Death of Mr. W. Thomson.— A very old pioneer of this colony has just passed away in the person, of Mr. William Thomson, who died at his residence in Gouger-street on Saturday, March 25, aged seventy-nine years. Mr. Thomson was a colonist of fifty years, having lived in Gouger-street for the last thirty-two. In his earlier days he served aboard a man-of-war, and obtained his discharge from one of His Majesty's vessels at the Isle of France about the year 1831 or 1832. Thence he sailed for Sydney, and went soon afterwards to Kangaroo Island in a whaler with Mr. Walker, an old companion. His residence on the island lasted four years, during which time he supplied water from the island to the barque Cygnet, which brought to the colony Mr. (afterwards Sir) John Morphett, Mr. (afterwards Sir) G. S. Kingston, and Captain Lipson in September, 1836, and he landed them on these shores. He was also employed in the search for the wreck of the Maria [off Kingston, 1840]
OBITUARY. (1882, April 1). South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), p. 2 (Supplement to the South Australian Register.) http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47108927Given Name(s): William
Last Name: THOMSON
Death Date: 25 Mar 1882
Gender: M
Age: 79y
Approx. Birth Year: 1803
Marital Status: N
Residence: Adelaide
Death Place: Adelaide
District: Adelaide
Book/Page: 118/93
EARLY EXPERIENCES OF COLONIAL LIFE.—No. XLIV. (1878, March 23). South Australian Chronicle and Weekly Mail(Adelaide, SA : 1868 - 1881), p. 4 Supplement: SUPPLEMENT TO THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN CHRONICLE. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90868275
By an Arrival, of 1838 [John Wrathall Bull]
... In the year 1835 William Thompson, a seaman, landed on Kangaroo Island from the cutter “William”, Captain Wright, after he had fulfilled his engagement in a sealing voyage. He then joined William Waller, who had been some time on the island.
At the time he (Thompson) landed there were about seven male white settlers, engaged in sealing and catching wallaby, and in preparing the skins for export.
The first settler was Waller, who had assumed, the title of “Governor of the Island”, and to his rule the others yielded such obedience as was necessary in so primitive a state of society as then obtained.
Several of the men had coloured women living with them, some obtained from Tasmania and the others from the tribes occupying the Cape Jervis and Encounter Bay districts. ...