Mary Thorn and John Van Buren

In looking back through some source material, I noticed that John Van Buren, an American politician, had written to his father, President Martin Van Buren about Mary Thorn (de Varaigne), Jane, and James on Thursday 21/2/1839 in Paris:

Calling Mary “his old belle” is interesting, considering that she was fifteen or sixteen when she eloped with Camille de Varaigne. So was this romance before the elopement? Or in the time between the elopement and Herman agreeing to let Mary and Camille marry? At this event of the Marquis de Brignole’s, Mary would have been 23 years old (and married about six years??), and Jane would have been about 15 years old.

Van Buren went on to mention this, a few days later:

“Sat with Thorn in the Bois de Bologne”

Then…

This is the second time Van Buren mentions the shooting prowess of the Varaigne’s in relation to Mary and Camille’s elopement. The first is linked in this post.

Many of the people he refers to were close friends of the Thorns, such as Countess D’Orsay, Princess Belgioso and Count d’Appony. The opera singer he so unkindly refers to as “ugly” was Michelle Pauline Garcia. Mr Van Buren was very free with his adjectives!

In 1839, Philip Hone also records that John Van Buren was a passenger on The Great Western along with Colonel Thorn and Herman Jr. Henry Wikoff described John Van Buren as “easy and careless in manner, bold in character and of an agressive turn of mind.” This sounds entirely apt.