I found it interesting to see that Antoine Raymond Camille de Varaigne, husband of Mary Thorn, became a favourite of Napoleon 111, considering his rather rocky start eloping with her. Colonel Thorn initially forbade them from marrying, but eventually relented, and de Varaigne became the Emperor's chamberlain. In 1860, he was promoted to Prefect de... Continue Reading →
With many, many thanks to the amazing Harvard Library, I managed to secure the only image around of Clot(h)ilde Barili Thorn(e) - a digital copy of a lithograph from 1854 by F. (Francis) D'Avignon. I am ecstatic to finally see her, and feel very fortunate to have had so many wins in the last week... Continue Reading →
This remains one of the great mysteries of my research. It seems that Colonel Thorn owned or rented a Chateau in Normandy. So far, I have not been able to identify which one! If any of my French relatives have a suggestion, I would love to hear it. This would have been between 1830 and... Continue Reading →
As I have mentioned before, one of the best things about this research is the people who have contacted me because they have a connection with the material. Sometimes, it's been by actual relatives and descendants of the Thorn's. Other times, it has been people undertaking associated research. This week, I got to meet a... Continue Reading →
In a series of letters that I found for sale or sold on Le Manuscrit Francais, we are able to get more insight into the lives of Jane Thorne, and her daughter Jeanne Marie. I have reproduced the details from the website. But if you visit it directly you can also find this information. Laurent... Continue Reading →
Lawsuits plagued Herman Thorn's life from the moment he married into William Jauncey's family fortune. It began with the court case after his eldest son died unexpectedly before coming into his inhertance from old William. It seems that Herman acted quickly to secure the fortune that was going to be divided amongst other Jauncey relatives.... Continue Reading →
Amongst the treasure trove of documents from Laurent, is a picture of Herman (n) Fortune de Pierres, Jane and Etienne's younger son (so the brother of my great, great grandfather, Vicomte Henri Stephan). Herman married Marie Louise Félicité Deneux in 1874. As yet, I don't know a lot about Herman, but it seems he spent some... Continue Reading →
I am so grateful to a fellow history lover for this new photo of Jane Mary Thorne (de Pierres). Laurent from Le Manuscrit Francais has come into possession of many papers and letters pertaining to the de Pierres family. Some of these are letters between the Empress Eugenie and Jane Thorne, others are from Louis... Continue Reading →
Oh to be able to afford all of these! Found them on Le Manuscrit Francais. It seems that Eugenie and Jane were close, and that Jane a had a great affection for young Louis Napoleon as well. The last two letters are to Jane's daughter Jeanne Marie, and appears to mention a romance of some... Continue Reading →
Thanks to my cousin Henri, I have begun to scour collectible sites and have unearthed some absolute gems. The first one I would like to share is the actual handwritten program (broadside) from the night Liszt played at Colonel Thorn's salon. You may remember that the concert was to raise funds for an impoverished German... Continue Reading →
The Colonel and Mrs Thorn 
[…] is believed that the product will have exceeded the figure of 10,000 fr. The hero of the party was…
Will do
Hi Eugene, nice to meet you. Let me know if you find out something new.
I also believe that I have correctly traced my ancestry to Ots-Toch, through my mother, Claribel Ackart (via Solomon Eckert,…
[…] From 1858 – 1871, he was a councillor at the Canton of Saint-Aignan-sur-Roe in Mayenne. And deputy of Mayenne…