kids encyclopedia robot

Ivor Thord-Gray facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Ivor Thord-Gray
Ivor Thord-Gray.jpg
Thord-Gray in 1914
Born
Thord Ivar Hallström

(1878-04-17)17 April 1878
Died 18 August 1964(1964-08-18) (aged 86)
Nationality Swedish, American
Occupation
  • sailor
  • soldier
  • ethnologist
  • linguist
  • investor
  • writer
Years active 1897–1935
Notable work
  • Gringo Rebel
  • Från Mexicos forntid : bland tempelruiner och gudabilder (From Mexico's ancient times: among temple ruins and idols)
  • Tarahumara-English, English-Tarahumara dictionary and an introduction to Tarahumara grammar
Spouse(s) Josephine Toerge-Schaefer
Children 2

Ivor Thord-Gray (born Thord Ivar Hallström) (April 17, 1878 – August 18, 1964) was a Swedish-born adventurer, sailor, prison guard, soldier, government official, police officer, rubber plantation owner, ethnologist, linguist, investor, and author. He participated in thirteen wars spanning the continents of Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe.

Early life

Thord Ivar Hallström was born in the Södermalm district in central Stockholm, Kingdom of Sweden as the second son of a primary school teacher, August Hallström, and his wife Hilda. His eldest brother was the artist Gunnar August Hallström (1875–1943). His youngest brother was the archaeologist Gustaf Hallström (1880–1962).

Military service and civilian employment (1893-1919)

Africa

South Africa

  • Joined Merchant Marine and sailed on three ships from 1893 to 1895 leaving later to settle in Cape Town, South Africa
  • Worked as a Prison Guard on Robben Island in 1896
  • In 1897 he enlisted in the Cape Mounted Riflemen as a Private and fought in the Boer War in 1899–1902
  • Served in the South African Constabulary 1902–1903
  • Transvaal Colony Civil Service 1903–1906
  • Captain in the Lydenburg Militia 1904
  • Joined Royston's Horse as a Lieutenant and fought in the Bambatha Rebellion 1906 being promoted Captain.

Kenya

  • Captain of Nairobi Mounted Police 1907

Asia

Philippines

  • Captain Philippine Constabulary ("US Foreign Legion") 1908–1909

Malaya

  • Planter in Malaya 1909–1911.

China

Mexico

  • Joined Mexican Revolution as Captain and Commander of Pancho Villa's artillery 1913
  • Promoted Major, Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel 1914
  • Chief of Staff 1st Mexican Army 1914

Britain

Russia

Back to Sweden

In 1923, Ivor Thord-Gray returned to Sweden and wrote a book about Mexican archeology Från Mexicos forntid : bland tempelruiner och gudabilder.

United States

In 1925 Thord-Gray moved to the United States and established I.T. Gray & Co, an investment bank located at 522 Fifth Avenue in New York City. He became a citizen of the United States in 1934. He was married to Josephine Toerge-Schaefer (1925–1932) who had two children, Edward and Frances. He was subsequently married to Winnifred Ingersoll (1933–1960). In 1929, he established residence at Gray Court in Belle Haven in Greenwich, Connecticut. In August 1935 he was appointed Major-General and Chief-of-Staff to Governor David Sholtz of Florida.

In 1955, he wrote Tarahumara-English, English-Tarahumara dictionary and an introduction to Tarahumara grammar. (Coral Gables, Fla., University of Miami Press, 1955). He also wrote a book about his experiences in the Mexican Revolution, Gringo Rebel: Mexico 1913–1914 (Coral Gables, Fla. : University of Miami Press, 1961). In later years he had his winter home in Coral Gables, Florida.

Other sources

  • Bojerud, Stellan Ivor Thord-Gray - Soldat under 13 fanor (Sivart Förlag AB, Stockholm. 2008) ISBN: 91-85705-13-6
  • Gyllenhaal, Lars & Westberg, Lennart Swedes at War (Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2010), ISBN: 978-0-9777563-1-5
  • Langer, Joakim Mannen som hittade Tarzan (Sivart Förlag AB, Stockholm, 2008) ISBN: 91-85705-12-8.
  • Arrioja, Adolfo Vizcaíno El sueco que se fue con Pancho Villa (Editorial Océano de México, 2000) ISBN: 970-651-402-3
  • Turner, Timothy G. Bullets, Bottles and Gardenias (Southwest Press 1937)
  • Tunis, Edwin Weapons: a pictorial history P61 (The Johns Hopkins University Press 1999) ISBN: 978-0-8018-6229-8
kids search engine
Ivor Thord-Gray Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.