John Hamilton Thom (1816-1872)
There was a saying in Liverpool that to see Mr Thom enter the pulpit did one as much good as to hear a sermon from anyone else - Obituary, The Inquirer, 19 Sep 1894
m. (2 Jan 1838) Hannah Mary Rathbone (24 Nov 1816 - 31 Dec 1872; theirs was the first marriage to be solemnized in Liverpool's Renshaw Street Unitarian chapel. No children.
John Hamilton Thom was an eminent Unitarian minister and writer, born in Newry and educated in Belfast. He moved to Liverpool and became minister of the Ancient Chapel of Toxteth Park (Unitarian) in 1829; in 1831 (-1867) he moved to the Renshaw Street Chapel.
He was editor of The Christian Teacher and The Prospective Review and edited Blanco White's autobiography, The Life of Joseph Blanco White . His own works include Laws of Life after the Mind of Christ (1883 and 1886).
His last public address was at the opening of the Liverpool Domestic Mission buildings in 1892, at the age of 86. He died two years later in September 1894.
Books by J.H. Thom (library catalogue search)
John Hamilton Thom in the Rathbone papers
The Papers of Hannah Mary and John Hamilton Thom (RP XIII) date from 1829-1894 and include:
- RP XIII.1 - General correspondence (146 items)
- RP XIII.2 - Personal papers
Related holdings
- Dr William's Library, London
Holds 64 letters from J.H. Thom to James Martineau, Jul 1867-Apr 1896 - Liverpool Record Office
Holds some sermons and correspondence relating to John H. Thom; (288 ULL)