Lavyn Sisco makes plans to bring Frances Thornton, historical Sulphur Springs,
bonnetmaker, "back to life," at Thursday night's joint meeting of the Hopkins
County Genealogical Society and Hopkins County Historical Society.

 

Historical Bonnetmaker To Return
to Thursday Night Joint Meeting of
Genealogical and Historical Society

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

Historical Hopkins County bonnetmaker and early business woman France Elizabeth Hunt Thornton, will be making a "post-mortem" appearance in Sulphur Springs, on Thursday night, at the annual joint meeting of the Hopkins County Genealogical Society and the Hopkins County Historical Society. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the chapel at Heritage Park.

Local historian, Lavyn Sisco, will be "bringing to life" Thornton, who was one of Hopkins County's early businesswomen. Thornton arrived in Sulphur Springs, with her husband in 1894, from Louisiana, and soon found herself a single mother, needing a job to support her family of three daughters, following the death of her husband. She had already begun making fashionable bonnets, and expanded her business to include aprons and other clothing articles to meet the needs of local families. Her business "exploded" to include other family members, needy women needing a job, and expanded throughout the North Texas Region. She operated the Thornton Bonnet Factory from her home on Gilmer and Davis Streets in Sulphur Springs, becoming one of the early women entreprenures  in Hopkins County.

 

 

Sisco displays one of the original bonnets made by Mrs. Frances
Thornton, that she will use in her presentation, courtesy of a loan
from Mary Brogatti, of Aledo, Texas.

 

 

 

 

"Thornton demonstrates the 'can do' spirit that formed Hopkins County, the state of Texas, and the entire United States," explains Sisco. "She learned to make bonnets that were needed by the women of the region and soon had a growing and productive business that supported her family and a business network that extended to Dallas and San Antonio, where she sold her bonnets to Tiches and Joskes. She was truly an inspirational lady of this community and it brings me great pleasure to bring her character back to Hopkins County!"

"Thornton's business in fashion is extremely poignant at this time, when many, many of the young women beginning the school year are searching for fashions to begin the school year," continued Sisco. "It's great to bring an inspiration to young women of how necessity breeds success and that one of the fundamental principles that Hopkins County and this nation was founded upon, was that anyone with the determination, goals, and hard work could become successful!"

Sisco's presentation, on Thursday night, in the Chapel, at Heritage Park, with feature a style show, that includes some of the original bonnets that Thornton created. "Thornton patented her bonnet patterns with the U.S. Patent Office and when a former Hopkins County resident, Mary Brogatti, of Aledo, Texas, heard about the presentation, she called me, and advised that she had one of the heirloom bonnets made by Thornton," expressed Sisco. "She's sent the historic bonnet, that has been 'passed down' in her family for generations, for us to use in the presentation!"

Make plans to hear Frances Thornton's story, on Thursday night, at the Hopkins County Heritage Park!

 

Sisco's Thursday night presentation will include a style show
and historic reference to one of Hopkins County's early
businesswomen.

 

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