family (variously spelled Thoma, Toma, Tomah, Tomer) is clearly
of French origin, and was originally Thomas, which pronounced in
French fashion sounds like Tomah. The name Pierre Thoma was very
common among both the Micmacs and the Maliseets, so common indeed as
to make it difficult to distinguish between individuals. A few
observations will enable the reader to see what splendid opportunities
there are for confusion with regard to those Indians who bore the name
of Pierre Thoma.

In the month of August, 1827, the Lieut.-Governor of New Brunswick,
Sir Howard Douglas, visited the historic Indian village of Medoctec,
where he was introduced to an Indian name Pierre Thoma (or Toma
Pierre) aged 93 years. The old warrior, who had lost an eye and an arm
in the battle of the Heights of Abraham in 1759, was carefully
provided for by the kindly hearted governor. Our first conclusion
naturally would be--this is the old chieftain of Revolutionary days.
But further investigation shows such a conclusion to be very
improbable. If old Tomah, who greeted Sir Howard Douglas, were 93
years old in 1827, he must have been born in 1734, and in that case
(supposing him to have been Francklin's old ally) he would have filled
the office of supreme sachem or head chief of the St. John river when
about thirty years of age, which is very unlikely. But this is not
all. In the sworn testimony submitted to the commissioners on the
international boundary in 1797, John Curry, Esq., of Charlotte County
says that when he came to the country in 1770 there was an Indian
place of worship and a burial ground on St. Andrew's Point at the
mouth of the River St. Croix, and that among those whom he recollected
to have been buried there were John Neptune (alias Bungawarrawit),
governor of the Passamaquoddy tribe, and a "chief of the Saint John's
Tribe known by the name of Pierre Toma." There can be little doubt
that the latter was our old chief Thoma. His wife was one of the
Neptune family whose home was at Passamaquoddy. The burial ground at
St. Andrew's Point was abandoned by the Indians when the Loyalists
settled at St. Andrews in 1783. We may therefore conclude that Pierre
Thoma did not long survive his old friend and Patron Michael
Francklin. Their acquaintance began as early at least as the summer of
1768, when Governor Thoma and Ambroise St. Aubin had an interview with
Lieut.-Governor Francklin and his council at Halifax. At that time the
chiefs made a f