Hi KBerry and all others, Would you mind sharing the sheriffs name. I am trying to track down what happened to my great-great grandfather and 3 of his sons. Our family history goes that the family had a dispute with him and were somehow related. After the dispute the family moved to Omaha Nb. In 1870 Dan Jewell, his sons Dan Jr., Freddie, and Aaron are all listed in the 1870 census. By 1880 Pinta his wife is listed as a widow and sons Dan, Freddie, and Aaron have disappeared. The family for no apparent reason and without relatives move to Omaha before 1890. Are lynchings or deaths of Black folk listed anywhere? Dan Jewell was a carpenter and owned property and his widow Pinta Lennox was able to move to Omaha and buy property with 5 other children. Patrice Wilson patrice.wilson@comcast.net -----Original Message----- From: Kdberr1@aol.com [mailto:Kdberr1@aol.com] Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 9:34 AM To: MSWILKIN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Research puzzle: Murder in Mississippi in 1879 HI: I'm researching the murder of my great-great-grandfather, Charles Brown. He was lynched in September 1879 near Woodville, Mississippi. I have documented his death in 3 ways: U.S. Mortality Census for 1880; his wife was a widow according to the 1880 Census; and a newspaper article reporting the lynching. He was building a house for Wilbert Phares, son of a renowned doctor in Woodville, David Lewis Phares. He arrived at the Phares house and started arguing with Wilbert's wife Mary and reportedly threatened her with a hatchet. Wilbert and a worker, Louis Swift, subdued him and held him at the house for the sheriff. Neighbors came to the house that night, took him away and hanged him. I am exploring the circumstances of Charles' death, and I want to find out as much as I can about his life. I just returned from a research trip to MS this week, but as I expected I couldn't find out much at the state archives. My question to the list is whether I'm on the right track and are checking as many sources of information available. Should I check circuit court records in Wilkinson Co., MS? I have the names of the mayor and sheriff in Sept. 1879. I'd also like to find out the newspaper's sources for its article (they only said "this is what we were able to find out." What records should I check in East Feliciana Parish, where he lived? The local paper reprinted the MS article. I am also thinking of checking LA deeds (because he was a carpenter and owned $100 in property according to the 1870 Census), churches that may have existed at the time, and would like to find out where he is buried. I do understand that the lynching of a black man in 1879 in MS is very likely not to be prosecuted, but I still am pressing on and researching anyway. (I was told that I wouldn't be able to document his death, and I did.) Thanks for all help. Kberry ______________________________