Person Page - 183

     Vanita Weston was born on 13 September 1901 in Michigan.^1,3 She was the daughter of Luther Weston and Louise Green.^2,1,3 Vanita Weston survived the death of her mother, Louise Green, who died on 13 October 1901. In the census of 13 January 1920 in Pulaski, Jackson County, Michigan, she is listed as the daughter of Luther Weston. Her name appears as Vanita Weston. She is 18 years old, listed a daughter, and was born in Michigan, as were her parents.¹

     Vanita Weston married William H. Lute.⁴ Vanita and William were living in Zerphryhills, Pasco County, Florida.⁴

     MI Jackson co. 1920 Census was the child of US 1920 Census and Michigan Census.

     Robert C. Brail was born in 1846 in Michigan.¹ In the census of 13 January 1920 in Pulaski, Jackson County, Michigan, he is listed as the father-in-law of Luther Weston. His name appears as Robert C. Brail. He is 74 years old and was born in Michigan. His father was born in New York and his mother in Pennslvania.²

     CT Tolland Co. 1860 Census was the child of US 1860 Census and Connecticut Census. Reminder - Pick a Role; He is 55 years old and working as a farmer. His real estate value is $550 and he was born in Connectiuct.¹

     Roy Crouse was born after 1880. He was the son of Godfrey Crouse and Ida L. Cross.¹

     Roy Crouse married Elsie.² Roy was working as tire business in Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan.²

     Arthur Crouse was born after 1880. He was the son of Godfrey Crouse and Ida L. Cross.¹

     Claude Crouse was born after 1880. He was the son of Godfrey Crouse and Ida L. Cross.¹

     Charles Crouse was born after 1880. He was the son of Godfrey Crouse and Ida L. Cross.¹

     Theresa Crouse was born after 1880. She was the daughter of Godfrey Crouse and Ida L. Cross.¹

     Elsie married Roy Crouse, son of Godfrey Crouse and Ida L. Cross.¹

     Gerald Crouse was born after 1880. He was the son of Godfrey Crouse.¹

     Mary Cross was born on 9 December 1695.

     Mary Cross died on 9 December 1695.¹ She was the daughter of Peter Cross and Mary.²

     May Malloure was born in 1825 in Ireland.¹

     Bridget Malloure was born in 1850 in Ireland.¹ She was the daughter of May Malloure.¹

     Mary Malloure was born in 1852 in Ireland.¹ She was the daughter of May Malloure.¹

     Catherine Malloure was born in 1854 in Ireland.¹ She was the daughter of May Malloure.¹

     Charles Malloure was born in 1856 in Ireland.¹ He was the son of May Malloure.¹

     Pat Malloure was born in 1858 in Ireland.¹ He was the son of May Malloure.¹

     Rosa G. Weston was born in 1864.¹ She was the daughter of Charles Weston and Agnes J. Gainer.¹ In the census of 18 June 1880 in Vernon, Tolland County, Connecticut, she is listed as the wife of Charles Weston. Her name appears as Rosa Weston. She is 16 years old and was born in Connecticut, as was her father. Her mother's birth location is given as England.² Rosa G. Weston never married.¹

     Rosa G. Weston died in 1919.¹ She is buried in the Grove Hill Cemetery located in Vernon, Tolland County, Connecticut.¹

     He owned land in secion 27 and section 34 of Pulaski Township.¹

     KY McCracken Co. 1920 Census was the child of US 1920 Census and Kentucky Census.

