It's helpful to keep a record of where I find corroborating research. So, here are some links to Etienne de Pierres racing-related details. For instance, Etienne belonged to the Société d’encouragement pour l’amélioration des races de chevaux en France (Society for the Encouragement of Horse Breed Improvement in France), commonly known as the French Jockey... Continue Reading →
As described below, Mrs Trollope had much to say about Colonel Thorn in Paris: Colonel Thorn became his son’s heir and came to Paris to spend his income, which amounted to a hundred thousand dollars a year, a much larger sum in those days than now. He spent it all and something more. His style of living... Continue Reading →
Balls were the mainstay of the Regency and Victorian eras, and the Thorn's enjoyed these extravagant affairs more than most. In previous posts I have devoted some time to the Colonel's most exceptional ball in 1840. Below are some other mentions of Thorn events. I have enjoyed re-reading the ball extracts after reading Jane's letters... 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 →
I love encountering people who were in the Thorn's lives. It really helps to recreate the times, the way they lived, and the relationships that came and went. Recently, I discovered this mention of Vester Sandor, a dancer, musician, and leader of a dance troupe who played at Colonel Thorn's salon, who was later arrested... Continue Reading →
I was fascinated to come across a list of who was living on the Rue de Varenne during the time that the Thorns inhabited the Hotel Matignon. Interestingly, this record has them living at no. 23 not no. 57. This may have something to do with the street numbers changing over time (see below). I'm... Continue Reading →
[…] royal equipages of the King not excepted. He entertained the nobility at his house in Paris, and at the…
Hi Matt, thanks for your message. Can you point me to any research saying they were both called Ots Toch?…
From my research, it seems there were 2 people with the name Ots Toch, both Mom and Daughter. They are…
le fils décédé le 1er SEPTEMBRE
[…] Mr Maurer […]