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Historian/Genealogist Report

 by Patricia Thayer Muno, Thayer Family Historian 

The big news this quarter is the availability of the new book on the descendants of the Immigrant Nathaniel Thayer. Be sure to order one of these right away, available from the Braintree Historical Society, especially if you are a collector of “things Thayer.” Please see order form elsewhere in this publication. 

 

What’s next? 

Moving right along here, I am already commencing work on the formatting of the genealogy on the descendants of the immigrant, Richard Thayer, who came to America in 1641. If you are a new member of TFA and have not shared your family’s genealogical information, please submit right away! Also, if you have pre-1920 Thayer related photographs to share that have not already been submitted, please contact me for instructions on how these may be included in the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Thayer Family of America now in progress. 

President Bush is your cousin 

Since my last report mentioned president elect, George W. Bush as our cousin, a number of individuals were kind enough to share his lineage with me. I am certain many of you will be interested in your direct relationship to this important cousin, therefore, following are two of his Thayer connections known to me, complete with the various surnames: 
George Walker BUSH12 (Barbara PIERCE11, Marvin PIERCE10, Scott PIERCE9, Jonas James PIERCE8, Chloe HOLBROOK7, John HOLBROOK6, Rhoda THAYER5, Moses THAYER4, Isaac THAYER3, Ferdinando THAYER2, Thomas THAYER1

 

George Walker BUSH13 (Barbara PIERCE12, Marvin PIERCE11, Scott PIERCE10, Jonas James PIERCE9, Chloe Holbrook8, John HOLBROOK7, John HOLBROOK6, Zilpha THAYER5, Samuel THAYER4, Thomas THAYER3, Ferdinando THAYER2, Thomas THAYER1 ) 

Thanks to Frederick A. (“Ted”) Thayer and Richard Leon Thayer for sharing this lineage information. 

 

Thayer’s Greek - English Lexicon of the New Testament 

A fascinating book has been shared by Family Representative, Marge (Thayer) Gross of Spring, TX for placement in the “Thayer museum” of artifacts collected here in my home. The book is entitled Thayers Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament by Joseph H. Thayer. Marge states that she learned about the book from her friend who “uses it when she does a Bible study. She is a terrific Bible teacher and she uses it particularly when she is doing a word study.” 

The man who wrote this was Joseph Henry Thayer, An American Biblical Scholar and graduate of Harvard in 1850. He later became a professor at Harvard. His lineage: Joseph8 Henry THAYER, born 7 Nov 1828 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA, the son of Joseph Helyer (Amasa6 , Abijah5 , John4 , Richard3-2-1) THAYER
and Martha GREENOUGH

Joseph married 30 Nov 1858 in Boston, Suffolk, MA to Martha C. DAVIS, he died 26 Nov 1901 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA. They were the parents of 6 children. His only son, Greenough THAYER drowned 23 Aug 1883, at age 19, while trying to save 2 young ladies at Ogunquit Beach in Maine. 

 

My Thayer Family Reps share talents and contributions 

Another of my Family Representatives, Lu Ann Kriebs of Omaha, Nebraska, has made a significant contribution to society. Hot off the press is her beautifully done Genealogy entitled Clan McGeorge, From Scotland to Pennsylvania to Missouri...An Ocean Voyage and a River Trip. The book is dedicated to the paternal lineage of her husband, Eugene’s ancestors. Eugene Paul Kriebs’ grandmother was Amy Ruth10 (Oren Mortimer9, Elbridge May8, Royal Olmstead7, Jedediah6, Micah5, Jonathan4, Josiah3, Ferdinando2, Thomas1) THAYER, and was married to Marian Francis McGeorge. 

 

Non-family member, Judy Blunt of Freemont, California has donated photos, grave plot receipts, and old stock certificates of the George Everett Thayer (born 1855 MA) family of California and Arizona. Judy’s late father-in-law had been the minister for George’s daughter, Rachel (Thayer) French in Nogales, AZ in the 1970’s. He kept hold of these papers feeling they might be of use to someone some day. After Judy’s father- in-law died, the papers came into her hands and she sent them along to me. Rachel May Thayer married late to Chester Frence and they had no children together. Rachel May(George Everett8, George7, Elihu6, Christopher5-4, Ephraim3, Shadrach2, Thomas1 ) THAYER. 

 

The collection of Thayer memorabilia here now consists of early photographs, family bibles, books and various other documents. If you have such items you would like archived here in Patricia’s “Thayer Museum,” please send along to my address found elsewhere in this newsletter. 

