Hi Y'all! I've finally got around to posting my own mystery. I hope y'all find it as interesting as I've found all of yours. Joseph Lunk arrived in Des Allemands, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana somewhere about 1911. According to my Aunt's(by marriage) brother, who wishes to remain nameless, a man(Joseph Lunk) boarded a fishing and asked for a job. (My Aunt's brother happened to work on the boat.) The man was told he could have a job, and was asked his name. The man said he did not want anyone to know his real name, but that they could call him Lunk. My aunt's brother said that Lunk was very scared when he said this. Lunk later married Octavia Bye. On his marriage certificate his name is Joseph Lunk. He had a daughter named Adele, and two sons Oscar and Joseph(my granddad). My aunt Adele, when she became sick with Alzheimer's, would mention her sister, Louise. We just thought she had lost her mind because nobody had ever spoken of another sister. After she and my granddad died, we found out that there was, in fact, a middle child named Louise that had died in childbirth, but had been unmarried. That's not the real mystery here, though. When my Mom was young, she always heard rumors that Lunk was not her daddy's real last name, and that the true name was Herzog. The mystery is-- what made Joseph Lunk run from where ever he was before and change his name, in order to hide from persons unknown. This is what got us started in genealogy. We eventually found that there was a man named William "Lunk" Herzog(this is how it is written in court documents and newspapers), who was a caretaker on Governor Warmouth's plantation in Pointe-a-la-Hache, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. This man was, according to one newspaper of the time, shot in the back by John Ehret and his sons. Also involved in the altercation was, James Herzog, William's son. He was shot in the leg. I can't remember what year this happened, but it was right after the turn of the century, either 1902 or 1909. The story made a lot of newspapers because John Ehret was very well known and later became the first mayor of Gretna, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The newspapers of the time took sides. Some said Herzog,who was unarmed, was merely following orders not to allow hunting on the plantation when Ehret, who was hunting, shot him in the back. Other papers said that Herzog started the violence. Regardless, John Ehret was arrested, but the whole incident was effectively squelched after that, and no further action was taken. We found out the information on William "Lunk" Herzog from a relatively recent newspaper article in the Times Picayune. The article was about cuttings in a scrap book. The subject of the scrap book was Political happenings in Jefferson Parish. Apparently there were quite a few articles in this scrap book concerning Herzog's shooting. At that time the Gretna Historical Society was in possession of the scrap book. So, we contacted them and they were very helpful, but told us that John Ehret's granddaughter, who will remain nameless, had borrowed the scrap book and never returned it. We contacted the granddaughter, who is very well known in the New Orleans area, and asked if we could look at the scrap book. She was extremely rude and refused to let us see it. As of now, we are at a stand still. Joseph Lunk had no record of birth under any name and no other records with his name except two of his children's birth certificates and his marriage certificate. He died in an accident in the Bowie Sawmill in 1917, three months before my grandfather was born. Incidentally, his son Oscar died in a "hunting accident" which was also rumored to be under questionable circumstances. We do not know for sure that Joseph Lunk and William "Lunk" Herzog are related. In one of William's other sons obituaries, a brother, Joseph Herzog, is mentioned. The Herzog story may have nothing at all to do with Joseph Lunk's reason for hiding out, but I thought I would include it because it is a rather compelling idea. Other members of the Herzog family have lived quiet lives without having to "hide out." The only other member of the Herzog family that died violently was James Herzog. His throat was cut in a robbery attempt. The man who committed the crime was tried and convicted, but there are rumors saying that robbery was not the real motive, and that the man convicted was only a "fall guy." So, the real "mystery" we are interested in here is-- who and what was Joseph Lunk running from. We would love to know. We would also love to know who, if not William Herzog's son, was Joseph Lunk, really? Smiles to all, Nicole

Hi All! I've finally got my Unsolved Mysteries web page up. I'm hoping to get space on Rootsweb for the page, but in the meantime, it's at geocities. Right now I only have the frames version up, but soon I'll have text only and no frames versions too. All I need now is your stories. Please go to the web site and read the submission guidelines. They're a little different than the mailing list. Then, let me know if I can use your story. I (unfortunately) don't have time to go back to all the posts and sort through them, so please email them again if you want them included. I'll email you back when I have you story up, so you can see if there are any changes to be made. There are also directions on how to subscribe and unsubscribe from the mailing list. The URL for the site is http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/2505 The URL for the mailing list page is http:www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/2505/frunmail.html Smiles, Nicole

