Colonel Thompson Never Watched the Sun Rise from a Bathtub on Wheels

Posted on January 31, 2012 by in Families, Thompson

Legend has it that a French assistant, Rocha, used to wheel an invalid William Boyce Thompson to the window of his remote Picket Post house in a bathtub on wheels just so he could watch the sun rise. Turns out that story is an urban legend — or should we say “rural legend” — invented by [...]

0 Comments

Great Uncle John Fired His Brother Because He Couldn’t Find the Lost Dutchman’s Mine

Posted on January 30, 2012 by in Families, Kruttschnitt

What kind of man fires his brother because he couldn’t find the mythical Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine? The kind of man who is sued for allegedly seducing a Polish Countess, I suppose. Both stories are lovingly ascribed to family eccentric John Kruttschnitt (1887-1982). According to family legend, Kruttschnitt spent most of his very long adult life [...]

0 Comments