Since I began to blog about Colonel Thorn, I have been contacted by relatives from America, France and Ireland. I'd like to welcome them to my journey, and thank them, not only for getting in touch, but for sharing some of their personal archival material. From the Mansfield/de Ferussac connection through Alice Thorn in Ireland,... Continue Reading →
Colonel Thorn Today marks the beginning of the journey of my first creative non fiction piece, a sprawling family saga based on my ancestor Colonel Herman Thorn (1783 - 1859) and his wife, Jane Mary Jauncey and their children. I'm using this blog as a way of organising my thoughts and research material, while I... Continue Reading →
I had heard through family lore that Stephane Henri de Pierres, son of Jane and Etienne (my great grandfather) was in a duel. But thanks to Philippe, I have some evidence of it. Here is a newspaper clipping from Le Petit Caporal in 1879. Dueling was technically outlawed by Louis XIII in 1626 and later by Louis XIV,... Continue Reading →
Thanks to a fellow researcher, Philippe Grelat, I was alerted to the fact that there is an etching of Jane and Etienne out riding with Empress Eugenie and her son. If you read the caption below, it mentions their names. (Le Monde Illustré issue number 362 of March 19, 1864)
Unfortunately, I have misplaced the reference link for this one, but I'm pretty sure it came from Gallica. It's alway amusing to read observations about the Colonel's motivations and behaviours! : Colonel Hermann Thorn died in New York on Sunday, July 31 , at the age of 78 , after a long and painful illness. He leaves a considerable fortune to a large family. One... Continue Reading →
As promised, here is a list of the people mentioned in the letters between Jane, Alice, Therasine and Kate Eustace. I have not been able to identify all of them, so feel free to let me know if you have any ideas. I'm not sure of the spelling of some names, as Jane did not... Continue Reading →
Thanks to Pascale Giraudon-Choppy who reached out to me about some letters between her ancestor, Catherine Eustace, and Jane and Alice Thorn and Therasine Jauncey from 1838, it would seem that the chateau the Thorns leased in Normandy was Château de Courteilles, of which only a small part of the buildings have survived: Château de... Continue Reading →
Love this description from the GAZETTE MUSICALE DE PARIS in 1835! Alice Thorn sang a duet by Handel.A wonderful musical evening took place this week at Colonel Thorn, with the aim of rescuing our unfortunate comrades-triotes from Guadeloupe, and it is believed that the product will have exceeded the figure of 10,000 fr. The hero... Continue Reading →
As I've been putting together the Thorn family story in non fiction form, I have repeatedly thought what a wonderful novel it would make... full of drama and colour and life. So, I have finally decided to adapt it into that form as well. From there, I hope to further adapt it into a TV... Continue Reading →
John Moran auctioneers sold this lovely gold box below in 2024. It had been designed for Herman Thorn, who gifted it to Michael Moore, the owner of the Trenton Falls Hotel. This is the place that Zerlina Thorn sadly drowned, while on a family holiday in 1836 (some records state this is having happened in... Continue Reading →
I have purchased this letter on ebay and I am delighted to reveal its contents: Letter to Madame la Baronne de Pierres - Dame d'Honneur de l'Imperatrice Dear Miss Thorn, I thank you for letting me know of your marriage and be assure that I shall certainly assist on Saturday at the ceremony and offer... Continue Reading →
As always, I am totally thrilled when I come across any photos of the Thorn family. I was contacted recently by an antique photography dealer to say that they had uploaded a photo of Ellen Thorn Kirkland taken in 1870 to her Find a Grave site. The photo is not taken from the best angle,... Continue Reading →
The Colonel and Mrs Thorn 
[…] Mr Maurer […]
I noticed that too..nicknames add even more color to the picture
Oh, yes I found the photo amd put it on the poat about the Thorn granchildren! From Jane's letters it…
I shared her portrait and her father James with you…James is the black framed portrait vs the giant gold framed…
Dear Jacqueline, I feel the same as you. It has brought so much to life. Jane is clearly very fond…