Thompson Family History

Telling the story straight, no matter how painful or unsavory.

Henry de Clifford Woodhouse

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Rebecca Kruttschnitt Was a Published Illustrator

I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise, given how many people in my family draw well. Nevertheless, I was astonished to discover recently that Rebecca de Mendes Kruttschnitt (1889-1974), my great-grandaunt, was a professional illustrator. Rebecca Kruttschnitt adeptly illustrated a drawing-room novel — that’s right, a roman de salon — published in 1910. The […]

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Henry de Clifford Anthony Woodhouse Shot Down at Least Five German Aircraft During WWII

This one has always intrigued me: How did the child of New Orleans’ Rebecca de Mendes Kruttschnitt (1889-1974) wind up being a Royal Air Force squadron leader credited with at least five air victories during World War II? Well, Rebecca, the youngest daughter of my second great grandfather, Julius Kruttschnitt, Sr., married Henry de Clifford Woodhouse […]