The project started out innocently enough. I merely wanted to confirm some of the often bizarre stories my parents and grandparents had told me at family events, typically after a few drinks.
Earliest North American Relative Jailed for Assaulting Tailor
Genealogical research often turns up more than you really want to know. I got a rude reminder of this truism before the Christmas holidays, when a genealogist working in Cobourg, Ontario discovered that my earliest North American ancestor, William Thompson (1806-1849), assaulted a tailor, didn’t pay the fine, and spent time in the lock-up. The […]
Debate Rages Over Which William Thompson Was Actually the Man
Was William Thompson da man? Or was it William Boyce Thompson? A dissident family faction weighs in.
The Inside Story of the Cumberland-Ely Deal: How William Boyce Thompson Outflanked the Guggenheims
I was recently sitting comfortably in a reading room of the Library of Congress, going through some papers left behind by Hermann Hagedorn, William Boyce Thompson’s biographer. I was minding my own business, trying to speed-read interviews related to the Magnate’s acquisition of a mining venture in Ely, Nevada, dreaming of my next cup of […]
Small Palm Planted in 1897 Now Rises to More Than 40 Feet
There’s a picture on the Internet of a small cypress palm tree planted by railroad executive Julius Kruttschnitt, Sr., in 1897 at a train station in Burlingame, Ca., that had opened only a couple years before. The photo, taken in 1901, shows two small children playing near the palm, which was already rising above their […]
J.R. Boyce Sheds Light on the True Meaning of Masonry
Imagine my good fortune after spending nearly a full working day at the Missouri Historical Society to stumble upon a new document written by my Great, Great, Great Grandfather J.R. Boyce (1817-1898). As close followers probably remember, we previously had the good fortune to conduct a graveside interview with J.R., who fled to Montana to avoid […]
Preservation Law Saves Julius Kruttschnitt Home from Wrecking Ball
After discovering that so many old family homes have been knocked down, it’s refreshing to find one that has survived. That said, Julius Kruttschnitt’s magnificent summer villa at 2077 Forest View in Burlingame, Ca., came perilously close to suffering the pitiless blows of a wrecking ball. Builder Otto J. Miller bought the Julius Kruttschnitt, Sr., […]
Faint Praise Heard for New Boyce Thompson Release
We caught up with Boyce Thompson, Jr., on the eve of the release of his new album, Old Trains/Fast Tracks, to ask the reclusive “artist” a few questions about the forthcoming record, which has received faint praise, at best, from critics who dared to listen to preview copies. This is about the 20th album of […]