Son of
Jonathan Thorn, Sr & Lydia Ann Corse
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH (of Samuel Thorne, Sr. and the ancestral Thorne family): 'SAMUEL THORNE, by Samuel Thorne, Jr.' - The Thornes were originally members of the "Society of Friends". The records show that William Thorne, of the sixth generation previous, who probably came from, Essex. England, was made a freeman, at Lynn, Massachusetts, May 2nd, 1638. On October 19th, seven years, later he was named, by Governor Kieft, as one of the eighteen original patentees of the Town of Flushing, L.I. {Long Island, New York -ed.} and twelve years after that, he appears as one of the proprietors of Jamaica, L.I., and as residing there with his wife Sarah. His son, Joseph married, Mary Bowne, and their son Isaac, who was born in 1698, was the first of the Thornes to move from Long Island, to Dutchess County. He and eight other members of the Society of Friends, who organized a group known as the "Nine Partners", acquired a parcel of land, upon which they erected a building, within a mile or two of the house, in which his great-great-grandson was to first see the light of day. Isaac married Hanna Haight, who bore him ten children. His seventh child, William, through whom the direct line is traced, was born in 1742, William married Jemima Titus, and became the father of six children, the third of whom, was named Samuel. The latter, afterward, established one of the first trading posts and stores of general merchandise in the vicinity. He married Phebe Dean, by whom he had two daughters, and in 1801, a son Jonathan. It was about this time, that a farm of some six-hundred acres, a mile or two westward from the Nine Partners property, was acquired. A house and outbuildings were built on a level stretch among the hills, and the place was, in later years, called "Thorndale". In spite of the attractions of "Thorndale", as Jonathan Thorne grew to manhood, he felt the call to a business career, and went to New York City to seek his fortune. Here, he became interested in the leather trade, and before many years, established himself as a successful leather merchant, on Ferry Street, in that section of the city known as, "The Swamp". He was a man of rare judgment and strict integrity. His wife formerly, Lydia Ann Corse, was famed for her gentle loving disposition, and her many deeds of charity. It was in a home surrounded with such influences, that Samuel Thorne grew up. Eleven children were born to this union, but only two sisters and five brothers lived to maturity. Of these seven, Samuel Thome was the fourth in age. Combining in his nature, his mother's disposition, and his father's integrity and judgment, he made friends easily, and once made they remained loyal to him through life. The family first lived on Cliff Street, and young Samuel was sent to boarding school, in the neighborhood of what is now, 36th Street, returning once a week to his family. At the age of twelve, he had an experience which is rarely granted to a boy of that age, and which taught him a valuable lesson in independence and resourcefulness. His father wished to visit the South in winter time, and took Samuel with him to Charleston, South Carolina. While there, they happened to attend a horse auction, and Samuel's eye was caught by a particular pony. He begged his father to buy it. His father replied, "If I buy it, will thee ride it home?", to which, Samuel enthusiastically rejoined in the affirmative. The pony was thereupon purchased, and another friend being in the city, with a son fifteen years old, it was agreed that a pony should also be purchased for him, and that he and Samuel should ride home together. The journey proved not without mishaps as one of the ponies was taken ill not long after starting, but the hospitality which they received by the way, and the persevering spirit of the boys, overcame the difficulties and brought them safely to their destination. While the family were growing up, all the time that could be spared from the city, was spent at "Thorndale", and as the leather business prospered, Samuel was encouraged and assisted by his father, to follow his natural bent, and develop the property as one of the foremost stock farms in the country. Jonathan Thorne finally determined upon a plan considered quite unusual at the time, of importing blooded, Short Horn cattle from England. He found in his son, Samuel, an enthusiastic supporter. In the early fifties, accordingly, he was sent by his father to England for this purpose. He then had the opportunity of visiting the principal herds in that country, and with the advantage of expert advice, of selecting certain animals, whose fame later spread throughout the United States, and back to England again. The importation of this stock at the time, was looked-upon as an international event. The newspapers were full of it. "Grand Duke", a wonderful animal, was purchased for $5,000, but his life was short, and he was succeeded as head of the herd, by, "Grand Duke 2nd", in 1855. "Grand Turk", and "Duchesses" also of noble pedigree, were purchased and sent to Thorndale. Within three years, Mr. Thorne had collected a herd of Short Horn