Just for fun

Because I don't have enough to do in my life, I am plugging names into my newspaper subscription to see what pops up.  I am currently looking in the Allentown, PA area.  It's an interesting way to search.

I am searching for Charles Mohr.  He is not a direct ancestor's name, but I have several Mohrs named Charles in my database.

I just found an obituary of the wife of a Charles Mohr. Her first name is not listed.  However, her father's name is listed and her children.  I've looked for all of them in my database and have had no luck.  I didn't try her siblings, at least not yet.

One trick I've learned is to put the information from the obituary into my database and see what comes up with a search on Ancestry.  So, I will try that.

Bingo!  I found a census record that looks promising and several family trees.  As I look through the trees it appears that this Charles could be my husband's 3rd cousin 4x removed.  I am noting the file that the connection needs to be proved and I'm clipping the article to put in a file folder for that branch of the family. 

It will be fun to see if I just found a distant cousin!

Library 'Help'

I went to a state archive today for the first time.  It was a frustrating experience.  One of the helpers in the library did not listen to me when I explained what I wanted.  She immediately took my paperwork and started searching Find A Grave.  I couldn't believe it.  That is a wonderful online resource that I can access from home!  Next she went to Ancestry.  Another wonderful resource that I have a subscription to so I access it from home.  I wanted to find the microfilm of the local newspapers for a certain town.  After she wasted several minutes of my very short research time she finally took me to the microfilm.  I found what I was looking for in minutes.  I really wish librarians would ask more questions before assuming I know nothing or I know it all. 

Wow.

I was looking for Edwin not expecting to find anything as the name is fairly common.  I found an article in a 1900 Pennsylvania newspaper about an Edwin who believed a bear was stalking him and was told by a fortune teller to carry an axe on Saturday between 11 and 12.  He was not to talk to anyone during that time.  The fortune teller told him the bear would see him with the axe and realize Edwin was a dangerous man which would cause the bear to stop bothering him.  It was and is quite a story.

Later that day, after walking silently (and telling his neighbors before hand not to talk to him), Edwin shot his current girlfriend three times and committed suicide by shooting himself in the head while sitting on his girlfriend who was face down on the floor. 
 
Some time before the tragic event the girlfriend visited a witch doctor and was given a prayer book to put under Edwin's pillow to entice the devil possessing Edwin to leave. (A later newspaper article quoted the girlfriend as saying the prayer book came from Edwin's aunt, not a witch doctor.  She requested that her name be kept out of the newspapers in the future.) She was also told to put bread crumbs in the key holes to stop witches from entering the rooms.  I found it interesting the newspaper noted that no explanation was given as to how the evil spirit possessing Edwin was to leave if the key holes were blocked.

By this time I was intrigued.  Since I was reading the second half of the story (that's where my search took me) I clicked on the front page of the newspaper.

Wow!  He is the Edwin I was looking for!  The article mentioned his wife (yep, he was married at the time) who is a 3rd cousin 3x removed.

Fortunately, Edwin did not kill his girlfriend.  He must not have been a very good shot or perhaps her placing her hands over head helped somehow as her wrists had gunshot wounds.  One arm was fractured by a bullet.  One bullet went through the floor.

Maybe she stayed very still while on the floor and extremely quiet causing him to believe she was dead as he proceeded to take his life.

Edwin had threatened to kill her before. Something about the day must have made her nervous because she sent for her 13 year old daughter from a previous marriage to come stay with her.  (This I don't understand.)  The 13 year old witnessed the whole thing.

The whole tragedy of murder/suicide was premeditated. Edwin had written letters to his aunt and the coroner.  He wanted his aunt to use his insurance money to bury him and the girlfriend together.  He apparently paid the girlfriend's life insurance and wanted it used to help pay for the burial.  He wanted his aunt and sister to have his things.

His wife who had started divorce proceedings was given nothing in his will.  He also left nothing to his son.

I've read some wild stories.  This one may be the wildest yet.  What caused him to snap?  Edwin was under pressure from his wife because of not paying support and she was filing for divorce.  He believed his girlfriend was or had cheated on him.

I did a little more research on the girlfriend.  She had been married and divorced twice.  During one of the marriages about four years earlier she tried to commit suicide by taking poison.  Obviously she was unsuccessful in her attempt.  I did not research her life after the murder attempt other than newspaper articles from the year of the tragedy.  I am leaving her alone unless I discover she is related.  

Which is always possible...

Old Newspapers

From 1898...
"This morning she was very stiff and sore.  The outcome of the matter is not regarded with enthusiasm.  Mrs. ____ is 73 years old and exceedingly stout, weighing about 250 pounds."

The accident is not amusing, but the newspaper description, well, that is another matter.  I love the 'not regarded with enthusiasm' statement.  I'm not so sure I like the inclusion of her weight!  That would be distressing on top of the pain of the accident.

You just never know....

I found a Bisbee family in Nebraska when researching a different branch of the family in the area.  Something struck me at the time so I added the family to my database as no relation. 

I recently learned I could access obituaries online through the Wichita Public Library.  While searching for a Bisbee, I found a granddaughter's obit in the Wichita Eagle for the family listed above.  Interesting.  So I did a little searching again to see if I could connect her family to mine. 

Bingo!  She is a 6th cousin 1x removed.  Nice to meet you Irene!

Dorthea

Dorthea is a third cousin 1x removed.  Here is part of her story...the only part I know.

She was born about 1943 in Kansas as an only child.  During her lifetime she was regarded as retarded.  She was described as a happy person.

After her parents died she lived in a facility for mentally ill adults until the State of Kansas became aware of her situation.  She was moved to a group home for mentally disabled adults where she attended events such as concerts at the Wichita River Festival.

She hadn't been at the new group home long when she decided to take a bath before retiring to bed.   The group leader had no idea her diabetes had damaged her nerves so badly she could not feel the pain of hot water.

She took her bath.

When she walked back to her room the group leader saw her severely red feet under her robe.

Dorthea scalded herself in the tub.  She was rushed to a burn unit where she died two weeks later.

Death by Drowning - Caisson Collapse

Allan, a young man of 24, was working as a laborer on a caisson in Port Stanley, Canada when suddenly the structure gave way trapping workers under water.  Allan, was one of the unfortunate ones trapped and ultimately drowned. 

I first learned of the cause of his death on his death certificate.

As I was unfamiliar with the word caisson, I googled it.  Then I added Port Stanley to it and finally found newspaper articles about the tragedy.

Too add to the horror of it all, I discovered Allan's dad was also a victim. 

Allan's mother died earlier the same year at the age of 49 leaving six children.

The next to the youngest child would have been about 14 years old when he lost three of his family members in 1937.