     Jane Olan'que was born in 1839.¹

     William Thorn married Henrietta McNeel circa 1776 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan.^2,3

     William Thorn was born circa 1746 in Providence, Rhode Island.¹ He was the son of Thomas Thorn and Phebe Tillie.¹ Circa 1762, William was working as as a cabin boy. He used to tell his grandchildren of having sailed to the country where the cocoa nut grows.⁴ Before 1770, William moved to Wayne County, Michigan.^5,6 On 15 January 1777 their daughter, Alice Thorn, was born in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan.^7,8,9 William Thorn appeared on the census of 1779 at Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan; He is shown with one woman, one bay, two girls, two horses, and two cows.¹⁰ On 2 November 1779 their son, William Thorn, was born in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan.^11,12

     Circa 1780, William and Henrietta moved with their family to Cottrellville Township, St. Clair County, Michigan. He moved to a farm on the St. Clair River.^13,6 William was working as a captain of a sailing vessel owned by John Dousman. Another source states that he was employed by Michael Douseman, a fur trader at and that he took the first ship through the St. Mary's River and into Lake Superior. While at anchor one day off an island not far from Sault Ste. Marie, at the mouth of the St. Mary's River, he went ashore and found a frying pan left by Indians and named the place Frying Pan Island.

     Anna Brakeman, William's great granddaughter, gives an account of another incident. She states that William's vessle lay anchor in a bay in Lake Erie, and Thorn and his crew were entirely out of provisions except for the flour which they stirred into a pot of boiling water and called it pudding. William then named the place "pudding-bay" - the name by which it was known for many years, before being changed to Put-in-Bay. The word was possibly slurred in pronunciation to Putin and then the name was fixed as Put-in-Bay.^14,15,16 Their third child, Jane, was born on 22 February 1781 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan.^11,17 Their fourth child, Martha, was born on 30 January 1786 in Michigan.^11,18,19 Their fifth child, Nancy, was born on 17 January 1788 in Michigan.^11,20 Their sixth child, Eliza, was born on 2 July 1789.¹¹ Their eighth child, Henrietta, was born on 10 December 1794 in Michigan.^21,22

     Before 1796 at St. Clair County, Michigan, William Thorn owned 290 acres of land.²³ Their ninth child, John, was born on 12 October 1799 in Michigan.^24,25 William Thorn is a veteran of the War of 1812. During the war he was taken prisoner by the British and while making his escape, hid in the loft of an old hourse. While there, he fell through to the lower story and dislocated one of his hips. Because he was not prompt in obtaining medical treatment, he was lame the rest of his life.²⁶ On October 5, 1813, General William Henry Harrison led an army of 3,500 troops against a combined force of seven hundred British soldiers and one thousand Indian warriors at Moraviantown along the Thames River in Ontario, Canada. The British troops were under the command of Colonel Henry Procter. Tecumseh commanded the Indian warriors. The Brtish army was retreating from Fort Malden, Ontario after Oliver Hazard Perry's victory in the Battle of Lake Erie. Tecumseh convinced Colonel Procter to make a stand at Moraviantown. The American army won a total victory. The British soldiers fled or surrendered. The Indians fought fiercely, but they lost heart and scattered after Tecumseh died on the battlefield. The Battle of the Thames was the most important battle of the War of 1812 in the American Northwest. General Harrison's victory marked the end of Tecumseh's Confederacy and the downfall of the Indians in Ohio.

     On one of William Thorn's trips to Sandwich, Captain William Thorn was arrested as a spy by a British officer and imprisoned. This was in spite of the fact that for more than 20 years before, he had been engaged in sailing British vessels on the lakes and had therefore deemed himself a British subject. In the end, the charges him were not sustained, and after nearly a year as a prisoner, held captive by the Indians, he was released. He traveled home to Detroit by foot. He later reported that his daughter helped to rid him of the lice he had acquired in prison and then drove him to his family in Detroit. He had moved his family to Detroit at the beginning of the hostilities. After the war he moved back to his farm in St. Clair County.^27,28