cattle, which while not the largest, was unexcelled for quality, in the whole world. Visitors came from far and near, to see the Thorndale stock, but the day of greatest triumph for the owner arrived, when an order for a shipment came from England, to replenish the herds there. In 1860, Samuel Thorne married Phebe S. Van Schoonhoven, daughter of William H. Van Schoonhoven, of Troy, NY., and a descendant of one of the oldest Dutch families of the Hudson Valley. On her maternal side, Miss Van Schoonhoven was also descended from a Quaker family, whose home was at Lithgow, about eight miles northeast of Millbrook, where Mr. Thorne first met her. On his wedding journey, he again visited England. At that time, his purchases included well-bred stock other than "Short Horns", such as, "Southdown sheep" and "Essex swine", and he took special pride in the fact that, of all the animals at "Thorndale", there were none not of full-blood, even down to the pigeons and lop-eared rabbits. For eight years longer, he successfully continued the stock farm, but at the end of this time, opportunity arose for selling-out the herd, and as there were urgent reasons for his moving to the city, he did so. Then began his successful business career in New York, where he associated with his brothers in the leather business. Thorne was a director of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, one the pioneer companies in the Pennsylvania anthracite field, controlled valuable deposits near Scranton, and Pittston, Pa. It was not long before his son Samuel, was also elected to that board. In 1895, Samuel Thorne was elected President of the company, and held this office, until the stock of the company was purchased in 1900, by the Erie Railroad. Mr. Thome's position in the world, brought him into touch with railroad bank and trust companies. By reason of the character and ability which he in his business relationships, he was sought as a director, or upon many boards, and he became a member of the following: Bank of America; Central Trust Company; Great Northern Railway Co.; Chicago Burlington & Quincy R.R. Co.; Securities Company; New York Life Insurance and Trust Company; and the Sixth Avenue Railroad Company. Beside his business activities, Mr. Thome's appreciation of outdoor life and the humanities made him a sympathetic and generous supporter of efforts to educate the general public in this line. The American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of which he was a patron, the Botanical Gardens, and the New York Zoological Society, were among this number. He was Vice-President of the last named society, which more than any other, appealed to him, and for which, he gave liberally of his time and means. In the early eighties, Mr. Thorne purchased the place in Milbrook, formerly owned by Mr. George H. Brown, the New York banker. This property, which Mr Thorne named, "The Crest", adjoined "Thorndale" on the Northwest. There, he and his family regularly spent their summers, and there, as the years went on, he was best-known and most beloved, both for his public spirit, and for his kindly acts. Few of his neighbors, at some time or other, did not see that well-loved form on their doorstep, with a basket of choice fruit, or some other delicacy in his hand, as an expression of his thought and feeling for those within. Lasting momuments, to his breadth of interest in the community, stand to day, in the well-equipped high school building, erected and given to the Village of Millbrook, by him, and his surviving brothers and sister, in memory of their parents, and in the attractive YMCA building, which his liberal contributions helped to make possible. Originally a member of the Society of Friends, Samuel Thorne, after his marriage, became one of the founders of the Dutch Reformed Church, at Millbrook. Here, he attended with scrupulous regularity, and its pastor alone knew of the multitude of quiet deeds with which Mr. Thorne blessed and helped those about him. Later, when the family moved to New York, he attended the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Thorne was an ardent sportsman. In his younger days, he enjoyed few pleasures more than to roam over the country with a good dog, and gun. But the sport in which he took the keenest interest, was that of salmon fishing. When death overtook him, he was on a salmon fishing trip, on the St. John's River, in Canada, with his old friend, James J. Hill, of St. Paul. With a life of seventy-nine years behind him, so strong was the spirit of his youth, that on Saturday July 3rd, the day before he died, he killed six salmon, the largest of which, weighed twenty-eight pounds. The funeral held on July 9th, from his home in Millbrook, was a striking testimony to the wide esteem in which he was held. So lived and died this Christian gentleman after nearly eighty years full of blessing honor and usefulness He saw at various times members of seven generations of his family remembering his great grandfather and having a son's grand children play at his knees In addition to his brother Jonathan Thorne he was survived by his widow four sons a daughter fourteen grandchildren and two great grand children."
