Cheers To My Maternal 2nd Great Grandfathers

I would consider myself fortunate to have the four maternal 2nd Great Grandfathers that I have. They were all extremely successful, not just with their careers (a physician/county chemist, a pharmacist/ink & mucilage manufacturer, a cooper/inventor/factory supervisor, and a lumber baron) but also in their communities. They all were devoted to their families and perhaps that is why, throughout the decades, they have always been held in the highest regard when spoken of.This certainly made it a lot easier to find information on them even without the internet, a drivers license,  and a "street light" curfew in the early 90's.

Birth: 13 Jan 1850

Worlington, Suffolk, England

Death: 19 Sept 1934

Detroit, Wayne, Michigan

Birth: 29 Jul 1860  

Hondingen, Villingen, Baden, Germany

Death: 09 Jun 1932  

Riverside, Essex, Ontario, Canada 

Birth: 20 Jun 1848

Victor, Ontario, New York

Death: 25 Jun 1912  

Gaylord, Otsego, Michigan

Birth: 17 Nov 1853  

Allumette Island, Quebec, Canada

Death: 24 April 1924  

Detroit, Wayne, Michigan

 

May they rest in peace. 

The Unfortunate End Of Lyman Thorp

Over the years, there have been quite a few collateral relatives, for one reason or another, I've semi adopted. One in particular, Lyman Thorp, has always been one of my favorites. Born in Watertown, New York in 1827, Lyman was the third son of Ebenezer Hudson and Lucinda (Gray) Thorp. He led a pretty decent life for being a deaf mute in the 1800’s. He attended school, always seemed to have a job at census time, and even married and had three children. After I found Lyman’s Missouri death record (struck by locomotive in Knob Noster, Missouri), I always wondered why my 3rd great-granduncle was so far from his Tecumseh, Michigan home at the time of his death. Earlier this year, I finally found out.

I came across this newspaper article containing a letter written by an upstanding Knob Noster citizen, John Carr, to Lyman's wife, Pluma, who was also a deaf mute. Mr. Carr was kind enough to report the unfortunate last few hours of Lyman's life.