
six feet tall, he was an easygoing, agile, and handsome young man.
The Thomson children, c. 1887. From left to right: Henry, Tom, Elizabeth, Minnie, Fraser, George,
Margaret, Ralph, Louise
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