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,…
The family story was Herman Mangels had a tendency to partake of alcoholic beverages. So much so that his wife threatened to lock him out of the house the next time he returned home inebriated. That next time happened on a cold January night. The family story went on to say that after spending a frigid…
“EAGERLY SOUGHT TO DIE. Fatal Plunge of an Unknown Man from Lake Street Bridge. At 10 o’clock this morning a large crowd was collected on the northeast corner of the Lake street bridge, gazing excitedly over the railing at the water beneath the bridge. Many were swarming down the rickety ladder to the dock, where…
The following notices appeared on the front page of the May 10th, 1894 issue of the Chicago Daily News; “DROWNED IN THE SLIP. Fred Ward, 6 Years Old, Loses His Life – Other Fatalities Reported. Fred Ward, 6 years old, was drowned in the Burlington slip, near the Halsted street bridge, some time last night.…
The following tragic story appeared on the front page of the January 15, 1894 issue of the Chicago Daily News: “Jumped into the River – Suicide of a Well-Dressed Woman at Clark Street Bridge. A young woman whose clothing and appearance indicated that she came from surroundings of comfort, perhaps wealth, jumped from the north…
where2look4ancestors 