SOURCE: "The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Volume XLVII (47)", pages 125-128, by Samuel Thorne, Jr. 1916 (as edited by: Richard Henry Greene, Henry Reed Stiles, Melatiah Everett Dwight, George Austin Morrison, Hopper Striker Mott, John Reynolds Totten, Harold Minot Pitman, Louis Effingham De Forest, Charles Andrew Ditmas, Conklin Mann, Arthur S. Maynard), published by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 226 West 58th Street, New York. Source [link]: http://books.google.com/books?id=jNcUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA125&
Jonathan Thorn, Sr & Lydia Ann Corse
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH (of Samuel Thorne, Sr. and the ancestral Thorne family): 'SAMUEL THORNE, by Samuel Thorne, Jr.' - The Thornes were originally members of the "Society of Friends". The records show that William Thorne, of the sixth generation previous, who probably came from, Essex. England, was made a freeman, at Lynn, Massachusetts, May 2nd, 1638. On October 19th, seven years, later he was named, by Governor Kieft, as one of the eighteen original patentees of the Town of Flushing, L.I. {Long Island, New York -ed.} and twelve years after that, he appears as one of the proprietors of Jamaica, L.I., and as residing there with his wife Sarah. His son, Joseph married, Mary Bowne, and their son Isaac, who was born in 1698, was the first of the Thornes to move from Long Island, to Dutchess County. He and eight other members of the Society of Friends, who organized a group known as the "Nine Partners", acquired a parcel of land, upon which they erected a building, within a mile or two of the house, in which his great-great-grandson was to first see the light of day. Isaac married Hanna Haight, who bore him ten children. His seventh child, William, through whom the direct line is traced, was born in 1742, William married Jemima Titus, and became the father of six children, the third of whom, was named Samuel. The latter, afterward, established one of the first trading posts and stores of general merchandise in the vicinity. He married Phebe Dean, by whom he had two daughters, and in 1801, a son Jonathan. It was about this time, that a farm of some six-hundred acres, a mile or two westward from the Nine Partners property, was acquired. A house and outbuildings were built on a level stretch among the hills, and the place was, in later years, called "Thorndale". In spite of the attractions of "Thorndale", as Jonathan Thorne grew to manhood, he felt the call to a business career, and went to New York City to seek his fortune. Here, he became interested in the leather trade, and before many years, established himself as a successful leather merchant, on Ferry Street, in that section of the city known as, "The Swamp". He was a man of rare judgment and strict integrity. His wife formerly, Lydia Ann Corse, was famed for her gentle loving disposition, and her many deeds of charity. It was in a home surrounded with such influences, that Samuel Thorne grew up. Eleven children were born to this union, but only two sisters and five brothers lived to maturity. Of these seven, Samuel Thome was the fourth in age. Combining in his nature, his mother's disposition, and his father's integrity and judgment, he made friends easily, and once made they remained loyal to him through life. The family first lived on Cliff Street, and young Samuel was sent to boarding school, in the neighborhood of what is now, 36th Street, returning once a week to his family. At the age of twelve, he had an experience which is rarely granted to a boy of that age, and which taught him a valuable lesson in independence and resourcefulness. His father wished to visit the South in winter time, and took Samuel with him to Charleston, South Carolina. While there, they happened to attend a horse auction, and Samuel's eye was caught by a particular pony. He begged his father to buy it. His father replied, "If I buy it, will thee ride it home?", to which, Samuel enthusiastically rejoined in the affirmative. The pony was thereupon purchased, and another friend being in the city, with a son fifteen years old, it was agreed that a pony should also be purchased for him, and that he and Samuel should ride home together. The journey proved not without mishaps as one of the ponies was taken ill not long after starting, but the hospitality which they received by the way, and the persevering spirit of the boys, overcame the difficulties and brought them safely to their destination. While the family were growing up, all the time that could be spared from the city, was spent at "Thorndale", and as the leather business prospered, Samuel was encouraged and assisted by his father, to follow his natural bent, and develop the property as one of the foremost stock farms in the country. Jonathan Thorne finally determined upon a plan considered quite unusual at the time, of importing blooded, Short Horn cattle from England. He found in his son, Samuel, an enthusiastic supporter. In the early fifties, accordingly, he was sent by his father to England for this purpose. He then had the opportunity of visiting the principal herds in that country, and with the advantage of expert advice, of selecting certain animals, whose fame later spread throughout the United States, and back to England again. The importation of this stock at the time, was looked-upon as an international event. The newspapers were full of it. "Grand Duke", a wonderful