George Thorn

George Thorn was born in eastern Pennsylvania on November 11, 1791. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at Selsox, N.J., on August 1, 1812, serving in the War of 1812 under Generals Pike and Dearborn. He was discharged on February 1, 1814. He then married Sarah McDonald who was born in New Jersey on November 10, 1796. Their children were John D., Charity C., William C., George, James D., Asa, Sarah, Hannah M., Joseph McCool, Peter E., and Delilah B.

George Thorn's oldest son John D. was born on March 10, 1815. He married Hannah Stutes (b. 5/27/1815) on July 9, 1835. About 1849 or 1850 John D., his wife and four children - Mary E., John Wesley, Garner C., and Charity - headed westward toward Ohio. A young son, George, had passed away and was buried in New Jersey. Their destination was Henry County, Ohio. They settled a short distance from the Maumee River in Harrison Township.

The John Thorn family is referred to in THE HISTORY OF HENRY AND FULTON COUNTIES, OHIO, by Lewis Cass Aldrich, Page 231 HARRISON TOWNSHIP - EARLY SETTLERS . . . "along the river bank … the Palmers, John D. Thorn and a few others…". Life for the Thorns was not easy. There was much work to be done. Land had to be cleared. Poplars, elms, walnuts and mighty oak trees had to be felled. Roads in Harrison Township at this time were practically non-existent. The visiting of neighbors was a treat and an occasional Saturday in Napoleon was something to look forward to. This was accomplished only by using the ferry boat that ran from the south side of the river to Napoleon.

It was at this time that a new son, Eugene, was born to John D. and Hannah in 1858. It was also at this time that daughters Mary and Charity courted and married. Mary married Edward Jacobus on October 27, 1857, and Charity married John N. Bliss on

December 21, 1859. John Bliss had come to the United States from England and was a boarder on the Kilpatrick Farm. John Kilpatrick operated a hotel and boarding house. All this took place just prior to the opening of the bridge spanning the river to Napoleon in 1860. John and Charity Bliss then had three sons. They were George W., Clellan and Edward J.

With the opening of the bridge, life for the Thorns and other residents of Harrison Township began to change. It meant more people, improved roads and the start of a drainage system. Charity's husband John took a job as a ditcher helping to drain some of the original farms in Harrison Township.

In May of 1865 word was received that John D.'s mother, Sarah McDonald Thorn, had passed away in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, where she had gone with her husband George. George Thorn had applied for Wisconsin bounty land for his services in the War of 1812. They had moved there to live in the early 1850's. Now with the passing of Sarah, the land would be sold and father George was coming to Henry County to be with his son John.

Family standing in front of house.

Gloom hung heavy over the Thorn household for some time for in addition to the passing of John Thorn's mother, word was received that Peter E. Thorn, brother of John D. who had joined the Union Army in the Civil War that tore this country apart, had starved to death in Andersonville Prison. Their grief was compounded when, four days before Christmas in 1865 and on the sixth anniversary of her marriage, Charity Thorn Bliss, daughter of John D. died at the age of 25. She left behind her husband and three young boys.

On January 24, 1867, father George Thorn passed away at the age of 75. His will was probated in Henry County Common Pleas Court on January 29, 1867, by Judge J. M. Wagg and witnessed by Michael, George and Elizabeth Kryder. The bulk of his estate was left to John D. with nominal amounts to his other children. John D. lived just about four years longer than his father, passing away on August 22, 1871. John D.'s widow Hannah lived until April 14, 1887.

The three sons of John D. Thorn chose wives. John Wesley married Mary Magdelene Stukey (b. 10/27/ 1846), Garner Cline married Augusta Morris in February 1867. He left Henry County and headed for Nebraska, a relatively new state where land was cheap and plentiful. Eugene eventually married Eliza Bauman on August 3, 1879, and moved to Toledo.

John Wesley and wife Mary settled in Shunk where John operated a saw mill. There is a possibility the mill was originally owned by Mary's family, the Stukeys. John and Mary had five children. They were John A., George M., Lilly May, Dorcus and Eva. They attended the Sharon M. E. Church.

John Wesley's wife Mary was said to have the gift of healing. Some referred to her as being a faith healer. Just how she performed some of her cures is not known but it was well known she had a way of healing the sick. She also measured children for short growth. Today we would probably call this vitamin deficiency. She was also well known for her skill as a midwife and delivered many babies in her lifetime.

Their children married as follows: Dorcus married Earl Robinson, Eva married Howard Watson, George married Irene Brubaker, and John never married. Lilly May died as a young child.

John Wesley's father had come to Henry County as a pioneer settler and not only carved a life out of the wilderness for his family but helped in shaping the lives to come for all of his descendants. There are many descendants in and around Henry County yet today. Some of these include Vance and Eugene Thorn, Mrs. Beverly Phillips, Martha Lindhorst, Neomi Starkey, Betty Bartels, Emma Harrison, Kenneth Watson, George and Ron Bliss.

Information contained in this story on the Thorn Family was compiled from public documents, family records, and personal recollections of those in and familiar with the Thorn family.

Submitted by Ron Bliss, Great-GreatGreat-Grandson of George Thorn