The Grange

There is a reference to the Thorns living in Hamilton's home for a short time, but I have not been able to verify it. I wonder if this is a case of mis-remembering, or if they were really there? This would have been through the period they were living on Apthorpe farm on the Upper... Continue Reading →

February 18, 2022 0

Program from Franz Liszt’s Concert

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 →

July 18, 2021 0

Fenimore Cooper and the Elopement

This Fenimore Cooper book fragment, which was sold at auction, mentions Madame de Varaigne and Col Thorne. It is referring to the fact that Cooper tried to help Thorn when his daughter eloped with Camille de Varaigne. It was a terrible scandal at the time, but in a matter of years seemed forgotten when Camille... Continue Reading →

June 18, 2021 0

Alice, Ida and Ellen Thorn in Central Park

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 →

March 23, 2021 0

Gabriel Henry Manigault

I discovered excerpts from an autobiography (1887- 97) by Gabriel Henry Manigault who says his uncle was the only one present at the marriage of Herman Thorn and Jane Mary Jauncey. Col Thorne had been in early life a paymaster in the Navy, and of obscure birth. He made a runaway marriage with the daughter of a... Continue Reading →