You are very fortunate to have followed Napoleon’s footsteps!
mrodenberg
Yes, I do feel fortunate to have been able to go to St Helena. It was a trip of a lifetime. I don’t think I could have gotten as close to understanding Napoleon without that voyage. Perhaps when St Helena’s airport is finished (and it’s no longer a month-long commitment to get there), you and others will be able to go, too. Corsica is also a wonderful place, especially before the tourists arrive in the summer!
Susan Mentor
Hello Margaret. I have a photo of my son and I standing in front of the David painting back in 1984. It is not a really clear picture, but I thought you might like to see it. We were on a bus tour of Paris, but did not have nearly enough time to spend in the Louvre. Another part of the tour was a trip on an (overcrowded) ferry out to the Isle of Elba. We lived in Germany at the time, and visited many wonderful art museums while there. And also the Tate Gallery in London. enjoyed your website.
mrodenberg
Thanks, Susan! I’d love to see it.
Margaret
Georg CD Kastl
Hello Margaret,
I have in front of me what could be the first monograph in English, or even any language, on the Island of Saint Helena. Have you bibliographic tools to disprove or prove this?
The book is:
[DUNCAN, Francis]. A Description of the Island of St. Helena; Containing Observations On Its Singular Structure and Formation and an Account of Its Climate, Natural History, and Inhabitants. London, R. Phillips, 1805.
Small 8vo. Recent half-morocco over cloth-covered boards, spine with raised bands and lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers; pp. xxiv, 239, two engraved folding plates on stiff paper (one bound as frontispiece); a few preliminary leaves misbound, evenly a little browned.
Very rare first edition of this early and anonymous monograph on the South Atlantic Island, attributed to Francis Duncan, M. D., by Philip Gosse in his St. Helena, 1502-1938 (p. 259).
I might be able to look into Gosse’s book, but maybe someone knows or has the rather short bibliography of books on the island?
With many thanks and kind regards,
mrodenberg
Hello, Georg,
What a great find. I hope it’s in good condition. I’m not an expert on the topic, but quick research tells me that there are many earlier references to St Helena from travelers who visited the island as early as 1570. I suggest you look into Shakespeare’s Island, St Helena and the Tempest, by David J Jeremiah (easily available through Amazon) to read a good summary of them. That said, you have me stumped. I don’t find any earlier books solely dedicated to St Helena. The nearest I’ve located is T.H. Brooke’s A History of the Island of St Helena form its Discovery by the Portuguese to the Year 1806, which was published in 1808. You also might try contacting the Friends of St Helena or the library on St Helena itself. I have Gosse’s book. It quotes from Duncan’s text, but Gosse gives no explanation as to why he attributed the book to Duncan.
All the best, Margaret
He did have a fist cousin Juan Benjamin Antonmarchi to whom he left all his goods and property.
What Cuban heirs are you referring to? I do not know of any Cuban Antonmarchi’s in the exile community, and cannot find any reference to them in the internet.
mrodenberg
Thanks for your comment.
My understanding is that his first cousin, Antonio Antomarchi (spelled with one m; I find it spelled variously Antonmarchi, Antommarchi and Antomarchi)”owned a coffee plantation, which bore the name “San Antoniio,” about thirty miles distant from the city of Santiago de Cuba.”
Source: Napoleon, the First Emperor of France. From St Helena to Santiago de Cuba. Being a Summary of the Facts Concerning the Latter Days of Dr. Francois Antomarchi, the last Physician to His Imperial Majesty. By Henry D Thomason, Franklin Hudson Publishing, Kansas City, Mo., 1910
Please let me know if you have conflicting information.
Good day, Margaret.
Many of the Alexander family came to South Africa via St Helena, where the family spent 200 years before the last one left . Family members were well known to Napoleon. There were five Alexanders present at the exhumation of his body. The officer tasked with the exhumation, was Captain Charles Carson Alexander R.E. I have a copy of his report on the successful work.
.
I have been actively researching our family history since 1985 and compiling a family tree, alextree.co.za. I attached a link in the tree of your first post, the video of your trip to the island. I see that you have greatly expanded your blog. Very fine work, I must say.
I have been forced to rebuild this website, because of a computer meltdown, caused by a power spike experienced while working on a farm in a remote location of the Western Cape, so it is not all there as I write. I will make sure that CC’s report is added today. Look for the “Alexander Hall of Fame” page. I have not had time to re-create the other families I have studied.
Victoria Anne Todd-Smith
Ms. Rodenberg,
My sister found you website and your article regarding the Napoleonic Museum in Havana. You do give credit to the rightful owner of that priceless collection, my great uncle and godfather, Julio Lobo. However, you completely ignore that said collection was STOLEN from him by Fidel Castro.
My immediate family also lost all our worldly goods. My American mother and I were held house prisoners when I was nine years old. Why? Because my father dared to write numerous political columns in the English language newspaper, The Times of Havana, denouncing the Castro regime and his Communist ties. All my father’s writings are now part of a collection at The Hoover Institute of Stanford University.
