[1] He was born in Longforgan in Perthshire on 9 November 1837, the son of John Thoms of Clepington, and his wife, Barbara Wise.
[2] Around 1854 he went to Bengal in India and spent around three decades there managing tea plantations.
He returned permanently to Scotland in 1884 and settled in St Andrews where he already had family links.
His proposers were Ben Peach, John Horne, Robert Kidston and James Currie.
[4] He died on Boxing Day, 26 December 1925, at his home on Playfair Terrace in St Andrews.