Not all genealogical searches end with a happy dance. My 2nd great-grandfather died of pneumonia. The result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. We’ll never know what was going through Herman Mangels’ mind when he shot himself. But the testimony given during his inquest hearing certainly suggests a history of mental illness. Found lying on the ground bleeding,…
My 2nd great-grandfather attempted to take his own life January 7, 1912. Three days later Herman Mangels died in Dunning Hospital after succumbing to lobar pneumonia, the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Below is a transcription of the inquest record created after his death. “WITNESS SHEET Inquest upon the body of Herman Mangels. Held Jan 11th 1912…
According to family lore, Herman Mangels drank often and his wife was tired of his drunkenness. She was supposed to have told him that the next time he came home intoxicated, he would be sent outside to sleep on the porch. As fate would have it (the story continues), Herman’s banishment occurred during a cold Chicago…
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