Everything seemed to be going according to plan. At 17, Gwynneth Woodhouse, daughter to Rebecca Kruttschnitt, received a carefully orchestrated introduction to San Francisco society—a gala dance on January 17, 1930, at the Burlingame Country Club hosted by her wealthy Grandmother, Mrs. Julius Kruttschnitt. Gwynneth, who lived with her grandparents in New York as a […]
Did William Boyce Thompson Invent Daylight Savings?
The next time you are bothered by daylight savings — maybe during that short window when the sun comes up a little later, or the longer one when it doesn’t set until after nine — you can blame William Boyce Thompson. The Magnate was instrumental in the short-lived implementation of daylight savings time during WWI, […]
Grandmother Adele Carie Shook Hands with the Queen of Naples
When Grandmother Adele Mercier Caire, a fashion leader in her hometown of New Orleans, where her father owned a leading clothing store, met with the Queen of Naples, she extended her hand to shake hands. Caire, the wife of a wealthy notary, quickly perceived by the smile that flitted over the features of the ladies-in-waiting […]
Great Grandmother Markham Allegedly Shot Two Pirates Under the Table
Some stories are so good you need them to be true. That’s the case with the sub-Rosa murders allegedly committed by my eighth great-grandmother Mary Markham. There are family legends, and then there are family legends. This one certainly falls into the latter category. But consider that the person telling it, Eliza Colston, was 230 […]
J.E. Thompson Tried to Hitch a Ride with Amelia Earhart
“It was a pleasure to have as our guest for a weekend Amelia Earhart,” J.E. Thompson wrote on his deathbed to his son, William Boner Thompson. “She had made her plans to fly around the world and gave us a talk about her flying experiences in the past as well as what she expected to […]
Buck Thompson Grew Mountain View into the Largest Funeral Operation in the West
This blogger recently caught up with Brewer “Buck” Thompson (born 1931), patriarch of the J.R. Thompson (1873-1927) side of the family, for a series of short interviews. In the family tradition, Buck, at 13, left for Exeter, where his father and grandfather also received their education. He later attended Stanford and spent two years in […]