I don't know if you knew this but the Ancestry Web site has opened about 50 of their military databases for the 4th of July.....FREE. http://www.ancestry.com/ancestry/search.asp

My unsolved mystery is my grandfather L. Frank HURDLE. My mom had always told me that her father had died when she was 8 as a result of a train accident. He worked for the New York Central Railroad as a conductor. This would have been in 1930. The story goes that they moved from Youngstown, Ohio to Zanesville to live with Frank's mother, Lillian LAWYER HURDLE ADKINS to recuperate. For some reason (could have been mental or physical)Lillian put Frank in the hospital. What hospital or where we don't know. My uncle who was 5 at the time seems to think it was in Pittsburgh because he remembers going to visit him on the train there. But he is 70 now, so we're not too sure of his memories. Then Lillian told my grandmother that Frank had died and would not tell her where he was buried. Lillian is reputed to have hated my grandmother and this was her reason for being so hateful. Since researching my tree with the help of a member of the LAWYER family, I have found an obit for Lillian who died in 1951. This states that she had a surviving son, Frank, whereabouts unknown. This was 21 years after my mother thought he had died. I have written to Ohio and they did an extensive search and could find no dc for Frank, so I have started on PA. So his disappearance is my mystery. I would love to find out where he is buried. It would please my uncle to no end! Any suggestions are most welcome! Kathy Florida

I hope this qualifies as an unsolved mystery. For years we were told that my mother's father was a British sailor that died at sea during World War 1. His ship put into port at St. Lucia, probably the port of Castries. We were never told his name. He and my grandmother Alfy Margarita Sexton (at least a 3rd generation Britisher on St. Lucia), supposedly had a whirlwind courtship, were married, had a honeymoon, he went back to sea, his ship was lost, and he was never heard from again. My mother, Dorothy Alfreda Sexton, was born on 30 Sept 1918 after my grandmother emigrated to the USA. Alfy never had a chance to take him name and was always known by her maiden name Sexton. That was the story----------------------- Some years later my grandmother told me a different story. She said her husband's name was Bert Forman. [I assume short for Albert, or perhaps Herbert]. She said he was indeed a British sailor who put in to St. Lucia during WW1. They had the romance, wedding and honeymoon, and he left for sea. But, she said the wedding was later annulled because his divorce from his first wife turned out not to be finalized (in England, I think she said), and so he was legally a bigamist. Alfy came to the USA in May 1918 and my mother was born there. Alfy died in 1990 after a long nursing home stay. She told me the story about Bert Forman in 1974, long before he faculties started to go. Mom died in 1965. The question: Which story is correct, and what to do about either? I suspect that the second story was correct. I was an adult by then and "old enough" to understand such skeletons in closets. If so, how do I find Bert [or Albert] Forman? I'm not sure of his nationality; he is British, and possibly English. Don't know if he really died in WW1, since I never thought to ask the question. I have tried to access Web sites for English military, but have not had correct addresses or something. It might, I suppose, be possible to find out what ships were in port in St. Lucia around Jan 1, 1918, and then to see if there was a Bert Forman on board. Or perhaps there is another way for a non-citizen to access records in the English or British military. Or, is there a record of divorces? I assume Bert Forman's divorce eventually went through. Any help anyone can give me would be a big help. This is the only line of my and my wife's family for which we can't go back past a grandparent. Of course, if Alfy was just telling me another story, I may have a true dead-end here. Best Regards, David Todd, Arkansas, USA Researching in the British Empire: Bolton, Forman, Hepburn, Rickie, Sexton, Teal, Todd, Vick, Weston Researching in the USA: Baldwin, Boynton, Chappell, Cheney, Dole, Hively, Noyes, Stephens, Thompson

My webrowser came up with this Saint: St. Return to Table of Contents Any religious experts out there who can get me in touch with this Saint? 66% Untitled   more like this... URL: http://www.diocesenet.com/pub/aug_features.html Summary: Return to Table of Contents After 102 years of service Benedictines say farewell to St. Return to Table of Contents Six Benedictines who have served here celebrate a total 360 years in ministry!

