It was common knowledge that Old William Jauncey did not approve of his niece’s choice of husband. As I mentioned in an earlier post, he had planned for her to wed the son of his friend, Colonel Barclay. The old man was so furious about their elopement in 1810 that he refused to ever speak to Herman again.
Yet, according to the story below, despite the bad blood between them, Herman did save his uncle-in-law from a house fire. However, I have not been able to verify it with any news reports, so far.
A couple of other interesting pieces of information came from this anecodote. It seems that William Jauncey Thorn Jr was considered Old William Jauncey’s favourite (perhaps simply because he was the firstborn male heir), and that it was on his great uncle’s insistence that young William be educated in England at Cambridge University. When young William died from a hunting accident while away at St John’s college, it’s quite possible that Herman held Old Jauncey responsible.
Young William’s sad and untimely death also left the bequest of his large inheritance unclear. Because Old William had never considered his great nephew might predecease Herman, no legal contingency was in place. Young William’s estate then became a bone of contention between Herman and another relative Elizabeth Hait. Their battle over the inheritance turned into a long court case that outlived both of them.
What first seemed like a jumble of facts about unknown ancestors, has begun to slowly reveal the human story. I’m beginning to be able to piece together the emotional trajectory of the Thorn’s lives: jealousies, heartbreak, celebrations and tragedies.
The Vicar of Grantchester writes :
” On the 1 st December, 1830, there was buried in Grantchester Churchyard a certain William Jauncey of St John’s College, Cambridge, and New York, 19 years old. He was apparently an undergraduate of the College. There is a tomb in the Churchyard over his grave, which, like many others in the Churchyard, has fallen into neglect. It has occurred to me that there might be some relative of the family in New York who would be willing to contribute to the upkeep of the tomb, and I thought I might write and ask you whether you thought it would be possible through the College Records to trace the family of the young man, as, if so, some member of the family m ight be willing to contribute to the expenses of keeping the tomb in order . The tomb is a large and handsome one, surmounted by a funeral urn . We have already cleared and cleaned it, so that it is now quite neat and tidy.”
The College Admission Register has the following entry :” William Jauncey, son of Mr Herman Thorn, New York ; born in New York, America ; privately educated by the Rev G. M. Cooper, late Fellow of this College ; admitted Fellow Commoner 13 February 1830(***see note) ; Tutor, Mr Tatham, age 18 .”
It will be observed that the surname of father and son is different. It may be that the father’s name was Herman Thorn Jauncey, but in the entries at this date the father’s surname as well as christian name is given. The Parish Register of Grantchester has the following entry among the burials for 1830 : ” William Jauncey ; St John’s College, Cambridge, of New York ; December ; 19 ; W. F. Wilkinson, Curate.”
The inscription on the tombstone is as follows :Sacred to the memory of William Jauncey of the City of New York, in the United States of America. and
Fellow Commoner of St John’s College. Cambridge.He died November 19th A.D. 1830, aged 19 years.
To the extreme grief of his family
And those many friends whose esteem
And affection he had deservedly gained
During a residence of two years
In this country.
Perhaps some readers of The Eagle may be able to help with some further details as to William ] auncey, or to help the Vicar of Grantchester in his search.
JAUNCEY, WILLIAM. Adm. Fell.-Com. (age 18) at St John’s, Feb. 13, iS^o. S. of Herman Thorn (post Jauncey), of New York. B. there. Privately educated. Matric. Michs. 1830. Killed by a fall from his horse at Grantchester Nov. 18, 1830. (F. P. White; Cambridge Chronicle, Nov. 26, 1830.)
Though American residents were not numerous in Paris during the reign of Louis Philippe, there were two who attained social eminence and have not since been forgotten. One of these was Colonel Thorn. Colonel Thorn had been in the marine service of the United States where he had acquired an experience that afterwards proved to him of great value. He was a man of handsome person and prepossessing manners. While still young he married clandestinely the daughter of an Englishman of enormous wealth, who though he consented to live separately in the same house with his son-in-law, and furnished him with sufficient means to maintain a handsome establishment refused to be reconciled to him to the end of his days.
This lack of recognition appears to have been attended with bitterness of feeling on one side only. On one occasion a fire occurred in the dead of night. Colonel Thorn at considerable danger to his own life picked up his aged and helpless relative and carried him out of the house without the subject of the gallant act being even aware of the identity of his preserver. He did not even relent when informed that his own son-in-law had risked his life to save him. There are those like Captain Cleveland in Scott’s romance, “The Pirate,” who can forgive injuries more readily than benefits. In due time, children were born and grew up in the Thorn household. The eldest son became the favorite of his grandfather who stipulated in his will that the young man should be sent to Oxford (Cambridge?) to be educated. The unrelenting sire was gathered to his fathers while the young man was at the university, and the latter was not long afterwards killed by a fall from his horse while hunting.
*** William was a Fellow Commoner, which originally meant an affluent, usually aristocratic, student granted among other privileges that of sharing with the Fellows of a College the amenities of the high table.
The Colonel and Mrs Thorn 
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