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 […]
John Kruttschnitt Played a Bizzare Practical Joke at His Sister’s Wedding Reception
Newspapers in New Orleans and other cities carried breathless accounts of Rebecca Kruttschnitt’s (1889-1975) wedding in 1911 to English suitor Henry C. Woodhouse. The reports focused on the glorious venue, the glamorous dresses the bride and maids wore, and the bountiful flowers that adorned the scene. They missed the most exciting event. “The wedding reception,” […]
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 […]
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 […]