     April 1814, a United States expedition was proposed to capture Michilimackinac and destroy certain British vessels. On 2 June 1814, orders were issued and a fleet of vessels, consisting of Niagara and Lawrence, each having twenty guns and the smaller schooners Tigress, Detroit, Caledonia, Scorpion, and others were fitted. They sailed 3 July 1814 and on 20 July 1814, Colonel Croghan attacked the British forces on St. Joseph's Island, and burned the fort there, but left the town and the Northwest Fur Company's warehouses intact. On 4 August 1814, the United States attacked and invaded Mackinac Island. The attack was unsuccessful. The battle was fought on Michael Dousman's farm. Mrs. Susan Cady, William Thorn's granddaughter, said William was employed by the Americans to act as pilot of their fleet to retake Fort Mackinac Island from the British because he understood the route so well. On account of his lameness, he could not climb the mast, so they had him sit in an armchair, and with ropes, they hoisted him to the mast head to enable him to see at a distance. He was able to piloted the fleet safely on its way to Mackinaw. The Thorn manuscript states that William was so well acquainted with the place that he took the fleet in and came on the British unaware and they captured the fort. William Thorn was taken prisoner a second time. Sources on the Internet state that the United States attempted, unsuccessfully, to blockade the British on Mackinac Island with the ships Tigress and Scorpion, but that the two ships were eventually captured. Perhaps this is when William Thorn was taken prisoner again. This time he was taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and kept there a year. He was released when peace was declared.^26,29 He survived the death of his wife, Henrietta McNeel, who died circa 1829 in Michigan.³⁰

     William Thorn died on 12 April 1842 in Port Huron, St. Clair County, Michigan. There is a picture of Captain William Thorn hanging in the Museum of Arts-History in Port Huron, Michigan.^30,31 He is buried in the Lakeside Cemetery located in Port Huron, St. Clair County, Michigan.^32,33

     Mary Elizabeth Thorn was the daughter of William Thorn.¹

     On 4 September 1871 the estate of William Thorn was probated in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan; Israel Richards and John Crook are listed as Executors. Emily Ayers is listed as daughter of his late wife.¹

     Emily Ayers was the daughter of William Thorn.¹

     Elizabeth Redwood was born in 1857.³

     Elizabeth Redwood married Israel R. Richards, son of William Richards and Sarah Thompson, in May 1876. Within six weeks of the death of Israel's first wife, Israel and Elizabeth were married which surprised Israel's son and their neighbors. Elizabeth, also known as Bessie, had been employed as domestic help in the Richards' family before their marriage. Since their marriage, their life was a continued siege of trouble and dispute. On one or two occasions Israel expressed fears that his wife would kill him, but he often made threats to take his own life also. This marriage was not a happy one. There was incompatibility of temperament and the couple quarreled violently at times.^1,4,5 As of 1877, Elizabeth Redwood also went by the name of Bessie Redwood.² She survived the death of her husband, Israel R. Richards, who died on 27 January 1877 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan.¹ On 26 February 1877 the estate of Israel R. Richards was probated in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan; Benjamin F. Stamm and David Hill were executors. The Will was dated 01 Feb 1877. Items listed in inventory included a featherbed, bed lounge, coal stove and pipe, wash stand basin and cover, books, chairs, a black horse and many other household goods, totaling $434.25. An additional $94.48 was received from goods sold and another $71.12 from the meat shop. Various dispersements brought the balance to zero with an additional $308.06 still due to various individuals. The mortgage as of 18 Nov. 1878 was listed as $411.11 and a loan of $400 was discussed in order to meet the interest and pay the balance of debts due. It is not known if the house was sold or if a loan was resorted to.¹

     On 26 February 1877 the estate of Israel R. Richards was probated in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan; Benjamin F. Stamm and David Hill were executors. The Will was dated 01 Feb 1877. Items listed in inventory included a featherbed, bed lounge, coal stove and pipe, wash stand basin and cover, books, chairs, a black horse and many other household goods, totaling $434.25. An additional $94.48 was received from goods sold and another $71.12 from the meat shop. Various dispersements brought the balance to zero with an additional $308.06 still due to various individuals. The mortgage as of 18 Nov. 1878 was listed as $411.11 and a loan of $400 was discussed in order to meet the interest and pay the balance of debts due. It is not known if the house was sold or if a loan was resorted to.¹