Archives for Thornton - Page 2
Baby Diana Tapes
I (Diana Vida Thornton) was born in January 1964. My parents, Charles Paul Thornton and Lois Wagner lived on a houseboat on the Allegheny River on the North Side, Pittsburgh, PA. Houseboat where Paul, Lois and Diana Thornton lived. ca April 1964 My mom Lois recorded several tapes of me, probably about the same time the photo above was taken. Two are just me making baby noises but one is of my mom talking and…
Nonie
My aunt Babe told me that my great grandfather Nonie drowned but no one knew when. She showed me this photo of him (seated) and his uncle Davy taken shortly before he died. Finally I tracked down an article that filled in this hole. I have yet to find any death or burial records. When my grandfather Ernest was six and a half, on a Monday afternoon, September 27, 1908, his father Nonie drowned. He…
The Nonie Puzzle SOLVED
For years I struggled to confirm my great grandfather's name. He is listed clearly on one of his children's birth certificates as Nonie Monroe Thornton along with his wife Agnes Elkins. My aunt told me that he had drowned at a young age leaving his wife and 3 young sons. The problem was that I could not find Nonie in any records besides his sons' death/birth certificates, including the 1900 census he should have been…
Old Pittsburgh Maps
1910 map of the Point "The Pittsburgh Mapping and Historical Site Viewer provides a window into the past, allowing anyone to see how the city took shape over time. It shows how the city of 22,433 people in 1835 changes over time: how neighborhoods grow and expand, while others were planned but never built. Street names change over time, empty lots become buildings, and schools and churches open and close. The maps were made by…
Quirky coincidences
Interesting but meaningless (or not???) coincidences discovered in the records on both sides of my family. Do you know of any interesting stories or coincidences? Please email me so I can add them here. The Vespers (on my mother's side) came to America on a ship called the Diana. The Wagners (also on my mother's side) came on a ship called the Eliza Thornton. Elizabeth Vesper married John Wagner, whose great great granddaughter's name was…
Thornton DNA Update
For years, many people (including me) have assumed our Thorntons descended from William "the immigrant" or Luke (spoiler alert - we aren't). William and Luke immigrated from England in the 1600s and settled in Virginia. Their descendants were connected to some famous names - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others out of America’s history book. They owned huge plantations, and had many children. It made sense that these Thorntons were our ancestors - the time,…
Are we related to Matthew Thornton?
There is a rumor in our family that we are descended from Matthew Thornton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Our Thorntons came from England and Matthew Thornton immigrated from Ireland. Sorry
North Side Convergence
I discovered that multiple branches of my tree lived in North Side, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I was born at exactly the same time. They probably were riding on the same trolleys and shopping at the same stores. Earnest Thornton and Helen Strawser, my paternal grandparents, moved to North Side Pittsburgh around 1929 to find work. William Weiler and his daughter Louise Weiler (my maternal grandmother), moved to North Side Pittsburgh in 1927 to pastor a…
Pittsburgh 1928 film
1928 is about when my grandparents Earnest Thornton and Helen Strawser connected in Pittsburgh. Earnest is listed in the 1930 census living on North Side. My Eckert, Giegerich, Weiler and Wagner ancestors were also here at that time.