The following letter from Rev. A.W.H. EATON, No. 2 Bible House, New York City was received by Mayor Thorne a few days ago with the request that it be published in St. John: (exerpt) "... The fortunes of one of these Long Island, New York loyalist families, the Thornes, I have lately to some extent traced. There are today in New York, Brooklyn, as well as in different parts of Long Island, many representatives of this family which have always, from its origin in this country in 1638, been known as one of the prominent New York families, many of its members being large property owners, rich merchants or distinguished professional men occupying the highest social positions. In 1782 Stephen THORNE, with his second wife, four sons and one daughter went to Nova Scotia, settling in Annapolis County, thus establishing the Nova Scotia branch of the Long Island Thornes. He was the eldest son of Joseph THORNE, Esq., a planter, whose estate was at Cow Neck, Long Island, who died in 1752. He lived at Cow Neck and was engaged in the East and later West India trade for some years before his emigration and I have record of his father's will in which he is left the chief part of the estate at Cow Neck. Stephen's first wife was Sybil SANDS daughter of Edward SANDS, from another of the old Long Island families, descended from an aristocratic English stock. She died in 1759 and he married in, perhaps 1765, Janettie (Lefferts) RAPALYE, granddaughter of one of the old Dutch planters, originator of the well known New York LEFFERTS family, whose first husband was Jeronimus RAPALYE of French Hugenot and Dutch stock combined. Stephen Thorne's children by his first marriage were Edward, Stephen, Joseph, Philip, Richard. By his second, James and Jane. Edward THORNE who married his step-sister Janettie Rapalye in 1773, Philip, Richard, James and Jane went to Nova Scotia; Stephen and Joseph remaining behind. Stephen jr. married (I believe) in 1773 Sarah PLATT and in 1779, Sarah KIPPIN. He died in John St., New York, 23rd Oct. 1814 and is buried in Trinity Church yard. His children were Stephen, William K. and Sally. Stephen (3rd), son of Edward, came back from Nova Scotia to New York and was a successful merchant and died in 1830, unmarried, leaving a considerable property to his Nova Scotia relatives. His sister Jane THORNE was the wife of Timothy RUGGLES, Esq. Joseph is said to have been a physician and died young. The ancestor of all the Thornes of New York, Nova Scotia and some in New Brunswick was William THORNE, who came from England (perhaps from Essex County) to Lynn, Mass. in 1638, whence after four or five years he removed to to Long Island and became one of the original grantees of the town of Flushing 19th Oct. 1645. His children were William jr., John, Joseph, Samuel and Susannah. His wife's first name (I believe) was Sarah. A son of Joseph, son of William, was Joseph Thorne, of Cow Neck (now Manhasset), father of Stephen who in 1783 went to Nova Scotia. His wife was Catherine SMITH, a widow and his children were, Margaret, Stephen, Thomas, Catherine and Richard. William Thorne and his family were early connected with the interesting Quaker movement in Long Island, with which likewide stand connected the names of the illustrious Lady Deborah MOODY and her son, Sir Henry MOODY. Indeed almost all the people in this part of Long Island at this time became 'Friends'. But the love of the mother Church of England was too strong for some of them to remain long connected with a movement so narrow, even though picturesque and profoundly sincere, and in a few years we find many of William Thorne's descendents again staunch supporters of the Church of England. The family of William Thorne, Jr., for many successive generations established at Great Neck, L.I., a distinguished representative of which was Major Richard Thorne, an officer of the American army in the Revolution, have always been Episcopalian. The lineal representative of this family is now Richard Eugene THORNE, Esq. of Great Neck. Joseph Thorne, Esq. of Cow Neck, adjoining Great Neck, was one of the founders of the historic old St. Georges Church, Hampstead, to which Queen Anne gave a silver communion service, bible and prayer book. Joseph's son, Stephen, the Nova Scotia loyalist, was one of the earliest persons baptized in the parish in 1725. From John THORNE, son of the original William, are descended Leonard Mortimer THORNE of 23 West 16th St., a retired merchant, the possessor of a large collection of valuable oil paintings which he has spent many years collecting, a genial gentleman whom it is a pleasure to know; and his brother the late William Knapp THORNE, who married for his second wife, Emily VANDERBILT, a daughter of the old Commander Cornelious VANDERBILT. Of the same family are Frances wife of present Lord VERNON of Sudbury Park, Devonshire, England and Florence GARNER, her niece, soon to become Lady CHESTERFIELD. Relations, in the same line of the Nova Scotia Thornes are the family of the late Jonathan THORNE, Esq., very rich and well known, of whom Miss Phebe Anne THORNE of Madison Ave., is still a Friend, and although very rich, wears a Quaker dress and uses plain language. Mrs. James HARPER and Mrs. Philip HARPER, wives of the well known Harper brothers, publishers, daughters of Samuel THORNE, are likewise of the family of Joseph Thorn, son of the original William. Among the original grantees of Parrtown (St. John, N.B.) were Joseph, William and Melancton THORNE, the first receiving 630, the second 631 and the third 1186. They too were loyalists and I presume descendents of John Thorne, but whether their descendents are in New Brunswick or not, I do not know. James THORNE, son of Stephen of Annapolis, N.S. married 2nd March 1792 Anna SNEDEN related to two other well known New York families, the Pells and Townsends. One of their sons is a well known citizen of Saint John, Richard Ward THORNE and another, Edward, was the father of W.H. THORNE, chairman of the board of trade and Arthur THORNE, hardware merchant of Saint John. Another son, Stephen, was the father of the late James Hall THORNE, barrister at Halifax, for many years head of the Money Order Dept., whose daughter Augusta THORNE was married a year ago to my brother, Lemuel Seymour EATON of Kentville, N.S. The respected mayor of Saint John, Henry John THORNE, Esq. is a son of Henry John Thorne, a native of Plymouth, England, who came to St. John when very young. A brother of Mayor Thorne, Robert Chestnut THORNE, married a daughter of Richard Ward Thorne, Esq. of the other family. Whether this Plymouth family is closely related to the New York family I have as yet no reason of knowing. Last summer I met in London a Richard Thorne who bore the arms of the well known Thornes of Devon which are: Argent, a fess gules, between three lions rampant sable. Motto, Principus Obsta. I obtained for my sister-in-law a copy of these arms and have since had them copies in New York. (sgd) Arthur Wentworth Hamilton EATON, New York, May 28