I'm still trying to find a timeline for this, but it seems Thorn and his family resided in Tuscany for a period of time (maybe 1831 or 1832), after their inital relocation to Paris. Herman's son James Jauncey Thorn was married to Therese von Leykam on January 20/1/1834 in Geneva, Switzerland, and then they moved... Continue Reading →
Jane Mary Jauncey Jane Mary Jauncey (Herman Thorn's wealthy wife) was raised by her uncle, William Jauncey. He took her into his care, with the help of his sister, when his brother John, b.1755 approx. (Jane Mary's father), took his own life. I have not been able to ascertain who Jane Mary's mother was. Apparently,... Continue Reading →
Today, I was contacted by a new French cousin and descendant of Mary Jane Thorn. She owns this original painting of Alice and Jane Mary. I am so excited to see the real thing! Most fascinating are the beautiful dresses and the expressions of the women. Jane (left) looks like she might have found posing... Continue Reading →
I'd like to spend some time on Clotilde Barili and her doomed marriage to Alfred Thorn. She was a member of the famous Barili family and a step-sister to Adelina Patti, "the most celebrated soprano of the century." Both parents were musicians who spent their time between Italy, Paris and New York. Clotilde was commonly... Continue Reading →
You may have realised by now how much I love this kind of research. The interconnectdness of life and how it creates story - past and present! Yesterday, I had a lovely email from a researcher who is hoping to write a book about Susan and Anna Warner, her ancestors. These women were impoverished due... Continue Reading →
As I research, some snippets of information remain tantalisingly elusive. That's the lure of history, as far as I am concerned. One such example is that of the poet, William Maurer, or G. Maurer, who lived with Colonel Thorn at Rue de Varenne for six and a half years as tutor to his children. Maurer... Continue Reading →
I was delighted to discover that Franz Liszt played at the Colonel's Rue de Varenne salon in a charity event to support a German orchestra who had toured Paris and fallen on hard times due to lack of attendance at their performances. Franz Liszt As you can see below, the event was organised by seven... Continue Reading →
Colonel Thorn is widely regarded as the founding father of the American Cathedral in Paris. Though he had left France by the time the church was being built, the whole concept and passion for the project came from the Episcopalian masses that he held at his residence. I visited the Cathedral in 2016 and the... Continue Reading →
As mentioned in a previous post, Colonel Thorn was a patron of Theodore Sedgewick Fay, editor of the New York Mirror. Fay's novel Norman Leslie was first published anonymously. However, the dedication to Thorn probably fuelled speculation as to who the author might be. In time, Fay was outed by Edgar Allen Poe in a... Continue Reading →
When I started this blog, I did mention that it would be a random approach to research i.e. when I get time, or something in particular grabs my attention. So please bear with the random order of posts. In this one, I am digging into one of the architecturally coveted residences Colonel Thorn owned during... 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…