 

Request for Thornbury time capsule 

A letter was received in November from Mrs. Elaine Lee of the Westwing School in Thornbury, England requesting permission to include my 1995 letter to headmistress Ann Rispin in the School’s Millennium Time Capsule. To those who are not familiar with the Westwing School, it was the former home in Thornbury, England of some of our early Thayer family members. The staff at Westwing are hopeful to prolong the association of the Thayer family with the Kyneton House. Two of my books on our earliest Thayer ancestors in Gloucestershire, England have gone to the Kyneton/Westwing folks. At this writing, I have only 6 of these left. Additional printings can be arranged upon demand. Interested individuals may contact me at the address elsewhere in this newsletter. 

 

Other Thayers make their marks in history 

We are hoping to learn more about the man who was involved in the production of the Lone Ranger radio program series. This individual was brought to my attention by Rep Dorothy Thayer Sharon. I believe he was Guy Vaughn10 (Guy Vaughn9, Charles Egbert8, William7, John Clark6, Benjamin5Daniel4, Nathaniel3, Richard2-1 ) THAYER born 1908 in CA and died in 1988 in Puerto Rico. Does anyone have information on his story? 

 

Also, many years ago, one of my earliest correspondents inquired about her Thayer ancestor who had a “circus” in early Connecticut. I never found reference to this before or after. Has anyone ever heard about such a possibility? 

 

Another individual we are hoping to learn about is a “Mrs. O.A. Thayer” who was a woman doctor listed in 1867 Portland, Oregon city directory. Mrs. Thayer was discovered by Rep. Patty K. Stuart. 

 

Speaking of Portland, Oregon, watch in the Thayer Quarterly for a future article the lovely young Thayer lady who was the first Queen in Portland’s forerunner to the Rose Festival. 

 

Also in the making, information on the late Donald Thayer, Internationally famed Baritone. Also a wonderful story about our Thayer cousins and how they figured into the “Little Brown Church in the Wildwood.” 

 

Thayer descendant sees the world 

New information regarding another large “tribe” of the Thayer family in England has been shared with me by Thayer descendant, Jill Salt of Wuhan, China. Jill, whose maternal grandmother was Rosina May THAYER, was born and raised in England. Jill menions that she spent 12 years of her life “traveling and working my way round the world: overland through Africa, across to NZ and Australia, back round Europe, back down through Africa (where, I might add, my heart is), return to England, to Europe, to India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, back to Europe where I desperately yearned for the wide open spaces and sunshine of Africa. Arrived back in sunny South Africa at the age of 30, single, and loving it! ... Set myself to getting an accounting qualification, and settled down somewhat, then met Richard. In spite of all my traveling I’d never yet visited the States, so when he went on a business trip a couple of years ago, he managed to add in some leave days as well, and I went with him. We went to Miami, Disney World (loved it!!), New Orleans (we propped up the bars on Bourbon Street soaking up the blues. . . ), Detroit (yes, I know, a business visit), Boston and New York. That trip also took us to London, and we could visit family (Richard also has two daughters and a grandson there), and Copenhagen. He was retrenched in May, at the age of 58, after 18 years with the company. (The company had been bought out and his engineering department closed.) A friend, who was now working in Germany, offered Richard this job, if he could leave and go to China within a month. Always ready to hit the road, I said yes! I stayed another month to sort everything out, then joined him here in July. We sold our house in Johannesburg, and as I stepped off the plane in Hong Kong, clutching my Chinese visa, I suddenly realized that if they turned me away, I had no home to go back to! The German company (Alstom) is building a power station in Shanghai, and the design work is being done here, in Wuhan, Hubei Province, about an hour’s flight west of Shanghai. Richard is project manager for all the engineering done in Wuhan. The company pays for our accommodation in a westernized hotel, which is a really nice hotel, and the staff very friendly. Wuhan itself is very provincial, although has 7.5 million people, and we rarely see other westerners outside of the hotel. (We go for long walks when we can.) Just before Xmas we were invited to a “Xmas party” by the “Hubei Provincial Foreign Enterprise Service Corporation”, and we were looking forward to, at last, meeting some other foreigners in Wuhan. It was held in the 5 star Shangri La Hotel way across on the other side of the city, and it was a very big event, with over 500 people attending, but we were the only two foreigners! We have no idea what we do when this contract is up”! 

Jill’s Thayer family hails from Sussex county in England with the earliest known ancestor, George Thayer, whose son Thomas was born 24 June 1782 in Northchapel Sussex, England. Thank you Jill for sharing with us a glimpse into your most exciting life and travels and especially for the information about our somehow-Thayer-cousins in the “Mother country.”