This fellow ought to be in the 1910 census, in that asylum, if he was in there at that date. If you knew what township or city, I might well be able to find it. Where was he in 1900? I think that 1900 census had the best records of, for instance, peoples' dates of birth, they actually pinned it down to the month. No clue WHERE in California? Whoops! I would get the 1910 census soundex index for California. Though he could be in the census and not in the soundex. The soundex did, however, list people who did not have children under 10. I've been using it a fair amount. I have access only to the ones for Texas where I am, though. Also, I would find out where there were insane asylums in California in 1910. I bet there weren't very many! Finally, there must have been publicity of those murders. I would find out where you might find media coverage and court records - given you don't know what locality. I gather he killed your great grandmother - where did she die, and where is she buried? This must be where the crime occurred, and probably where he was tried! The court records would show to what facility he was sent! If you follow the trail to where your great grandmother was killed or is likely to have lived when she was killed, you'll be on the trail of your great grandfather. If the asylum is still there, they might atleast tell you when he was born and died, also how you might get whatever records there were. I know from researching my great grandmother in Massachusetts that they weren't always detailed. And they could be wrong. On hearing my great grandmother, who came from Montreal, rave that her family were English, the staff at the hospital where she was decided her father's family must have been French - and put what they wrongly thought was a French version of her name on her death certificate - even gave it to her parents! It turns out to be her father's Scotch Irish background she was trying to deny. Also, you should be able to get the death certificate. I found my great grandmother's actual English-born mother's birth, and the records for her entire family - in the Mormon IGI! Many of England's church records have been variously filmed and indexed by the Mormons. Later, one of two existing copies of her father's death certificate confirmed where they were from in England. In Montreal, you had to watch out for multiple versions of any document. Also, check the records of the cemetery where he is buried, and the records of teh funeral home, if available - you could be surprised what they sometimes know! It was the CEMETERY that told me my great grandmother's father died of alcoholism. This wasn't on the death certificates. Either of them. Also, if he murdered his wife, you might possibly learn alot from local police and court records, and the media. Yours, Dora --- Debra Chapman <ddchapman@prodigy.net> wrote: > I am interested in this topic also. I have a > gr-grandfather, who, > according to family stories, died in an insane > asylum in California in > 1911. Since he was a immigrant from England, I > have hoped that records > might have some information about his family or > where he came from. I > just never have had an idea as to how to > proceed. I don't have a clue > WHERE in California, and he had a very common > name. And, yes, the > family did cover it up, only my mother was > told, and I'm the only one in > my generation who was told. But, they had more > of a reason to cover it > up, he murdered his wife. > Debbie > > > ==== PACHESTE Mailing List ==== > Stop by our associated website for Chester > County Genealogy at > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacheste/chester.htm > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/