animal, was purchased for $5,000, but his life was short, and he was succeeded as head of the herd, by, "Grand Duke 2nd", in 1855. "Grand Turk", and "Duchesses" also of noble pedigree, were purchased and sent to Thorndale. Within three years, Mr. Thorne had collected a herd of Short Horn cattle, which while not the largest, was unexcelled for quality, in the whole world. Visitors came from far and near, to see the Thorndale stock, but the day of greatest triumph for the owner arrived, when an order for a shipment came from England, to replenish the herds there. In 1860, Samuel Thorne married Phebe S. Van Schoonhoven, daughter of William H. Van Schoonhoven, of Troy, NY., and a descendant of one of the oldest Dutch families of the Hudson Valley. On her maternal side, Miss Van Schoonhoven was also descended from a Quaker family, whose home was at Lithgow, about eight miles northeast of Millbrook, where Mr. Thorne first met her. On his wedding journey, he again visited England. At that time, his purchases included well-bred stock other than "Short Horns", such as, "Southdown sheep" and "Essex swine", and he took special pride in the fact that, of all the animals at "Thorndale", there were none not of full-blood, even down to the pigeons and lop-eared rabbits. For eight years longer, he successfully continued the stock farm, but at the end of this time, opportunity arose for selling-out the herd, and as there were urgent reasons for his moving to the city, he did so. Then began his successful business career in New York, where he associated with his brothers in the leather business. Thorne was a director of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, one the pioneer companies in the Pennsylvania anthracite field, controlled valuable deposits near Scranton, and Pittston, Pa. It was not long before his son Samuel, was also elected to that board. In 1895, Samuel Thorne was elected President of the company, and held this office, until the stock of the company was purchased in 1900, by the Erie Railroad. Mr. Thome's position in the world, brought him into touch with railroad bank and trust companies. By reason of the character and ability which he in his business relationships, he was sought as a director, or upon many boards, and he became a member of the following: Bank of America; Central Trust Company; Great Northern Railway Co.; Chicago Burlington & Quincy R.R. Co.; Securities Company; New York Life Insurance and Trust Company; and the Sixth Avenue Railroad Company. Beside his business activities, Mr. Thome's appreciation of outdoor life and the humanities made him a sympathetic and generous supporter of efforts to educate the general public in this line. The American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of which he was a patron, the Botanical Gardens, and the New York Zoological Society, were among this number. He was Vice-President of the last named society, which more than any other, appealed to him, and for which, he gave liberally of his time and means. In the early eighties, Mr. Thorne purchased the place in Milbrook, formerly owned by Mr. George H. Brown, the New York banker. This property, which Mr Thorne named, "The Crest", adjoined "Thorndale" on the Northwest. There, he and his family regularly spent their summers, and there, as the years went on, he was best-known and most beloved, both for his public spirit, and for his kindly acts. Few of his neighbors, at some time or other, did not see that well-loved form on their doorstep, with a basket of choice fruit, or some other delicacy in his hand, as an expression of his thought and feeling for those within. Lasting momuments, to his breadth of interest in the community, stand to day, in the well-equipped high school building, erected and given to the Village of Millbrook, by him, and his surviving brothers and sister, in memory of their parents, and in the attractive YMCA building, which his liberal contributions helped to make possible. Originally a member of the Society of Friends, Samuel Thorne, after his marriage, became one of the founders of the Dutch Reformed Church, at Millbrook. Here, he attended with scrupulous regularity, and its pastor alone knew of the multitude of quiet deeds with which Mr. Thorne blessed and helped those about him. Later, when the family moved to New York, he attended the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Thorne was an ardent sportsman. In his younger days, he enjoyed few pleasures more than to roam over the country with a good dog, and gun. But the sport in which he took the keenest interest, was that of salmon fishing. When death overtook him, he was on a salmon fishing trip, on the St. John's River, in Canada, with his old friend, James J. Hill, of St. Paul. With a life of seventy-nine years behind him, so strong was the spirit of his youth, that on Saturday July 3rd, the day before he died, he killed six salmon, the largest of which, weighed twenty-eight pounds. The funeral held on July 9th, from his home in Millbrook, was a striking testimony to the wide esteem in which he was held. So lived and died this Christian gentleman after nearly eighty years full of blessing honor and usefulness He saw at various times members of seven generations of his family remembering his great grandfather and having a son's grand children play at his knees In addition to his brother Jonathan Thorne he was survived by his widow four sons a daughter fourteen grandchildren and two great grand children."
