My great-grandfather, J.E. Thompson, really admired his uncle, architect and builder Joseph Ough. The respect didn’t stem from Ough’s financial success. It was due to the man’s artistic and spiritual achievements. “In your mother’s family, and mine, there were those that were stars in a financial way,” wrote J.E. Thompson in a letter to his son, “but the man […]
Thompson Line Seems to End at William Thompson, Sr.
Like most amateur genealogists, I have reached a maddening dead-end in the quest to trace my family roots. The end of the line is William Thompson, Sr., who appears to have lived most his life in Ontario, Canada, but was probably born in Scotland. Thompson’s very common name, which shows up often in Census counts, church […]
J.R. Boyce Pays Tribute to Dead for Benefit of Living
James Richard (J.R.) Boyce was a real sweetheart, a deep believer in the nobility of womankind. The Confederate Army major, who became a Montana dry goods merchant, wanted to ensure his ancestors knew what outstanding stock they came from. So he left behind a highly detailed October 23, 1893, letter addressed to his grandchildren. Unfortunately, […]
Annie Maria Boyce Thompson Lived a Hard Life
Only five of Annie Maria Boyce’s ten children lived to adulthood, and ill health forced her to spend summers in California. Like many Western pioneers, Annie Maria Boyce Thompson lived a hard life, though she was steadfast in her faith and greatly inspired her children. Born August 15, 1846, in Boone County, Missouri, Annie traveled with her mother and father, […]
Boyce Thompson, Sr., Dies Unexpectedly
Loved by all for his kindness and warm wit, Boyce Thompson, Sr. died unexpectedly on December 17th 2009 at 76 years of age. He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Patricia Simmers Thompson. He is survived by brothers Bill and Tony Thompson and by four children–Boyce and wife Carol, Hugh and wife […]
“Pop” Thompson Zig-Zagged Across the Atlantic in Merchant Marine Vessels During WWII
My grandfather, William Boner Thompson, will always be remembered for avidly consuming World War II history books. On visits to his homes in Bronxville or Pasadena, we would invariably find him sitting forward on the living room sofa, engulfed in a Lucky Strike cloud, immersed in a tome. It turns out that most of these […]