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Remember to check out the HST & Friends section for more biographical information.



1800 - 1949

  • Personal events are in purple
  • Gonzo literary events are in amber-orange>

1800s - William Thompson, grandson of William Jennings, settles in Kentucky. Other Thompsons followed; around 168 Thompsons exist in the Horse Cave phone directory.

1857 - John Donand Thompson, HST's granfather, is born.

1883 - Jack Robert Thompson is born.

July 1918 - Jack Robert and his brother Jean join the US Army as privates and fight in France. They leave shortly before the Armistice.

1919 - Jack Robert marries Garnett Sowards and they move to Pikeville. They have a son, Jack Robert, Jr. Garnett dies in 1923 of pneumonia, their son is left in care of relatives. Jack Robert returns to Louisville.

November 2, 1935 - Virginia Davidson Ray marries Jack Robert Thompson. She is fifteen years younger than him, and it is his second marriage.

July 18, 1937 - Hunter Stockton Thompson born to Jack and Viriginia Ray Thompson in Louisville, KY. There is some disagreement over the date; HST represented himself as being older or younger depending on the situation. Most ref sources list 1939, but I believe the date is actually 1937 (Carroll, 1991)

June 18, 1940 - Davidson Wheeler Thompson is born.

February 2, 1949 - James Garnett Thompson is born.




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