My Thornton Family in Fond du Lac
By Dorothy Thornton Wiener
Thomas James Thornton, born in Orillia, Ontario, Canada met Rose A. Reynolds, born County Lietrim, Ireland in Janesville, Wisconsin. After their marriage in Janesville in 1864, they came to Fond du Lac. In the 1880 City Directory, Rose is listed as a "fashionable milliner and dealer in fine millinery, fancy goods, laces, flowers, hats and ribbons, having been established since 1867 and in business since 1857, 500 Main Street."
Thomas James and Rose both died in 1911 of the flu. They are buried at Calvary Cemetery, as are most of the other members of the family.
There were two children, Charles Henry Thornton and Frances Mary Thornton. Charles married Nancy Clare Judd in St Paul, Minnesota. Charles did not stay put, but traveled extensively on business, always coming back to Fond du Lac. The family home was on East First Street behind St. Joseph School. Then he moved to the brick house on the corner of Park Avenue and Division Street. He was a conservationist, an industrialist, and financier. With others he led an effort against water polluters in Fond du Lac. He was President of the McDermott Thornton Agency (Kovacs Insurance). He established the Central Wisconsin Cattle Credit Association. His dairy venture, Better Farms, produced so much milk he founded Better Farms Dairy
In 1925 Charles started acquiring land that eventually became Takodah Golf Course, now South Hills. His exploits were so many, he finally wrote a book to explain to us grandchildren all that he had accomplished.
Charles purchased the "Why Hurry", a yacht built for the Columbian Exposition of 1893, the Chicago World's Fair. It was a stately yacht that graced Lake Winnebago. Because of the yacht I met my husband. As a birthday present I could invited friends to go for a cruise. My brother had the same privilege. However, I was so sick of hearing about "Fran", my brother's friend, I refused to let him go because I had not met him. I finally did meet Fran so he could go on the trip. He courted me for five years and we were married almost fifty years at the time of his death in 1990.
Charles and Nancy Clare Thornton had six children. John Shanley Thornton, my father; William Conan Thornton; and Clare Francis Thornton Filiatrault. The other three children died young. Arthur Filiatrault, Clare's husband, had a dress store at the head of Forest Avenue. In World War II, John worked for the military and ended up in Arkansas, then Mexico and eventually Arizona. Conan moved to California and Clare to Arizona. My brothers and sisters and I have kept in touch, with everyone living in Fond du Lac at one time or another. Except for the service and one year to help my father on his ranch in Texarkana, Arkansas after his accident, I have been in Fond du Lac.
The Frances Thornton home is recognized by all though they may not know who built it. It is the home on Division Street with the four white pillars so lovingly taken care of by the present owners, the Schneider family.
Dorothy F. Wiener
1714 Chapman Avenue
North Fond du Lac, WI 54937
920-921-2193