This was an interesting topic. Wealth comes in many forms. Land, money, knowledge. I will be honest the men in the family do not always speak to my soul. The women though I tend to have a strong affinity to several of them.

One of the lines I am often drawn to is my Larkin Line. I think it all stems from the time I spent researching Sarah Larkin Beardsley, MD. The Larkin line was quite prominent in Beekmantown, NY and they descend from my original DAR patriot Lorin Nehemiah Larkin.

My Line is Lorin Nehemiah Larking > John Larkin > Benjamin Wood Larkin > Sarah Larkin > Minerva Beardsley > Earl Witherwax > Mom and Me.

If I went through my tree I would have to say the Richest Man in it would have to be Sarah Larkin Beardsley’s brother-in-law James Thompson. James Thompson owned a mill in Valley Falls, NY and his second wife Lucy Elmora Larkin was Sarah’s sister. I don’t know much about James but he and Lucy had one son Leslie who was born in Jonesville, MI where Sarah was practicing medicine. James Thompson also put up a bond when Sarah Larkin Beardsley died in April of 1886.

I find Lucy Larkin Thompson to be much more interesting as she was a prominent woman involved with the Suffrage movement and I was so pleased to find this blog post.

I love learning about woman who make a difference. So while James Thompson was financially stable, I think Lucy’s wealth came from having convictions and not caring that she was stepping on toes.