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.
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.
Ely City Nevada: The Town That Went Poof!
William Boyce Thompson’s first crack at city building taught him a valuable lesson — never try it again.
Stop the Presses: Marie Gingras Mystery Solved
For half a decade, I’ve been working with relatives to try to figure out where the bedeviling Marie Gingras (1861-1937) came from. I’m pleased to report that, thanks to the hard work of cousin Sue Wolfe, the mystery has been solved
Former Editor Keeps Old Mug Around House, Much to Wife’s Chagrin
It’s anyone’s guess why Boyce Thompson, the founding editor of ProSales magazine, still keeps an old Modem to Load ‘Em mug around the house. The mug, dating back to 1992, has survived several moves and innumerable kitchen purges designed to reduce kitchen inventory to only essential items. Thompson appears to have a lasting sentimental attachment […]