I remember my father talking about a bad flood in Pueblo, Colorado, in which entire families were swept away while on a bridge watching the water. It seems to me that this occured sometime in the late 1920's or early 30's. If any one remembers or has heard about this flood, please e-mail me at the above address. Thank you. Arlene Willet

My great grandmother, CHARLOTTE (LOTTIE) BIRDSONG, a widow and her children lived in Indian Territory (now Southeast OK) at a place known as The Narrows, near Wilburton, OK. Several members of the family have repeated the circumstances surrounding her death and the death of her son Joe so I feel there must be some truth in the stories. Charlotte had 13 children and those who were old enough to know of the circumstances all said she was murdered and did not have pneumonia. One day Charlotte sent her son Joe Birdsong (age 18) to the spring to get water. A Federal Officer looking for Belle Starr's gang questioned Joe about the gang but Joe refused to talk to him. The Officer shot and killed Joe because he wouldn't tell him anything about the gang. Grandmother Charlotte heard shots and ran to the scene just in time to see the Officer before he rode off. The Federal Officer tried to place the blame on the death of Joe Birdsong on a member of Belle Starr's gang. Charlotte was taken to Fort Smith, AR to identify the killer and be a witness at the trial before Hanging Judge Isaac Parker. Before she had a chance to identify the killer she was poisoned in her food and died. According to the book kept by the funeral home in Ft Smith, AR, it stated the cause of death of Charlotte was pneumonia. Date of death and date of burial both 2 Mar 1885. Even though Fort Smith was just a few hours away from the Birdsong home place she was buried immediately i! n Fort Smith instead of letting the family take her home to be by her husband. One name that has been mentioned for the Federal Officer is Grant Johnson, if in fact he actually was a Federal Officer. Perhaps someone out there knows something about this mystery and if there is a newspaper or other documents available in Fort Smith, AR that could tell me the true facts. Thanks in advance for any assistance to my mystery. Gloria Lucas - kengl@lodelink.com

On 6 January 1869 my great Uncle, JOHN B. VERNER age 20 years, shot and killed JAKE ZUMALT (also spelled SUMALT) in Fannin County, Texas. John shot Jake in the back and side killing him instantly. On 15 January 1869 the Grand Jury of Fannin County charged John B. Verner with murder, but John fled to Indian Territory (OK) and was never caught. He died in Pittsburg County, OK, January 1916 at the age of 67 never having married. Family lore states that Jake Zumalt was an outlaw and was trying to steal horses from the Verner ranch and that he was also known by the name of "Pecos". Another family story states that during the raid on the Verner ranch to steal horses, the younger brother of John B. Verner was shot and killed by Jake Zumalt. The brother was James R. Verner age 18 years at the time. It is said that John shot Jake in retaliation of his brother's life. I have not been able to find a record of James Verner after this date. I have a copy of the murder charge but it does not explain why the shooting took place. I haven't been able to find any other documents in Fannin County to explain further reasoning. It is my hope that someone may know something about this shooting, perhaps a member of the Zumalt family. Is there newspapers in the area of or surrounding Fannin County, TX at that time that may carry an account of the shooting? Thanks in advance for any help that may be available. Gloria Lucas - kengl@lodelink.com

I don't know if I should even put this one out here.....I have a note from a second cousin, where she has listed some of the HARRIMAN line names. She lists one person, Finn HARRIMAN..."left home as a boy, and was never heard from again"....so, where did he go, I figure he was in Caddo Indian Territory, OK when he left...why did he never contact family again. I have no idea of his age other than, he was a boy. I have no idea of date he left home, but would guess in the late 1800's. Now, all I can figure is that Finn, was one of the brothers of Joseph Marrion HARRIMAN, who was born 12 Sept, 1879, Caddo Indian Territroy, OK. Joseph had a sister Elizabeth who died in Stilwell, OK abt. 1910, and a brother Harvey. Since Finn is not a name I have run across before, I hope it will pop out at someone, in their travels through censes records or something. I have had a hard time tracking any of the HARRIMAN clan. Ideas anyone? Thanks Linda JENKINS-Wensel, kanichi@theriver.com

