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 →
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
[…] 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 […]