SOURCE: "The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Volume XLVII (47)", pages 125-128, by Samuel Thorne, Jr. 1916 (as edited by: Richard Henry Greene, Henry Reed Stiles, Melatiah Everett Dwight, George Austin Morrison, Hopper Striker Mott, John Reynolds Totten, Harold Minot Pitman, Louis Effingham De Forest, Charles Andrew Ditmas, Conklin Mann, Arthur S. Maynard), published by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 226 West 58th Street, New York. Source [link]: http://books.google.com/books?id=jNcUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA125&
Son of
Jonathan Thorn, Sr & Lydia Ann Corse
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH (of Samuel Thorne, Sr. and the ancestral Thorne family): 'SAMUEL THORNE, by Samuel Thorne, Jr.' - The Thornes were originally members of the "Society of Friends". The records show that William Thorne, of the sixth generation previous, who probably came from, Essex. England, was made a freeman, at Lynn, Massachusetts, May 2nd, 1638. On October 19th, seven years, later he was named, by Governor Kieft, as one of the eighteen original patentees of the Town of Flushing, L.I. {Long Island, New York -ed.} and twelve years after that, he appears as one of the proprietors of Jamaica, L.I., and as residing there with his wife Sarah. His son, Joseph married, Mary Bowne, and their son Isaac, who was born in 1698, was the first of the Thornes to move from Long Island, to Dutchess County. He and eight other members of the Society of Friends, who organized a group known as the "Nine Partners", acquired a parcel of land, upon which they erected a building, within a mile or two of the house, in which his great-great-grandson was to first see the light of day. Isaac married Hanna Haight, who bore him ten children. His seventh child, William, through whom the direct line is traced, was born in 1742, William married Jemima Titus, and became the father of six children, the third of whom, was named Samuel. The latter, afterward, established one of the first trading posts and stores of general merchandise in the vicinity. He married Phebe Dean, by whom he had two daughters, and in 1801, a son Jonathan. It was about this time, that a farm of some six-hundred acres, a mile or two westward from the Nine Partners property, was acquired. A house and outbuildings were built on a level stretch among the hills, and the place was, in later years, called "Thorndale". In spite of the attractions of "Thorndale", as Jonathan Thorne grew to manhood, he felt the call to a business career, and went to New York City to seek his fortune. Here, he became interested in the leather trade, and before many years, established himself as a successful leather merchant, on Ferry Street, in that section of the city known as, "The Swamp". He was a man of rare judgment and strict integrity. His wife formerly, Lydia Ann Corse, was famed for her gentle loving disposition, and her many deeds of charity. It was in a home surrounded with such influences, that Samuel Thorne grew up. Eleven children were born to this union, but only two sisters and five brothers lived to maturity. Of these seven, Samuel Thome was the fourth in age. Combining in his nature, his mother's disposition, and his father's integrity and judgment, he made friends easily, and once made they remained loyal to him through life. The family first lived on Cliff Street, and young Samuel was sent to boarding school, in the neighborhood of what is now, 36th Street, returning once a week to his family. At the age of twelve, he had an experience which is rarely granted to a boy of that age, and which taught him a valuable lesson in independence and resourcefulness. His father wished to visit the South in winter time, and took Samuel with him to Charleston, South Carolina. While there, they happened to attend a horse auction, and Samuel's eye was caught by a particular pony. He begged his father to buy it. His father replied, "If I buy it, will thee ride it home?", to which, Samuel enthusiastically rejoined in the affirmative. The pony was thereupon purchased, and another friend being in the city, with a son fifteen years old, it was agreed that a pony should also be purchased for him, and that he and Samuel should ride home together. The journey proved not without mishaps as one of the ponies was taken ill not long after starting, but the hospitality which they received by the way, and the persevering spirit of the boys, overcame the difficulties and brought them safely to their destination. While the family were growing up, all the time that could be spared from the city, was spent at "Thorndale", and as the leather business prospered, Samuel was encouraged and assisted by his father, to follow his natural bent, and develop the property as one of the foremost stock farms in the country. Jonathan Thorne finally determined upon a plan considered quite unusual at the time, of importing blooded, Short Horn cattle from England. He found in his son, Samuel, an enthusiastic supporter. In the early fifties, accordingly, he was sent by his father to England for this purpose. He then had the opportunity of visiting the principal herds in that country, and with the advantage of expert advice, of selecting certain animals, whose fame later spread throughout the United States, and back to England again. The importation of this stock at the time, was looked-upon as an international event. The newspapers were full of it. "Grand Duke", a wonderful