I would like to find out if a story about the killing of Perry JENKINS, was ever in the newspaper. If so, maybe I would have more to go on. I thought it might be on microfilm or something in an OK library. Perry Robertson JENKINS was fishing or sitting along a river and was shot to death, no one in my family ever heard of the shooting being solved. And as family stories go, some information is lost. Perry b. 13 Nov 1890, d. 1 July 1959, while sitting by the Grand or Kiomishi(?spelling) river in OK...is this near Ft. Gibson? He may have been buried at the IOOF Cemetery in Hulbert, OK. where his father James Henry JENKINS is buried. Perry was married to 1st Beulah ? b. 4 Aug 1908, d. 1923?, 2nd marriage to Ruth PARKER, they had at least three children. Perry was one of 10 children born to James Henry and Laura ?-JENKINS Thanks in advance, for any help finding out who shot Perry. Linda JENKINS-Wensel kanichi@theriver.com

Beth, and List, I went to the address below, and found a lot of listings that could be Mike and Christopher Chapman. This is a place where you can search the white pages by city, state, or country. Also, you can search yellow pages, business listings, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses. It is a good place to use to search for anyone. The url: http://www.theultimates.com/white/ Good Luck, Jean On Wed, 1 Jul 1998 Kathychapm@aol.com wrote: > Hoping that maybe someone out there may be able to help me. I am looking for > my 2 brothers that came up missing after my father died. Actully, i think i'm > the one who came up missing and now can't Find Them. Their names are Mike and > Christopher CHAPMAN> I think they were born in Wood, County, Texas and rasied > in the houston, Texas area. > > I have some more info on them if anyone can help. > > Thanks > Beth Polynice > > > ==== GEN-UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from digest mode, send a NEW message to > GEN-UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES-D-request@rootsweb.com > In the body of the message, put the word "unsubscribe" (no quotes). > >

Looking for my mother's birth father - John Joseph Steven BARRY (or BERRY)- Also went by the name of Joseph BERNON. DOB 1883? - place Ohio, Illinois or Penn. DOD unknown, but probably after 1960, and possibly in Stockton, CA. Parents John Joseph BARRY (or BERRY)born England, and Anna NUNN, born England. He came from a large family - possibly 13 children. Some sibling's names: Michael, Patrick, Nora, Kate DOM (1st) 10/24/1908 in Stockton,CA to Florence Edna Salzgeber (he used the name of Joseph Bernon) DOB 5/11/1889, Ione, CA DODeath 3/10/1967, Stockton, CA DODivorce approx 1911. One child - Marguerite Lillain Berry, DOB 7/23/1909 (my mother - always went by the name of Margaret Lillian Stevens, her step father). DOM (2nd) 7/3/1912 in Fresno or Visalia,CA to Ybeltje (aka Edith) Rypkema DOB 6/8/1889, Sugartown, PA, DODeath 11/4/1979, Mobridge, SD DODivorce 6/27/1917 in Pine County, Minnesota. One child - Bertha Anna Berry DOB8/7/1914, Stockton,CA Possible 3rd marriage to a Mrs. Cerney. Last known residence in Stockton, CA - lived with a MRS. ROSE on Clay Street (possibly a boarding house) probably in the 1960's. Mrs. Rose had a daughter born about 1909. Gave his occupation as plumber or metal worker. Both families of 1st and 2nd marriage have been trying to find info on this "man of many faces and lives". Any help would be most appreciated. Thank you for any information and/or referals you may provide!! Audrey in California

Hoping that maybe someone out there may be able to help me. I am looking for my 2 brothers that came up missing after my father died. Actully, i think i'm the one who came up missing and now can't Find Them. Their names are Mike and Christopher CHAPMAN> I think they were born in Wood, County, Texas and rasied in the houston, Texas area. I have some more info on them if anyone can help. Thanks Beth Polynice