I believe it would behoove you to recognize that all the artifacts in that museum in Havana belong to my family and not to the Castro regime.
mrodenberg
Dear Ms.Todd-Smith,
Thank you for contacting me. I fully appreciate the anger you and your family have toward Cuba and the Castro government.Before I visited Cuba, I read what I could find about Julio Lobo, who was from all sources considered an honorable, brave, brilliant, and industrious man. I wouldn’t have appreciated the collection as much if I hadn’t read John Paul Rathbone’s book, The Sugar King of Havana: The Rise and Fall of Julio Lobo. Indeed, in my first Cuba post, I recommended the book to my readers.(Of course, your family may not totally agree with all the details in that book.) I only wish I’d read it a few months earlier, because I was in Madrid and would have visited your uncle’s grave to honor him.
In my blog posts, I made sure to give him credit for the collection.I also tried to visit his collection of European Masters in the Havana Art Museum, but the whole floor where they reside was closed.So you see, I do appreciate what your family lost. I make no attempt to explain the Cuba revolution in my website about Napoleon, but I think the situation is clear from my saying, “Fidel Castro’s government seized all his property. Lobo…was forced into exile.”
I wish you and your family the very best. I’m sure you’re proud to be related to Julio Lobo.
Margaret Rodenberg
Lynda Daddona
Dear Ms. Rodenberg,
I have a question only related to Napoleon by his deathbed painting by Denzil Ibbetson and I do sincerely apologize for bothering you with it. But, it seems that I cannot find my answer without some help. Denzil’s middle name began with an ‘O’. I wonder if you have ever come across his middle name and, if so, if you would be willing to share it with me.
Denzil’s daughter-in-law was my Great Great Aunt Mary Huddleston so the Ibbetson family is of great interest to me. I have made contact with some of the Ibbetsons, but they have been unable to help me with my search.
May I congratulate you on the amount of research and travel you have undertaken in your Bonaparte research. You must truly ‘live’ him. I do wish you all the best with the book.
mrodenberg
Hi, Lynda,
Don’t you love that painting? In a way, it feels so modern. I first saw it a year ago when it was on tour in Richmond, Virginia, but just last month I got to visit it again at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. I did some checking around for you and, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to come up with Denzil’s middle name. You may be sure that I will keep an eye out for it and let you know if I do see it. Your email sent me searching the web and I found this wonderful link to an auction catalog from 2010 of Ibbetson’s work. How I wish I’d seen it back then when the pieces were available (although that’s just dreaming because I wouldn’t have had the money to buy them)! Here’s a link to the catalog. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth looking at all his wonderful work from St Helena. Here’s the link.
If you find out what the “O.” stands for, please let me know.
You are very fortunate to have followed Napoleon’s footsteps!
Yes, I do feel fortunate to have been able to go to St Helena. It was a trip of a lifetime. I don’t think I could have gotten as close to understanding Napoleon without that voyage. Perhaps when St Helena’s airport is finished (and it’s no longer a month-long commitment to get there), you and others will be able to go, too. Corsica is also a wonderful place, especially before the tourists arrive in the summer!
Hello Margaret. I have a photo of my son and I standing in front of the David painting back in 1984. It is not a really clear picture, but I thought you might like to see it. We were on a bus tour of Paris, but did not have nearly enough time to spend in the Louvre. Another part of the tour was a trip on an (overcrowded) ferry out to the Isle of Elba. We lived in Germany at the time, and visited many wonderful art museums while there. And also the Tate Gallery in London. enjoyed your website.
Thanks, Susan! I’d love to see it.
Margaret
Hello Margaret,
I have in front of me what could be the first monograph in English, or even any language, on the Island of Saint Helena. Have you bibliographic tools to disprove or prove this?
The book is:
[DUNCAN, Francis]. A Description of the Island of St. Helena; Containing Observations On Its Singular Structure and Formation and an Account of Its Climate, Natural History, and Inhabitants. London, R. Phillips, 1805.
Small 8vo. Recent half-morocco over cloth-covered boards, spine with raised bands and lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers; pp. xxiv, 239, two engraved folding plates on stiff paper (one bound as frontispiece); a few preliminary leaves misbound, evenly a little browned.
Very rare first edition of this early and anonymous monograph on the South Atlantic Island, attributed to Francis Duncan, M. D., by Philip Gosse in his St. Helena, 1502-1938 (p. 259).
I might be able to look into Gosse’s book, but maybe someone knows or has the rather short bibliography of books on the island?
With many thanks and kind regards,
Hello, Georg,
What a great find. I hope it’s in good condition. I’m not an expert on the topic, but quick research tells me that there are many earlier references to St Helena from travelers who visited the island as early as 1570. I suggest you look into Shakespeare’s Island, St Helena and the Tempest, by David J Jeremiah (easily available through Amazon) to read a good summary of them. That said, you have me stumped. I don’t find any earlier books solely dedicated to St Helena. The nearest I’ve located is T.H. Brooke’s A History of the Island of St Helena form its Discovery by the Portuguese to the Year 1806, which was published in 1808. You also might try contacting the Friends of St Helena or the library on St Helena itself. I have Gosse’s book. It quotes from Duncan’s text, but Gosse gives no explanation as to why he attributed the book to Duncan.
