William Henry Thomes

Background

Thomes was born in Portland, Maine, the child of Job and Mary (Lewis) Thomes. The family shortly afterwards moved to Boston, and there both parents died. The orphan was reared by a guardian.

Education

He did not take well to schooling.

Career

In October 1842 shipped on the Admittance in the California hide-trade. His experiences are related with essential accuracy in his On Land and Sea (1883), and are comparable to Richard Henry Dana's as described in Two Years before the Mast. The ship arrived in Monterey, March 4, 1843, and after numerous voyages up and down the coast sailed from San Diego, January 25, 1846. Shortly before this, however, Thomes had deserted or, according to a less likely story, had arranged by a ruse to be left behind.

The chief authority for his life in the next year is his Lewey and I (1884), which even he admitted to be largely fiction. It is probable, however, that he was knocked about considerably, saw some military service during the conquest of California, and left California in December 1846. By way of Mazatl n and England Thomes returned to Boston. There he served as printer and reporter on the Boston Daily Times for about a year. But he got the gold-fever, and joined the Boston and California Joint Stock Mining and Trading Company, which sailed on the Edward Everett in January 1849 and arrived in San Francisco on July 6. Although not an officer, Thomes had risen to be of some importance in the company, and was assigned to remain with the ship.

After the break-up of the company in August, he mined at Bidwell's Bar, with some success for a while; but finally, broken in health and almost penniless, he returned to San Francisco. There he served as caretaker of a ship. In 1851 he sailed for the Hawaiian Islands, and after some months' residence there, visited Guam, the Philippines, China, and finally the gold mines of Victoria. Of his activities during these three years little can be determined. He made some money, probably by keeping a store at Ballarat, and returned to the United States by way of the Cape of Good Hope early in 1855. After a short time in New Orleans he returned to Boston, and for several years was a reporter for the Boston Herald.

About 1860 he became a member of Elliott and Thomes, publishers of the American Union, a weekly magazine. For this he wrote The Gold Hunters' Adventures; or, Life in Australia (1864), a long tale of lurid adventure. Its success encouraged him to its sequel, The Bushrangers (1866), and his profession was established. His other books were The Gold Hunters in Europe (1868), The Whaleman's Adventures (1872), Life in the East Indies (1873), A Slaver's Adventures (1872), Running the Blockade (1875), The Belle of Australia (1883), The Ocean Rovers (1896), and Daring Deeds (n. d. ). With the exception of On Land and Sea, which contains vivid and accurate descriptions of early California.

In later life Thomes was a member successively of Elliott, Thomes and Talbot, and Thomes and Talbot. Publications of these firms included the Flag of our Union, and Ballou's Monthly. Thomes lost heavily in the fire of 1872 but otherwise was highly successful in business. His activities included politics, Masonry, and collecting. He died suddenly of heart-failure.

Achievements

• He is remembered as an author, whose books are of no literary or historical importance. They are little removed, indeed, from the dime-novel. Partial figures, however, indicate a sale of over half a million copies by 1895.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The belle of Australia; or, Who am I?

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • The Bushrangers: A Yankee's Adventures During His Second Visit to Australia (Classic Reprint)

    (The Bushrangers: AY ankee s Adventures During His Second ...)

  • Life in the East Indies 1872

    (Originally published in 1872. This volume from the Cornel...)

  • Manila Romance Or Life in the East Indies
  • The Gold Hunters' Adventures
  • On land and sea

Membership

In 1888 he organized, and became president, of the Society of California Pioneers of New England.

Connections

He married in Boston. His wife seems to have been the daughter of Capt. Peter Peterson, his old master on the Admittance. He was also married again, to Frances Ullen.

Father:

Job Thomes

Mother:

Mary (Lewis) Thomes

Spouse:

Frances Ullen