I am BEYOND excited to share with you a glimpse at the original Thorn family portrait painted by G.P.A. Healy in 1851. Until today (3 plus years into the research), I had only seen an old black and white photo of it in the Frick photo archives. And I had no idea who the current... Continue Reading →
James Jauncey, warden of the Port of New York, merchant ship owner, and founder of the New York Chamber of Commerce, married Mary Smith in 1773. They had four children William, James Jr, John (Jane Mary's father), and Mary. Being Royalists during the revolution, their life was plagued with fear and politics. In 1776, the... Continue Reading →
Eugene Thorn was the youngest of the Colonel's sons and is the only one to survive him. It was wonderful to discover him in the portrait with the Colonel and his youngest daughters, Ida and Ellen. From what I can tell he was a graduate of Columbia University and a Captain in the Army. He... Continue Reading →
I discovered this delightful despcription of Alice, Ellen, and Ida Thorn being observed in their carriage as it tooled around Central Park. This was six years after the Colonel had died. Interesting to hear that Napoleon 111 was annoyed by the Colonel's flashy livery. French Landau Central Park 1865 The married daughters of the late... Continue Reading →
The Versailles train accident in 1842 is still one of the worst rail accidents ever. A loco with 17 carriages left for Paris and derailed at Meudon when an axle broke. Reports of the deaths ranged between 50 and 200 hundred people. Of importance for this story is that one of Colonel Thorn's sons escaped... Continue Reading →
This excerpt from Uncensored Recollections by Julian Osgood Field paints a disturbing picture of Albert Thorn's marriage to Clotilde Barili, is unflattering about Jane Thorn de Pierres, and sarcastic about the Colonel. His anecdotes are hearsay from stories his father used to tell, and though perhaps exaggerated, still give valuable information. Osgood Field was a... Continue Reading →
Here is a second newspaper account of Mary Jane Thorn's will. It seems that people were intrigued by the instructions she left for her tiara. It must have been coveted by all, and she wanted to make sure that there was no favouritism displayed. One had to buy the others out of their shares if... Continue Reading →
As I just posted about the Thorn family holidays to Dieppe, I decided that the family's regular trips to Pequot House deserved its own post. Just to remind you, I found it first mentioned in Mrs Thorn's will: For many years before her death, Lady Thorn, accompanied by her family, spent the summer months at... Continue Reading →
There are records of Colonel Thorn and family visiting the Dieppe baths on June 15th, 1831; July or August 1842; and then again in 1844, which suggests they might have gone there for an annual summer holiday while they lived in France. The baths were a popular holiday destination in Northern France and seemed to... Continue Reading →
When you're trying to recreate someone's life, incidental anecdotes reveal a lot about their personality and their environment. This recount details how Colonel Thorn, not content with his second tier box at the Theatre Italien, was seeking to rent a first tier opera box from the Duc d'Osuma, who had returned to Spain. The first... Continue Reading →
The Colonel and Mrs Thorn 
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…
How wonderful to hear the voices of the family..the daily life, the visits the boredom…first hand accounts from woman are…