52 Ancestors: #52 - Frank M. Thorpe (1862 IL -1945 MO)

Frank M. Thorpe was born in November 1862 in Avon, Fulton County, Illinois to John W. Thorpe and Sarah, whose last name is unknown at this time.

Frank married Clara Newcomb Warden about 1885, possibly in Illinois.

Frank M. and Clara Thorpe had two children, both born in Missouri. Frank C. Thorpe was born in 1891 and Allene W. Thorpe was born about 1904.

By 1900 Frank owned a wire manufacturing plant in Lamar, Missouri, and he lived there until he died in 1945. Both Frank M. and Clara are buried in Lake Cemetery, Lamar, Barton County, Missouri.

If you are interested in researching this family, please contact me. Since there are no descendants of his children, we would need to go back to a previous generation in order to collaborate.

I would like to thank Amy Johnson Crow for her 2014 Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Amy has a blog No Story Too Small and posted this challenge in January 2014. I have only mentioned her blog and inspiration a few times during this past year. It's really been interesting to decide which ancestors to write about and keep it up for 52 weeks. Some weeks I was late, and many weeks my writing was very basic. But I would really like to encourage all of you to take the challenge in the future. Thank you again, very much,

52 Ancestors: #51 - Frank Cessford Thorpe (1891 MO - 1968 MO)

Frank Cessford Thorpe was born in Lamar, Barton County, Missouri on 27 May 1891. He briefly lived other places, particularly while serving in the military, but he always returned to Lamar.

His parents were Frank M. Thorpe and Clara Newcomb Warden and Frank C. joined his father in the running and owning of a wire manufacturing plant in town.

Frank C. married Helen Trice on 21 February 1922 in Pittsburg, Kansas, just across the state line from Missouri. Frank and Helen had one daughter, Ann Warden Thorpe who died in 1942 in an auto accident.

Uncle Frank, as he was known to many in Lamar, died on 26 March 1968 and is buried in Lake Cemetery in Lamar. Since Uncle Frank was my grandmother’s sister husband, I feel that I am the closest relative to this family.

If you have an interest in, or information about, Uncle Frank, Thorpe Manufacturing Plant (especially photos of the inside of the shop) or Thorpe’s Tantalizing Tidbits, I would love to have contact with you.

I would like to thank Amy Johnson Crow for her 2014 Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Amy has a blog No Story Too Small and posted this challenge in January 2014. I have only mentioned her blog and inspiration a few times during this past year. It's really been interesting to decide which ancestors to write about and keep it up for 52 weeks. Some weeks I was late, and many weeks my writing was very basic. But I would really like to encourage all of you to take the challenge in the future. Thank you again, very much, Amy.

52 Ancestors: #50 - Helen Trice Thorpe (1894 KS - 1978 MO)

Helen Trice was born in Fort Scott, Bourbon County, Kansas on 22 December 1894. Her parents were Charles Yancy Trice and Luna “Lena” Estelle Drake. Her family moved numerous times, but she lived in Lamar about 1900 and then had moved back before 1930 and lived there the rest of her life.

Helen married Frank Cessford Thorpe on 21 February 1922 in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Aunt Helen and Uncle Frank, as many residents of Lamar called them, had one daughter Ann Warden who was born in 1926 and then died in an auto accident in 1942.

Aunt Helen had a group of young ladies in Lamar called “Sub-Debs.” I don’t know anything about them, but would love to have information about this group.

During World War II Aunt Helen and Uncle Frank wrote a newsletter and sent it to servicemen from Lamar who were serving in various locations in the world. This newsletter, “Thorpe’s Tantalizing Tidbits,” kept all former residents informed about what was going on in Lamar. It also included news that each serviceman wrote to Aunt Helen and Uncle Frank so that information was distributed also. I now have a copy of these letters, and I intend to transcribe them and post them some time in the future. Since Aunt Helen was my grandmother’s sister, I feel that I am the closest relative to this family.

Helen Trice Thorpe died on 18 January 1978 in Lamar and was buried in Lake Cemetery in that town.

If you have interest in or information about Aunt Helen, Sub-Debs or Thorpe’s Tantalizing Tidbits, I would love to have contact with you.

                                                                                                   

I would like to thank Amy Johnson Crow for her 2014 Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Amy has a blog No Story Too Small and posted this challenge in January 2014. I have only mentioned her blog and inspiration a few times during this past year. It's really been interesting to decide which ancestors to write about and keep it up for 52 weeks. Some weeks I was late, and many weeks my writing was very basic. But I would really like to encourage all of you to take the challenge in the future. Thank you again, very much, Amy.