Ida Thorn was born in 1835 and married the older Mr Samuel Mickle Fox who was three years older than her, on a Wednesday, the 10th July (?) in 1857. The wedding took place at Herman Thorn's and was conducted by the Rev. Dr. Pratt. Samuel had been previously married to his first cousin Mary... Continue Reading →
Serge tells me that he heard from Zenaide de Saillette that there was a copy of this sculpture of Jane Mary (Thorn) de Pierres made by Paul Gayrard. The Lady ofn Horseback (1853 approx) How incredible it would be to track it down and find out who the owner is now and how it came... Continue Reading →
According to heraldry records, the de Pierres crest and motto are as follows Pour Soustenir Loyaute - To Uphold Loyalty Ours Lance Pierres - Bears Throw Stones From the de Pierres family tree From inside Les Bretignolles Les Bretignolles
I should warn you not to expect this collection of notes to be linear. I am writing as information comes to light, or as I feel so inclined. Today, I'd like to talk about Les Bretignolles, which was owned by Etienne and Jane de Pierres in the mid to late 1800's. They are both buried... Continue Reading →
The early nineteenth century in Europe produced some astounding art and literature. I had the pleasure of seeing The Second Republic exhibition at the Musee Dorsay in Paris in 2016. What a revelation! Rich artwork, beautiful sculpture and splendid objets d'art. The aristocracy and the wealthy indulged money and time seeking to record and immortalise... Continue Reading →
I'm so excited to share this with you!! Last week, a doctoral candidate Alba Campo Rosilla from the University of Delaware got in contact with me to say that she is writing a dissertation on G P A Healy. In her research she discovered a portrait of Colonel Thorn, and who I believe is Ida... Continue Reading →
I've mentioned on occasions that one of my interests in Colonel Thorn stems from his patronage of artists. And certainly it seems that among the beau monde of the time, he was an active procurer of art, sculpture and literature. Research into history is like a trail of slowly disintegrating breadcrumbs and wandering down the... Continue Reading →
Today Jacqueline shared with me this image of Euphemia White van Rensselaer (1842) painted by George Healey. Euphemia was John Church Cruger's wife, and step-mother-in-law to Jane Mary Jauncey Cruger. Apparently Jackie Kennedy loved it so much she had it hanging in the Whitehouse. This was painted a year before she married Cruger, and her... Continue Reading →
I have already mentioned that one of the most rewarding aspects of this project is how it has acquainted me with new relatives. This week, I heard from Jacqueline who is a descendant of James Jauncey Thorn, Herman and Jane's second eldest son. As a memory jog, James Jauncey Thorn (b. 1814; d. 1845) is buried... Continue Reading →
One of my newly discovered relatives, Yolande de Ziegler, kindly sent me this photo from the Geneva art show where Tim Walker was being exhibited. It is a mash-up of the the original Winterhalter painting with Eugenie and her Ladies in Waiting. Jane Thorn is on the left of the top of the picture with... 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…