I sent another reply which i think disappeared. But forgive me if you get 2 of them!
Anyhow, I have long known that Thomas was the uncle to my Grandfather's (James Houlden) Aunt Lenore "Nolie" Reid of Ontario. (Hamilton, I think) According to the family lore, Nolie often spoke of her uncle. I wish I had paid more attention as a child so I could recall those tales! The only written evidence I have is a newspaper article that my Grandpa copied and wrote in the margins of the family connection. As for his brother, Hugh, there's ample mention of him in various publications, especially of the letters of support he wrote to Riel and the authorities upon hearing of his brother's arrest. Also, Thomas left all his money to Hugh when he was murdered. I suspect I may have found another brother, James T Scott, who was the Grand Master at the British Hall of the Orange Lodge in St. John's. I have emailed the lodge (just last week) to inquire about my suspicions. I haven't gotten a reply yet. NB: I can't remember why exactly I thought this to be true, but I did find an old post-it note with a few details that I was to look up in the future. (That was 20 years ago!)
I have our family history traced back to 1800 on the side of John Crispin Sr, nicely bound in a book that someone painstakingly put together in 1987. I have contact information for Nolie Reid, well her descendants anyway. Some day I hope to connect with them to find out what they may know. Things are so much easier with websites like this, aren't they?
In the meantime, have you seen the documentary called Bloodlines? It was made years ago but often pops up on the History Channel. I'm featured in it, as a relative of Thomas Scott. In it, I meet many descendants of the people involved in the Riel Rebellion days.
