Adapted from 1992 House Tour Guide

Leonard Thorn owned two houses in 1873, #88 Main Street, and #94 Main Street, immediately to the south (TG 1963 and 1965-1966). The latter, the Len Thorn House (1836) was the subject of a major fire on Boxing Day (12/26/1990. The Len Thorn House is an important example of the local late Federal style and restoration has been undertaken during the past year.

According to the 1840 Federal Census Leonard Thorn was born in 1804 in Wolver Hollow. His tombstone, in the Brookville Cemetery, indicates he was born in 1800. Apparently he was (1820 Census) the son of James Thorn of Oyster Bay, and Mary Cock Thorn (1763-1828) of Wolver Hollow. His uncredited obituary (Bryant Library Local History Department) spells Thorne with a final "e" and states that he was 84 years old and in good health prior to his demise in 1884.

The 1840 Census indicates that he resided in the immediate vicinity of Daniel Bogart. This is confirmed by Francis Skillman who wrote in his journal that Len Thorn was associated with John Willis Jr. and lived in the "yellow front house." The "yellow front house" was located at the site of the present #8 Tower Street, "directly across the road from Daniel Bogart."

Beginning in 1829 Thorn ran the old Robison-Williams Grist Mill for John Willis Jr. who had acquired a one-half interest in the Mill on 11/15/1828 (Queens County Liber X of Deeds, Pg. 425). Prior to Thorn's incumbency as miller, the Mill was operated by Jeremiah Reynolds, who later went to the Red Mill in Port Washington. In any event, Leonard Thorn bought John Willis Jr.'s half-interest in the Mill on June 25,1838 for $5,000 (Queens County Liber 54 of Deeds, Pg. 20) and 11 years later sold his interest to Joseph Hicks on 8/2/1849 (Queens County Liber 80 of Deeds, Pg. 314). (TG 1976-1977 Robison-Williams Grist Mill) and TG 1977-1978 ("Hillside") for further information on the various Allen-Thorn transactions.

Subsequent to this sale Leonard Thorn seems to have concentrated on being a farmer as he is described in this capacity in the 1860 Federal Census. The Roslyn Directories for 1866-1867 and 1867-1868 also describe him as a farmer. However, the Walling Map shows a commercial building opposite the George Allen Tenant House which belonged to Len Thorn. By the time of the Beers-Comstock Map (1873) this is shown as "Livery Stable—H.C. Thorne," a commercial endeavour which continued into the 20th century.

Len Thorn was an extensive land-holder and his great granddaughters, Gertrude Rogers Lewis and Emily Rogers Knope, own many deeds describing these transactions. On January 12, 1853, he bought a y8 interest in the sloop "Ruth T. Hicks" from Jacob Kirby.

The 1860 Federal Census indicates that Leonard Thorn was 56 years of age. Obviously, this was an error. His wife, Hannah (married 1832) was 42 years old and the daughter of John Remsen of Wolver Hollow. Living with them were their children, Cornelia, 19; Henry Clay, 12; Samuel, 8; and Emma M., 6. Apparently residing in the house with them was Maria Reynolds, aged 55, who almost certainly was related to Jeremiah Reynolds.

Harriet Thorn's will, dated June 1, 1871, also survives. Her executors were Leonard Thorn and her nephew, David P. Kirby. Because of illness she could not write and signed her will with an "X." As mentioned above, both the Walling Map (1859) and the Beers-Comstock Map (1873) show two houses, #88 and #94 Main Street, to be owned by Leonard Thorn. #94 is obviously the earlier and is strongly local, late Federal in style. Architecturally it strongly resembles the George Allen Residence (TG 1980-8182), the George Allen Tenant House (TG 1979-1980-1981-1982), the John Mott House (TG 1968-1969), the James and William Smith House (TG 1961-1962, 1973-1974 and 1984-1985), and the Hendrickson-Ely-Brower House (TG 1964 and 1983-1984), all of which were started in 1835 or 1836.

All these houses are ranged along the west side of Main Street and stand on land conveyed by John Willis, Jr. in the spring of 1835. Since Leonard Thorn was associated with Willis in the operation of the mill, etc., it is reasonable to assume that he purchased both house sites at that time and built #94, which we will call the "Leonard Thorn House" for himself.

About ten years later he built #88, probably for use as a tenant house although he may have felt he needed it for his growing family; although by 1845 he had only two children. #88 is larger than #94 but is not as distinguished architecturally. The two houses were intended to be used as a family holding and shared the same driveway, which passed behind #94, and the same fine barn which was built later on.

Leonard Thorn died in 1884. According to deeds held by his great granddaughters Gertrude Rogers Lewis and Emily Rogers Knope, the entire holding, with both houses, was sold to William Simonson by Leonard Thorn on February 4th, 1884, shortly before the latter's death. Henry Clay Thorne, a son of Leonard Thorn, purchased the property, with both houses, on August 20, 1887, again according to a deed held by Emily Rogers Knope and Gertrude Rogers Lewis. This short period seems to have been the only time the property left the Thorn ownership from the time the houses were built until after the death of Henry Clay Thome's daughter, Gertrude Thorne Rogers, in 1950.

Henry Clay Thorne, a son of Leonard Thorn, was born in 1845 and died, according to his obituary in the Nassau County Sun, on September 29th, 1916. He operated a large livery stable under the name of Henry C. Thorne, and an undertaking establishment under the name of Henry C. Thorn.

Both livery stable and undertaking establishment are shown on the Sanborn Maps, from 1886, the first Sanborn Map of Roslyn, onward, on the site of the present Odd Fellows Hall at #41 Main Street. Actually, "H.C. Thorne Livery Stable" is shown on the Beers-Comstock Map in 1873. The Walling Map shows this site as "L. Thorn" in 1859. Both stable and undertaking establishment burned to the ground sometime after 1903.

Advertisements for both establishments were found in the Roslyn Tablet for October 27th, 1876. In any case it seems likely that Henry Clay Thorne, with his wife and daughter, Gertrude, resided in #88 Main Street from circa 1865 or 1870 until his death. It is not known who lived in the earlier, #94 Main Street, after Leonard Thorn's death in 1884. According to his great granddaughters, #94 was occupied by an aunt, Eliza Meissner, during the 20th century. However, Leonard Thorn had several children in addition to Henry Clay, and it is likely that one of these occupied this house
during the intervening years.

#94 Main Street, the Leonard Thorn house, was sold by Gertrude Thorne Rogers to Arthur Zander shortly before her death in 1950. The remainder of the Henry Clay Thorne property, including his house at #88 Main Street, was sold by the estate of Gertrude Thorne Rogers to John and Barbara Moreland on May 3rd, 1952. On this basis, Henry Clay Thorne and his descendants had lived in the house which his father built for 65 years, and perhaps even longer.