My mother left behind a faded picture of her grandparents’ headstone with a note on the back, “North Merchistan Cemetery, Edinburgh, Scotland.” I could barely make out the names on the headstone, Hugh Simmers and Marion Murray. But it was impossible to read their dates of birth and death, which of course would be vital […]
Real Estate Mogul Fred Pickering Died Alone
Rhoda Anne Williams and Walter Hinds Doty hadn’t been married too long when a mysterious visitor showed up in their driveway.
Gumshoe Turns Up Site of Original Pennsylvania Farmstead
We asked private investigator Booth Neyscop to chase down a genealogical lead. Here’s his unedited report.
Great Aunt Gertrude Wanted to Buy Up All the Copies of Her Husband’s Biography
Gertrude Hickman, the wife of William Boyce Thompson, was so upset with the way her husband was portrayed in his official biography that she told relatives she wanted to buy up all the remaining copies.
J.E. Thompson Doled Out Frontier Justice at Rancho Joaquina
One Saturday in 1938, J.E. Thompson was playing cards with his staff at Rancho Joaquina, when a stranger came calling.
Shit The Y’s Taught Me
Don’t know if I’ve picked up any Christian values during my 20 years of going to the Y, but I’ve learned a bunch of important shit nonetheless.
New Boyce Thompson Release: At Best Half Bad
It’s hard to know what to think about the 24th self-produced album by songwriter/singer Boyce Thompson.
Pop Thompson Left Merritt-Chapman & Scott Just in Time
My grandfather, William B. Thompson, who ran the construction accounting division of Merritt-Chapman & Scott, knew something was wrong.