All the best, Margaret
Antonmarchi died single and without children according to his testament. https://www.juventudrebelde.cu/columnas/lecturas/2017-01-28/el-ultimo-enigma-del-medico-de-napoleon.
He did have a fist cousin Juan Benjamin Antonmarchi to whom he left all his goods and property.
What Cuban heirs are you referring to? I do not know of any Cuban Antonmarchi’s in the exile community, and cannot find any reference to them in the internet.
Thanks for your comment.
My understanding is that his first cousin, Antonio Antomarchi (spelled with one m; I find it spelled variously Antonmarchi, Antommarchi and Antomarchi)”owned a coffee plantation, which bore the name “San Antoniio,” about thirty miles distant from the city of Santiago de Cuba.”
Source: Napoleon, the First Emperor of France. From St Helena to Santiago de Cuba. Being a Summary of the Facts Concerning the Latter Days of Dr. Francois Antomarchi, the last Physician to His Imperial Majesty. By Henry D Thomason, Franklin Hudson Publishing, Kansas City, Mo., 1910
Please let me know if you have conflicting information.
Margaret
Good day, Margaret.
Many of the Alexander family came to South Africa via St Helena, where the family spent 200 years before the last one left . Family members were well known to Napoleon. There were five Alexanders present at the exhumation of his body. The officer tasked with the exhumation, was Captain Charles Carson Alexander R.E. I have a copy of his report on the successful work.
.
I have been actively researching our family history since 1985 and compiling a family tree, alextree.co.za. I attached a link in the tree of your first post, the video of your trip to the island. I see that you have greatly expanded your blog. Very fine work, I must say.
I have been forced to rebuild this website, because of a computer meltdown, caused by a power spike experienced while working on a farm in a remote location of the Western Cape, so it is not all there as I write. I will make sure that CC’s report is added today. Look for the “Alexander Hall of Fame” page. I have not had time to re-create the other families I have studied.
Ms. Rodenberg,
My sister found you website and your article regarding the Napoleonic Museum in Havana. You do give credit to the rightful owner of that priceless collection, my great uncle and godfather, Julio Lobo. However, you completely ignore that said collection was STOLEN from him by Fidel Castro.
My immediate family also lost all our worldly goods. My American mother and I were held house prisoners when I was nine years old. Why? Because my father dared to write numerous political columns in the English language newspaper, The Times of Havana, denouncing the Castro regime and his Communist ties. All my father’s writings are now part of a collection at The Hoover Institute of Stanford University.
I believe it would behoove you to recognize that all the artifacts in that museum in Havana belong to my family and not to the Castro regime.
Dear Ms.Todd-Smith,
Thank you for contacting me. I fully appreciate the anger you and your family have toward Cuba and the Castro government.Before I visited Cuba, I read what I could find about Julio Lobo, who was from all sources considered an honorable, brave, brilliant, and industrious man. I wouldn’t have appreciated the collection as much if I hadn’t read John Paul Rathbone’s book, The Sugar King of Havana: The Rise and Fall of Julio Lobo. Indeed, in my first Cuba post, I recommended the book to my readers.(Of course, your family may not totally agree with all the details in that book.) I only wish I’d read it a few months earlier, because I was in Madrid and would have visited your uncle’s grave to honor him.
In my blog posts, I made sure to give him credit for the collection.I also tried to visit his collection of European Masters in the Havana Art Museum, but the whole floor where they reside was closed.So you see, I do appreciate what your family lost. I make no attempt to explain the Cuba revolution in my website about Napoleon, but I think the situation is clear from my saying, “Fidel Castro’s government seized all his property. Lobo…was forced into exile.”
I wish you and your family the very best. I’m sure you’re proud to be related to Julio Lobo.
Margaret Rodenberg
Dear Ms. Rodenberg,
I have a question only related to Napoleon by his deathbed painting by Denzil Ibbetson and I do sincerely apologize for bothering you with it. But, it seems that I cannot find my answer without some help. Denzil’s middle name began with an ‘O’. I wonder if you have ever come across his middle name and, if so, if you would be willing to share it with me.
Denzil’s daughter-in-law was my Great Great Aunt Mary Huddleston so the Ibbetson family is of great interest to me. I have made contact with some of the Ibbetsons, but they have been unable to help me with my search.
May I congratulate you on the amount of research and travel you have undertaken in your Bonaparte research. You must truly ‘live’ him. I do wish you all the best with the book.
Hi, Lynda,
Don’t you love that painting? In a way, it feels so modern. I first saw it a year ago when it was on tour in Richmond, Virginia, but just last month I got to visit it again at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. I did some checking around for you and, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to come up with Denzil’s middle name. You may be sure that I will keep an eye out for it and let you know if I do see it. Your email sent me searching the web and I found this wonderful link to an auction catalog from 2010 of Ibbetson’s work. How I wish I’d seen it back then when the pieces were available (although that’s just dreaming because I wouldn’t have had the money to buy them)! Here’s a link to the catalog. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth looking at all his wonderful work from St Helena. Here’s the link.
If you find out what the “O.” stands for, please let me know.
All the best,
Margaret
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