I have been lurking in the shadows reading these posts. I hope my mystery lives up to some of yours. Well, here it is. My greatgreatgrandfather William Crosswhite, born probably in or near Franklin Co., Alabama, accroding to family history handed downs says that he traveled to Huntsville the winter of 1853/1854 to take care of some business related to land transaction. This was in Nov or Dec. He never returned. The following spring an insurance agent/saleman passed through Franklin Co., and told his wife, Pamela Saint Crosswhite, that he read or heard that William was taken ill and died. It was a very bad winter, and there was no way to transport the body back to Franklin Co., even if the authories had known where to send it. Reportedly, he was buried in or around Hunstville. The family was never able to find out for sure the details of his death or burial. If anyone has access to cemetery records in or around Hunstville, please look and see if he is listed. If you have access to a paper that goes back to 1853/1854 maybe there was a write up about him being buried in a potter's field somewhere. If anyone has any suggestion on how to find him please let me know. Thank you, Paula

Hi: My great-grandfather, William J. Crook, died in January, 1892. At the time he was living with my great-grandmother, who was named M.I. Moon, according to his Civil War papers. Even though he had a pension, she didn't get it. The legend I heard from infancy was that she couldn't take care of my grandfather Gene and his sister Sue, so she took them to their Crook relatives and returned to her home (it was always, returned to her "tribe" because she was supposed to be Cherokee) to try to make a place for the three of them. When she returned to get them, it was supposed to be a year later. They didn't remember her, and hid from her, so she left and was never heard from again. The more sinister version of this is that they were HIDDEN from her. The children were raised by various Crook relatives, although I haven't found them on the 1900 census or found my grandpa until the 1920 census. One odd side legend is that one of Sue's children found a letter in the attic in the 1920s and wrote to her grandmother. When she received a reply, her parents were very angry and they moved within the week. The implication is that Sue knew who her mother was. But if she did, she never told Gene, because he was pretty curious about it. Neither Gene nor Sue knew their accurate birth years nor either parent's name, nor their birthplace. Gene thought he was born in Dallas, Texas in 1895 (3 years after his dad died; yeah, right) or sometimes in 1890. Sue thought she was born in Oklahoma in 1890 or 1891. The Civil War papers say that M.I. had two children by William J., so if they were Gene and Sue, they were both older than they thought. Sue died in 1932; Gene died in 1936--both before they had to register for Social Security. I not only can't find William J.'s burial place in any of the 5 counties where I know he lived in Arkansas and Oklahoma, but I can't find M.I. Moon after she walked into the mists of history. They may not have been married--according to the Civil War papers they weren't. M.I. isn't on any of the Cherokee rolls; plus, they were living in Choctaw Indian Territory when William J. died, so maybe her kids were wrong and she was Choctaw. Her twelve-year old stepson George Crook liked her, but her 16-year-old stepdaughter Minnie didn't--she said she used too much salt in her food. George, Minnie, and their brother Perry ended up living with William J.'s sister Frankie Bryant and her husband Asa, which is how Asa and Frankie got the Civil War pension. I like to think that my great-grandmother was able to remarry and have another family to replace the children she lost. I like to think that she lived a long life, and died relatively happy. I hope someday to find that all of that was true. Judy Crook

I subscribe to Everton's and thought the list would find their newsletter interesting. ************************************************ EVERTON'S FAMILY HISTORY NEWSLINE is brought to you by Everton's Genealogical Helper...the bi-monthly genealogy magazine that "helps you bring your family together." (1-800-4-GENEALOGY, 1-800-443-6325 - FAX: 1-435-752-0425 Everton Publishers, Inc. P.O. Box 368, Logan, Utah 84323-0368. Just $24.00 per year) 30 June 1998 GEN-UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES In the United States we have a popular television show named Unsolved Mysteries, hosted by Robert Stack. Each episode features several stories of lost loves, missing children, strange occurrences, weird phenomena, and historical mysteries. Sounds like genealogical research, doesn't it? Nicole Burgess apparently thought so. In fact, she was so taken with the idea that she has undertaken to host a list devoted to the discussion of unsolved genealogical mysteries. Hosted by the RootsWeb Cooperative, GEN-UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES is a list focusing on those mysterious happenings that waft through the branches of your family tree. Babies left on doorsteps, people who were wrongly incarcerated (or transported), strange name changes, and the ever (un)popular People Who Disappeared Without A Trace. If you have a genealogical mystery, something more than just your run of the mill "I can't find these people on the census"-type of situation, the Unsolved Genealogical Mysteries List might be the place for you. To find out, subscribe to the list by sending an email message to GEN-UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES-L@rootsweb.com with the single-word message: subscribe You'll get an information package describing the list and clueing you in on the rules of engagement. It could be even more fun than the TV show. Copyright 1998, Everton Publishers All rights reserved -------------------------------------------------------------------- FAMILY HISTORY NEWSLINE is a free daily genealogy news service provided by Everton Publishers P.O. Box 368 Logan, UT 84323 Toll-free: 1-800-443-6325 http://www.everton.com subscribe: <lists@everton.com> message: subscribe history unsubscribe: <lists@everton.com> message: unsubscribe history

