Anne Oxley of Vermont earlier this year bought a bunch of sterling silver at an auction, thinking she’d sell it for scrap. Thankfully, she noticed that one bracelet had the name “Hugh Simmers” inscribed on the front. On the back another inscription read, “Good Luck From Kings Cinema Staff, Edinburgh. 10-10-17.” “I have always wanted […]
J.E. Thompson Brought Indoor Plumbing to Greer, Ariz.
Locals remember the scene when J.E. Thompson first visited Greer, Arizona, on his way from New York to Phoenix. He arrived in 1919 with his clan in a Twin 6 Packard touring car, which was about the grandest thing that many residents had ever seen. He was referred to as the local millionaire. But the […]
J.E. Thompson’s Greer Cabin Went Up in Flames!
Great-Grandfather J.E. Thompson (1875-1950) used to vacation at a cabin in the White Mountains on a plateau about 1,000 feet above Greer, Ariz. Great-grandfather called the small, one-room building far from civilization his “hunting shack.” It’s unclear how much hunting he did there. There will be no opportunity for forensics. The cabin burned a few […]
Memories of Memorial Day
By Anthony R. Thompson: I miss that Bronxville Memorial Parade, watching Chief McNichols drive by the crowds in that old fire engine which was stored in the Cedar Street Garage, after having been replaced by the big shiny, state-of-the art, American La France hose truck. I would be waiting for my Dad, dressed in his […]
Ernest Kruttschnitt Portrait Moved to Where No One Will See It
The Louisiana Supreme Court has moved its controversial portrait of Ernest Benjamin Kruttschnitt (1852-1906) from its longtime location on a wall by the entry to the courtroom to the mezzanine level where no one goes. If I may editorialize for a moment: This is no way treat a man who was a major driving force […]
Intriguing Band Set to Play Low-Brow Venue
It’s hard not to pay attention to a band that professes to “play songs you’ve probably heard in ways you never imagined.” But that’s just one of myriad mysteries surrounding the enigmatic Greyhounds Touched by X-Ray, a promising new band on the St. Louis music scene. There’s also the question of where the band got […]
The Gumbo Is Particularly Good at My Sixth Great Grandfather’s Place
The shrimp creole is particularly scrumptious and the jambalaya really hits the spot now that I know a relative once owned the building at 630 Saint Peter Street that currently houses one of my favorite New Orleans restaurants — the Gumbo Shop. My son, Ethan, several years ago “discovered” the inexpensive, down-home restaurant located a […]
Not Even German Bombs Could Interfere With Peggy Schulze’s Royal Marriage
Polish Prince Alexander Hohenlohe “knew it was serious” when he first met the 18-year-old Peggy Boyce Schulze (1921-1964). The couple married, he told the New York Times, after only a “four-month courtship which began like many another courtship before it — on a Summer day.” The courtship became anything but typical after military hostilities interceded. […]