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Chief McNichols drive by the crowds in that old fire engine which was stored in the Cedar Street Garage, after having been replaced by the big shiny, state-of-the art, American La France hose truck.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. […]
Boner House Still Stands Tall in Milan, Missouri
John Quincy Boner (1830-1908) and his wife Sarah Ann Clark had already lost three children to illness by 1876, when they built this home in Milan, Mo. Thankfully, the stately home with its inviting, wraparound porch, is still standing, as I discovered on a visit there last summer. Two children — Minnie (12) and Charles […]
History No Longer So Kind to Ernest Kruttschnitt
When New Orleans lawyer Ernest Benjamin Kruttschnitt died in 1906, praise came from all quarters. A partner in one of the city’s most illustrious law firms, Kruttschnitt (1852-1906) had tried many of the most important cases of his time. A long-time president of the New Orleans School Board, he twice turned down opportunities to become […]