animal, was purchased for $5,000, but his life was short, and he was succeeded as head of the herd, by, "Grand Duke 2nd", in 1855. "Grand Turk", and "Duchesses" also of noble pedigree, were purchased and sent to Thorndale. Within three years, Mr. Thorne had collected a herd of Short Horn cattle, which while not the largest, was unexcelled for quality, in the whole world. Visitors came from far and near, to see the Thorndale stock, but the day of greatest triumph for the owner arrived, when an order for a shipment came from England, to replenish the herds there. In 1860, Samuel Thorne married Phebe S. Van Schoonhoven, daughter of William H. Van Schoonhoven, of Troy, NY., and a descendant of one of the oldest Dutch families of the Hudson Valley. On her maternal side, Miss Van Schoonhoven was also descended from a Quaker family, whose home was at Lithgow, about eight miles northeast of Millbrook, where Mr. Thorne first met her. On his wedding journey, he again visited England. At that time, his purchases included well-bred stock other than "Short Horns", such as, "Southdown sheep" and "Essex swine", and he took special pride in the fact that, of all the animals at "Thorndale", there were none not of full-blood, even down to the pigeons and lop-eared rabbits. For eight years longer, he successfully continued the stock farm, but at the end of this time, opportunity arose for selling-out the herd, and as there were urgent reasons for his moving to the city, he did so. Then began his successful business career in New York, where he associated with his brothers in the leather business. Thorne was a director of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, one the pioneer companies in the Pennsylvania anthracite field, controlled valuable deposits near Scranton, and Pittston, Pa. It was not long before his son Samuel, was also elected to that board. In 1895, Samuel Thorne was elected President of the company, and held this office, until the stock of the company was purchased in 1900, by the Erie Railroad. Mr. Thome's position in the world, brought him into touch with railroad bank and trust companies. By reason of the character and ability which he in his business relationships, he was sought as a director, or upon many boards, and he became a member of the following: Bank of America; Central Trust Company; Great Northern Railway Co.; Chicago Burlington & Quincy R.R. Co.; Securities Company; New York Life Insurance and Trust Company; and the Sixth Avenue Railroad Company. Beside his business activities, Mr. Thome's appreciation of outdoor life and the humanities made him a sympathetic and generous supporter of efforts to educate the general public in this line. The American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of which he was a patron, the Botanical Gardens, and the New York Zoological Society, were among this number. He was Vice-President of the last named society, which more than any other, appealed to him, and for which, he gave liberally of his time and means. In the early eighties, Mr. Thorne purchased the place in Milbrook, formerly owned by Mr. George H. Brown, the New York banker. This property, which Mr Thorne named, "The Crest", adjoined "Thorndale" on the Northwest. There, he and his family regularly spent their summers, and there, as the years went on, he was best-known and most beloved, both for his public spirit, and for his kindly acts. Few of his neighbors, at some time or other, did not see that well-loved form on their doorstep, with a basket of choice fruit, or some other delicacy in his hand, as an expression of his thought and feeling for those within. Lasting momuments, to his breadth of interest in the community, stand to day, in the well-equipped high school building, erected and given to the Village of Millbrook, by him, and his surviving brothers and sister, in memory of their parents, and in the attractive YMCA building, which his liberal contributions helped to make possible. Originally a member of the Society of Friends, Samuel Thorne, after his marriage, became one of the founders of the Dutch Reformed Church, at Millbrook. Here, he attended with scrupulous regularity, and its pastor alone knew of the multitude of quiet deeds with which Mr. Thorne blessed and helped those about him. Later, when the family moved to New York, he attended the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Thorne was an ardent sportsman. In his younger days, he enjoyed few pleasures more than to roam over the country with a good dog, and gun. But the sport in which he took the keenest interest, was that of salmon fishing. When death overtook him, he was on a salmon fishing trip, on the St. John's River, in Canada, with his old friend, James J. Hill, of St. Paul. With a life of seventy-nine years behind him, so strong was the spirit of his youth, that on Saturday July 3rd, the day before he died, he killed six salmon, the largest of which, weighed twenty-eight pounds. The funeral held on July 9th, from his home in Millbrook, was a striking testimony to the wide esteem in which he was held. So lived and died this Christian gentleman after nearly eighty years full of blessing honor and usefulness He saw at various times members of seven generations of his family remembering his great grandfather and having a son's grand children play at his knees In addition to his brother Jonathan Thorne he was survived by his widow four sons a daughter fourteen grandchildren and two great grand children."
