The 2 immigrants, William Thorne, a Brit, and Peter Cunningham, a Scot, were the forefathers of the people living in the town today.

They settled in the Storms River area and bought Lot 4 of the Blueliliesbush farm on 10 May 1860, measuring 297 morgen 32 square roods or 254,4357 hectares from Johan Coenraad Terblans for 100 pounds.

While some portions were transferred to living residents, Lot 4 remained registered under the names of the original owners, William Thorne and Peter Cunningham.

In the 1930s, the lawyers attempted various approaches to establish Thornham as a communally-owned settlement due to the challenges of administering the estates of deceased individuals and dividing the property among heirs.

The lawyers even wrote to Prime Minister Jan Smuts in 1935, requesting a special Act of Parliament to transfer the farm to a corporate body elected by the community.

Despite their efforts, the Department of Native Affairs presented an alternative solution that ignored communal ownership and suggested a management structure with limited democracy.

Each registered owner received an affidavit as proof of their ownership, and certain restrictions were put in place, such as limitations on selling shares to outsiders.