My gt gt grandfather, William Peter Turpin, owned a nice farm in Venice, Ohio. A picture of the farm was on page 46 of the 1874 Erie County Atlas. Six years later in 1880 on the Ohio (Erie County) Census he is living with his daughter and son-in-law, Alice and Benjamin Bailey. He went to Kansas and homesteaded a while but returned and was a laborer on the 1900 Census for Ottawa County in Pt. Clinton, Ohio. I always wondered what happened. Why did he leave his prosperous farm? Turns out he had a confrontation with a timber thief and shot and killed him. He was acquitted at trial in Sandusky, Ohio. Does anyone have any info on this man? How can I find out about this trial? Would the courthouse have a "murder trial index"? Would the library be a better choice? Any advice would be appreciated. Sharon in AZ

Sharon: Perhaps there are articles about this murder/trial in the old Sandusky newspapers during the period 1874 & 1880. I will check it out when I go to the library this week. I'm not sure if I will be going to the Court House but if I do, I will check with the courts to see where I would start to research the trial. jb Janis Burke Sandusky, Erie Co, OH Erie County Chapter, OGS --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by LRBCG.COM, Inc.]