Archives for THORNTON / STRAWSER - Page 2
The Climb from Salt Lick by Nancy L. Abrams
The Climb from Salt Lick: A Memoir of Appalachia In the mid-1970s, Nancy L. Abrams, a young photojournalist from the Midwest, plunges into life as a small-town journalist in West Virginia. She befriends the hippies on the commune one mountaintop over, rents a cabin in beautiful Salt Lick Valley, and falls in love with a local boy, wrestling to balance the demands of a job and a personal life. She learns how to survive in…
Earthquake in SW Virginia
Earthquakes are actually common in Virginia. Here's one that would affected my Thornton ancestors in Pulaski County: May 3, 1897. Centered at Radford, where a few chimneys were wrecked and plaster fell from walls, and chimneys were damaged at nearby Pulaski and Roanoke. Felt in most of southwest Virginia and as far south as Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Estimated magnitude This was a prelude to The Big One. ((Division of Geology and Mineral Resources -…
Grimm’s Landing, Pittsburgh
When I was born in 1964, my parents, Charles and Lois Thornton, were living on a 1-room houseboat docked just above "Grimm's Landing" (previously "Zubik's Landing") on the Allegheny River on the North Side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Back then the river was lined with "squatters". The land that ran along the river was owned by the railroad, but people docked their boats and houseboats and barges, setting up businesses and marinas. My parents actually had…
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…
Are we related to Daniel Boone?
As I entered names on my Thornton side, I noticed a few Boones popping up. They weren't in my direct line, so I made a mental note and moved on. My ancestors came from Southwest Virginia, not that far from North Carolina. So I knew it was possible, even likely. But when I started entering the name Bertelot for my direct ancestors, I started paying a little more attention. Daniel Boone lived near Bertelots in…
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,…