Thomas John Hoare Rich
Contents
Family
Thomas John Hoare Rich was born about 1877 Cardiff, Wales. His mother was Eliza M. Morgan (b. 1864). His siblings included:
- William James Rich (b. 1879) m. Sarah (b. 1885); ch: Norman James Rich (b. 1906) & William Thomas Rich (b. 1909)
- Laura Edith M. Rich (b. 1884 Cardiff, Wales - d. 1908 Pontypridd, Wales) m. 1906 David Oliver Richard Davies (b. 1882 Chelsea, London, England - d. 1966 St. Pancras, London, England). David remarried Jennet Ann (1891-1961).
- Gwendolyn Eliza M. Rich (b. 1887)
Thomas married Edith Florence Isobel Hooper (b. 1881 Penarth, Wales - d. 1909 Cardiff, Wales), the daughter of James Hooper (b. 1857) & Margaret Hooper (b. 1855). Edith gave birth to Reginald Thomas Rich in Cardiff, before she died at the age of 28.
After his first wife's death, he emigrated to Quebec with his son from Plymouth, England in 1912 as an evangelist and married Beatrice Newport (d. 1951). He died in 1959 in a Hamilton hospital while living in Welland. His children include
- Capt. Reginald Thomas Rich of Kingston (b. 1905 Barrie, South Wales - d. 1990 Kingston, ON)
- retired Captain @ Canadian Army;
- 1st wife: Laura Grace Bourne (1907-1941), dau. of George Bourne & Alice Grace Long.
- Cyril Reginald Albert Rich (1929-2008 b. & d. Ottawa, ON) m. Margaret Louis Epton (1936-2000)
- 2nd wife: Lois Baker;
- Children: Pamela Dodd (Napanee, ON), Cyril Rich (Ottawa, ON), Shirley Langstaff (Winnipeg, MB), & Alice Isherwood (Nelson, BC);
- May E. Rich Miller (b. 1907) m. Sidney Miller (b. 1904) of Willesden, Middlesex, England (1939)
- Miss Irene Rich (Welland, ON), nurse (RN)
- Grace Rich Linton (Toledo & Athens, ON) m. James Linton, carpenter & warehouse shipper
- Mrs. Willis (Faith) Parker (Ottawa then Athens).
Ministry
He served in Baptist ministry 1922-1951 in Norwood, Eastview, Athens, Elgin Street Baptist in Arnprior (+1932-1937+), Kincardine, Brownsburg, Colburne and Selkirk. He was also a former member of the Smiths Falls and District Baptist Church, and present as a visitor at their centennial in 1933.
Brethren contribution
He wrote an article on January 2, 1926 for the Ottawa Journal that credited the Pilgrim Preachers, alongside W.P. Nicholson (Ireland) and Gypsy Smith as contributing to his inspiration to write a devotional on Spiritual Revival.
Many of the Pilgrim Preachers were originally from Wales, and it is notable that he emigrated to Canada from Plymouth, England.