In this letter to George Perkins March (considered to be America's first environmentalist), GPA Healy mentions how he has just finished the Thorn portrait. *Dubourjal is a French artist of the time. Paris March 27 1854. 16. Place Vendôme Page 1My dear Marsh, I have been greatly disappointed in not being able to make my... Continue Reading →
I continue to collect snippets of information that weave into the tapestry of the Thorn's life. There is always the possibility that some of these are inaccurate, but it is worth recording in order to cross reference them. Herman and his family moved into "Elmwood" (Apthorp mansion) soon after William Jauncey died in 1828. Though... Continue Reading →
I have found a few memories of what Colonel Thorn's final home in Manhattan was like, but this is a particularly informative and poignant recount. I didn't realise that he lost all of his French furniture in a fire. How devestating, to a man who was an aesthete. It was also great to garner a... Continue Reading →
I discovered something ultra cool today! Eugene Thorn, the youngest of the Thorn sons, and the only one to survive Herman, composed a polka for his love (and later wife) Mary Hyslop in 1851. I currently have a friend recording it for me and I will upload the file so you can hear it. I... Continue Reading →
As you can see, I haven't been researching much this year, but next year I will be back on task! Despite my lack of activity, I have had a constant stream of messages through the site. People are continuing to seek out the information stored here to help with their personal ancestry journeys. In particular,... Continue Reading →
Below are some of the images I have managed to find for the Thorn men. Missing are William (the eldest), Herman Jr and John who died as a baby. From these images, it would seem that James looks a lot like his father (Eugene possibly too, but the angle makes it hard to tell). Colonel... Continue Reading →
Lynda has kindly sent me some closeups from the original family portrait. It's hard to avoid the reflected light, but I am so grateful for these. I hope you enjoy pouring over them as I have. Ida Thorn Fox Ellen (Helen) Thorn Kirkland Eugene Thorn Herman Thorn
Thanks to Lynda (a descendant of George Healy's), I have some precious photos of memorabilia connected to the Thorn family portrait. This is the flyer for the auction when the painting was sold sixty years ago. I had tried to track this down through the auction house, but they told me they had lost their... Continue Reading →
I am BEYOND excited to share with you a glimpse at the original Thorn family portrait painted by G.P.A. Healy in 1851. Until today (3 plus years into the research), I had only seen an old black and white photo of it in the Frick photo archives. And I had no idea who the current... Continue Reading →
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to discover much about Ellen Thorn, other than she was a beautiful young woman who married Edward Kirkland. Ellen was born in Paris in 1833 and died in New York in 1891. She lived with her parents and /or siblings until around 1870. Even after her father and mother died,... 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…