Is this my dad--Claude H. Thorp--in the picture on the left taken in Minneapolis during the early 1950s
August 21, 2016
With my iPad on my lap while sitting on the couch a couple of days ago, my reverie was broken my a text message from a woman in Minneapolis who had read posts on this blog about my search for my father--Claude H. Thorp. She was looking for information about her grandfather who had the same name as my father. She even had a picture of him taken in the early 1950s. She was curious if this might be my dad.
Back in my 20s, I had tracked my dad to Minneapolis where he had a construction business. However, when I checked he had retired and moved to Florida. Through friends, I was able to get his address. He had settled there with a new family, one he had without ever divorcing my mom. In 1948, he vanished in thin air without leaving a note, without calling or any kind of contact.
I did knock on his door down south. He refused to talk to me and threatened to hurt me if I didn't leave.
In the intervening years, I knew my father had remarried, at least once. I knew that he was estranged from kids he had before he married my mom. As I age, I've always felt this piece of me that had been missing. It was an identity thing.
Check the man in the picture on the left. And then look at the photo on the right which is a picture of my dad during the time he was married to my mom. Are they the same guys? Any opinions? I've tried facial recognition through Google's photo program and got nothing.