I would like to find out what happened to my husband's great grandparents - Zion Hobbs, b 1 Mar 1855, Lee Co., Va, son of Shelby and Lucinda(Zion) Hobbs, m. Mary Patterson, born ca 1858, dau. of Thomas and Margaret "Peggy" Patterson, m. 19 Jan. 1877, Lee Co., VA Resided in Lee and Wise Counties, Va 1877-1892. Sometime after that they separated or divorced (cannot find divorce papers). They do not appear on census records of that area in 1900 or 1910. Death records cannot be located because no one knows when they died. I have tried. I spoke with their oldest son, my husband's grandfather, on various occasions in the 1960's but he did not know what happened to his mother or his two sisters, Rosa Hobbs, born ca 1881, and Louisa Hobbs, b. 1 Dec. 1889. He did not know when his father died or where. Other children were James S.F., born 10 Apr. 1880, Lee Co., Va., d. 16 Apr. 1884, Wise Co., Va; Willie Hobbs, no futher information; Lula M., b. Oct. 1882, d. 16 April 1884, Wise Co., VA and John S. born 21 June 1892, Lee Co., VA. My husband's grandfather, Emory C. Hobbs, married 2 March 1902 and took John S. to live with him, so I know about John S. I have been to Lee County and the Courthouse, and have written many places for records, etc. but cannot find any evidence after 1892. Dorcas M. Hobbs

Jo, Is it possible that there is a Social Security Record for Charles Leroy White? If so, you would have a date of death and probably a place of death. Just a thought. Jean W. On Sun, 28 Jun 1998 JLNewkirk@aol.com wrote: > Hi everyone ~ I'm looking for information about Charles Leroy White, probably > born in Greenwood, NE date unknown. His parents were Johnson White and Mary > Swope. Charles married Mary Theresa Kelly, b. 1887 in Greenwood, NE. They > had two sons, Charles Leroy, Jr., before 1910, and William. When the boys > were small, Charles Sr. went out to work one day and never came back. After > seven years Mary had him declared dead, never married again, and later told > her grand-daughter she had been married once, and that was plenty, why would > she ever want to do that again? (In the end, I guess, it wasn't a terrible > loss to her, perhaps not even much of a surprise.) Mary lived in TX in 1920, > unknown if Charles was still with her at that time or not but I believe that > he left her in TX and she then returned home to Greenwood/Omaha. Otherwise, > their only known residence was Greenwood and Lincoln, NE. Charles Sr. was my > hBusband's great grandfather, and we would love to know what became of him. > Any takers? Jo JLNewkirk@aol.com > > > ==== GEN-UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES Mailing List ==== > To contact the owner use, dwburgess@worldnet.att.net > >

Hi everyone ~ I'm looking for information about Charles Leroy White, probably born in Greenwood, NE date unknown. His parents were Johnson White and Mary Swope. Charles married Mary Theresa Kelly, b. 1887 in Greenwood, NE. They had two sons, Charles Leroy, Jr., before 1910, and William. When the boys were small, Charles Sr. went out to work one day and never came back. After seven years Mary had him declared dead, never married again, and later told her grand-daughter she had been married once, and that was plenty, why would she ever want to do that again? (In the end, I guess, it wasn't a terrible loss to her, perhaps not even much of a surprise.) Mary lived in TX in 1920, unknown if Charles was still with her at that time or not but I believe that he left her in TX and she then returned home to Greenwood/Omaha. Otherwise, their only known residence was Greenwood and Lincoln, NE. Charles Sr. was my husband's great grandfather, and we would love to know what became of him. Any takers? Jo JLNewkirk@aol.com