Author Archives: Diana - Page 3
Young Shirley Jones recording
In 1950, my grandfather, Homer Wagner taped the Western District Chorus concert held at Canonsburg High School (Pennsylvania) where some of his children attended school. One of the soloists was a young Shirley Jones (of Broadway Musical and Partridge Family fame), a sophomore in high school. Her voice, even as a teenager, was astounding. The Daily Courier, Connellsville, Pennsylvania, 27 Apr 1950, Thu • Page 20 Born in 1934 in Charleroi, she grew up as…
Interview with Louise Weiler
Back in the 1970s (I think) I interviewed my grandmother, Louise Adelaide Weiler about her childhood. I had caught the genealogy bug, and she and I were going through old photos and I was filling in the tree. I made this tape, which I have drawn from for various biographical information, especially in the epilog I compiled of the Autobiography of her father Rev. William Weiler. Here is the unedited recording (it's in two parts).…
Lois Ann Wagner singing 1964
Here are some tapes of my mom, Lois, singing some folksongs back in 1964. She still has her guitar that she is playing, a 1930s Gibson she got in a pawn shop. Inside of houseboat, 1964. Lois Wagner
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…
Tapes for Grandpa
In 1972 my grandfather, Homer Henry Wagner, was in the hospital after a heart attack. I wasn't allowed to visit him because I was only 8. So I recorded two reel to reel tapes for him to listen to. I sang songs, told jokes, played cello, and recited poetry. Diana Thornton at Cheat Lake camp with grandfather Homer Henry Wagner: My mom, Lois, helped me and sang along with me on some of them. Diana…
Visit my New Online Shop for Photo Gifts
You are invited to visit my new Online Shop of cool products using my photographs. I have selected a few images from my collection that I thought would work well for phone cases and other products. I ordered an iPhone case using the hummingbird photo I took at my mom's house a few years ago. I absolutely LOVE it. Ever since Covid stopped my musician clients from performing, they can’t order CDs from me. So I…
Research and Biographies
Genealogy is more than just names and dates. It is about your family's story. I can turn your data into narrative and images that tell your story. I've been doing "genealogy" since I was 10, but until I wrote my first biography, it was just thousands people who had no form, no context, no connection, no humanity. Even I glaze over looking at my tree. So I started writing chapters for each of my ancestors…
Mr. Goad sent his photo to Bessie Sutphin
Around 1910, a young man dressed up in his best suit and bowler hat and had his photo taken. He sent it to Miss Bessie Sutphin in East Radford, ; The back had a message scrawled and signed by a D. Goad: “Please don't leave home when you see my photo haha. I have tried every day to get these and just got them yesterday. Will ans soon from your D. Goad” 110 years later…
John Wagner and the Texas Widow
My 2x great uncle John Wagner served alongside his two brothers, Henry and my 2x great grandfather William Wagner, in the Civil War. After the war he moved to Texas, and all I knew was that he had "married a Texas widow." I finally found his obituary, and it lead me on an amazing saga that could have been a movie. I'm still researching a few things, but I wanted to get this posted. Download…
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…