SOURCE: "The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Volume XLVII (47)", pages 125-128, by Samuel Thorne, Jr. 1916 (as edited by: Richard Henry Greene, Henry Reed Stiles, Melatiah Everett Dwight, George Austin Morrison, Hopper Striker Mott, John Reynolds Totten, Harold Minot Pitman, Louis Effingham De Forest, Charles Andrew Ditmas, Conklin Mann, Arthur S. Maynard), published by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 226 West 58th Street, New York. Source [link]: http://books.google.com/books?id=jNcUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA125&
Jonathan Thorn, Sr & Lydia Ann Corse
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH (of Samuel Thorne, Sr. and the ancestral Thorne family): 'SAMUEL THORNE, by Samuel Thorne, Jr.' - The Thornes were originally members of the "Society of Friends". The records show that William Thorne, of the sixth generation previous, who probably came from, Essex. England, was made a freeman, at Lynn, Massachusetts, May 2nd, 1638. On October 19th, seven years, later he was named, by Governor Kieft, as one of the eighteen original patentees of the Town of Flushing, L.I. {Long Island, New York -ed.} and twelve years after that, he appears as one of the proprietors of Jamaica, L.I., and as residing there with his wife Sarah. His son, Joseph married, Mary Bowne, and their son Isaac, who was born in 1698, was the first of the Thornes to move from Long Island, to Dutchess County. He and eight other members of the Society of Friends, who organized a group known as the "Nine Partners", acquired a parcel of land, upon which they erected a building, within a mile or two of the house, in which his great-great-grandson was to first see the light of day. Isaac married Hanna Haight, who bore him ten children. His seventh child, William, through whom the direct line is traced, was born in 1742, William married Jemima Titus, and became the father of six children, the third of whom, was named Samuel. The latter, afterward, established one of the first trading posts and stores of general merchandise in the vicinity. He married Phebe Dean, by whom he had two daughters, and in 1801, a son Jonathan. It was about this time, that a farm of some six-hundred acres, a mile or two westward from the Nine Partners property, was acquired. A house and outbuildings were built on a level stretch among the hills, and the place was, in later years, called "Thorndale". In spite of the attractions of "Thorndale", as Jonathan Thorne grew to manhood, he felt the call to a business career, and went to New York City to seek his fortune. Here, he became interested in the leather trade, and before many years, established himself as a successful leather merchant, on Ferry Street, in that section of the city known as, "The Swamp". He was a man of rare judgment and strict integrity. His wife formerly, Lydia Ann Corse, was famed for her gentle loving disposition, and her many deeds of charity. It was in a home surrounded with such influences, that Samuel Thorne grew up. Eleven children were born to this union, but only two sisters and five brothers lived to maturity. Of these seven, Samuel Thome was the fourth in age. Combining in his nature, his mother's disposition, and his father's integrity and judgment, he made friends easily, and once made they remained loyal to him through life. The family first lived on Cliff Street, and young Samuel was sent to boarding school, in the neighborhood of what is now, 36th Street, returning once a week to his family. At the age of twelve, he had an experience which is rarely granted to a boy of that age, and which taught him a valuable lesson in independence and resourcefulness. His father wished to visit the South in winter time, and took Samuel with him to Charleston, South Carolina. While there, they happened to attend a horse auction, and Samuel's eye was caught by a particular pony. He begged his father to buy it. His father replied, "If I buy it, will thee ride it home?", to which, Samuel enthusiastically rejoined in the affirmative. The pony was thereupon purchased, and another friend being in the city, with a son fifteen years old, it was agreed that a pony should also be purchased for him, and that he and Samuel should ride home together. The journey proved not without mishaps as one of the ponies was taken ill not long after starting, but the hospitality which they received by the way, and the persevering spirit of the boys, overcame the difficulties and brought them safely to their destination. While the family were growing up, all the time that could be spared from the city, was spent at "Thorndale", and as the leather business prospered, Samuel was encouraged and assisted by his father, to follow his natural bent, and develop the property as one of the foremost stock farms in the country. Jonathan Thorne finally determined upon a plan considered quite unusual at the time, of importing blooded, Short Horn cattle from England. He found in his son, Samuel, an enthusiastic supporter. In the early fifties, accordingly, he was sent by his father to England for this purpose. He then had the opportunity of visiting the principal herds in that country, and with the advantage of expert advice, of selecting certain animals, whose fame later spread throughout the United States, and back to England again. The importation of this stock at the time, was looked-upon as an international event. The newspapers were full of it. "Grand Duke", a wonderful animal, was purchased for $5,000, but his life was short, and he was succeeded as head of the herd, by, "Grand Duke 2nd", in 1855. "Grand Turk", and "Duchesses" also of noble pedigree, were purchased and sent to Thorndale. Within three years, Mr. Thorne had collected a herd of Short Horn cattle, which while not the largest, was unexcelled