I was fascinated to come across a list of who was living on the Rue de Varenne during the time that the Thorns inhabited the Hotel Matignon. Interestingly, this record has them living at no. 23 not no. 57. This may have something to do with the street numbers changing over time (see below). I'm... Continue Reading →
In looking back through some source material, I noticed that John Van Buren, an American politician, had written to his father, President Martin Van Buren about Mary Thorn (de Varaigne), Jane, and James on Thursday 21/2/1839 in Paris: Calling Mary "his old belle" is interesting, considering that she was fifteen or sixteen when she eloped... Continue Reading →
I found this advertisement of William Jauncey's business, located in Pearl Street in the Wall St area of Manhattan. It was in the Appleton's Navigation Guide. I found it interesting to see that he was importing indigo (I assume to use as a dye) from these places. The Jauncey's made their fortune through merchant shipping,... 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 
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…