for quality, in the whole world. Visitors came from far and near, to see the Thorndale stock, but the day of greatest triumph for the owner arrived, when an order for a shipment came from England, to replenish the herds there. In 1860, Samuel Thorne married Phebe S. Van Schoonhoven, daughter of William H. Van Schoonhoven, of Troy, NY., and a descendant of one of the oldest Dutch families of the Hudson Valley. On her maternal side, Miss Van Schoonhoven was also descended from a Quaker family, whose home was at Lithgow, about eight miles northeast of Millbrook, where Mr. Thorne first met her. On his wedding journey, he again visited England. At that time, his purchases included well-bred stock other than "Short Horns", such as, "Southdown sheep" and "Essex swine", and he took special pride in the fact that, of all the animals at "Thorndale", there were none not of full-blood, even down to the pigeons and lop-eared rabbits. For eight years longer, he successfully continued the stock farm, but at the end of this time, opportunity arose for selling-out the herd, and as there were urgent reasons for his moving to the city, he did so. Then began his successful business career in New York, where he associated with his brothers in the leather business. Thorne was a director of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, one the pioneer companies in the Pennsylvania anthracite field, controlled valuable deposits near Scranton, and Pittston, Pa. It was not long before his son Samuel, was also elected to that board. In 1895, Samuel Thorne was elected President of the company, and held this office, until the stock of the company was purchased in 1900, by the Erie Railroad. Mr. Thome's position in the world, brought him into touch with railroad bank and trust companies. By reason of the character and ability which he in his business relationships, he was sought as a director, or upon many boards, and he became a member of the following: Bank of America; Central Trust Company; Great Northern Railway Co.; Chicago Burlington & Quincy R.R. Co.; Securities Company; New York Life Insurance and Trust Company; and the Sixth Avenue Railroad Company. Beside his business activities, Mr. Thome's appreciation of outdoor life and the humanities made him a sympathetic and generous supporter of efforts to educate the general public in this line. The American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of which he was a patron, the Botanical Gardens, and the New York Zoological Society, were among this number. He was Vice-President of the last named society, which more than any other, appealed to him, and for which, he gave liberally of his time and means. In the early eighties, Mr. Thorne purchased the place in Milbrook, formerly owned by Mr. George H. Brown, the New York banker. This property, which Mr Thorne named, "The Crest", adjoined "Thorndale" on the Northwest. There, he and his family regularly spent their summers, and there, as the years went on, he was best-known and most beloved, both for his public spirit, and for his kindly acts. Few of his neighbors, at some time or other, did not see that well-loved form on their doorstep, with a basket of choice fruit, or some other delicacy in his hand, as an expression of his thought and feeling for those within. Lasting momuments, to his breadth of interest in the community, stand to day, in the well-equipped high school building, erected and given to the Village of Millbrook, by him, and his surviving brothers and sister, in memory of their parents, and in the attractive YMCA building, which his liberal contributions helped to make possible. Originally a member of the Society of Friends, Samuel Thorne, after his marriage, became one of the founders of the Dutch Reformed Church, at Millbrook. Here, he attended with scrupulous regularity, and its pastor alone knew of the multitude of quiet deeds with which Mr. Thorne blessed and helped those about him. Later, when the family moved to New York, he attended the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Thorne was an ardent sportsman. In his younger days, he enjoyed few pleasures more than to roam over the country with a good dog, and gun. But the sport in which he took the keenest interest, was that of salmon fishing. When death overtook him, he was on a salmon fishing trip, on the St. John's River, in Canada, with his old friend, James J. Hill, of St. Paul. With a life of seventy-nine years behind him, so strong was the spirit of his youth, that on Saturday July 3rd, the day before he died, he killed six salmon, the largest of which, weighed twenty-eight pounds. The funeral held on July 9th, from his home in Millbrook, was a striking testimony to the wide esteem in which he was held. So lived and died this Christian gentleman after nearly eighty years full of blessing honor and usefulness He saw at various times members of seven generations of his family remembering his great grandfather and having a son's grand children play at his knees In addition to his brother Jonathan Thorne he was survived by his widow four sons a daughter fourteen grandchildren and two great grand children."
SOURCE: "The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Volume XLVII (47)", pages 125-128, by Samuel Thorne, Jr. 1916 (as edited by: Richard Henry Greene, Henry Reed Stiles, Melatiah Everett Dwight, George Austin Morrison, Hopper Striker Mott, John Reynolds Totten, Harold Minot Pitman, Louis Effingham De Forest, Charles Andrew Ditmas, Conklin Mann, Arthur S. Maynard), published by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 226 West 58th Street, New York. Source [link]: http://books.google.com/books?id=jNcUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA125&
Family Members
Siblings
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
