Brief recap of my family tree; George Ramsey and Elizabeth Charcote .....Daniel George Ramsey and Susannah Wise ..........Isaac Ramsey and Barbra Keener ...............James Alexander Ramsey and Edith Mabel McAlpine I left off in 1901 when James Ramsey married Edith McAlpine. By 1903 they had their first child, born in KY, but by 1904 things began changing. Their second child, was born, but died within a week, and Edith's parents sold their farm and moved back to Ohio. By 1905, James and Edith were in Missouri where their 3rd child was born. In 1907, when Edith was pregnant with their 4th child, later to become known to me as Grandpa, there was a tragedy in the family. Edith's father, Oscar McAlpine was an alcoholic and most likely an abusive man. He and his wife, Mary Gamon McAlpine, had decided to go their separate ways and had evidently reached a financial agreement regarding their property. Mary settled in Penfield, Lorain, Ohio and Oscar had gone to Wisconsin where he had purchased a farm. I'll never know the full story, as the court records were all destroyed as were most of the prison records, so perhaps it would be best to just include a portion of the newspaper article. Printed in the "Elyria Chronicle" on Saturday, January 5, 1907. "SENDS BULLET THROUGH HIS WIFE'S BRAIN, THEN AIMS AT OWN HEART Oscar McAlpine, Crazed by Drink, Commits Murder in a Spirit of Revenge, But Fails at Suicide ------------------- Trouble Started Over Division of Estate After Separation of Family --- Had Returned from Wisconsin to Secure Money with Which to Equip Farm ------------------- "Whiskey did it". This was what Oscar Mcalpine said last night between groans in the county jail. He was arrested Friday afternoon and brought to the county jail after he had shot his wife fatally and then turned the revolver on himself. The bullet which went into him passed under his heart and lodged quite close to his lung. McAlpine is 68 years of age, and is a farmer. His wife and family lived in Pennfield township, where he lived up to a short time ago when he went to Wisconsin. He had trouble with his wife for some years, and the time came when they must part. They could not live together. The division of their estate caused trouble. Mrs. McAlpine, it is said, agreed to separate and give Oscar $1,800. She gave him $1,200. He went away to Wisconsin, expecting that she would send him the balance. He took his daughter with him. His wife did not forward the money to him and this made him angry. He bought a farm in Wisconsin, and when he was arrested he had the deed of the property in his pocket. He wanted more money with which to stock the farm and buy farm implements. He depeneded upon the balance he was to received from his wife to do this and when she did not send it he was nettled and started for home. His visit was to have a settlement with his wife one way or the other. On the way he had a number of drinks and when he reached his home he was well under the influence of liquor. When he arrived at the jail his breath was strong with the odor of whiskey. He carried in his hip pocket a loaded 32 caliber revolver and whether he bought the revolver with the intention of killing his wife if she would not settle up, cannot be told now. When he and his daughter reache their home he took off his coat and hat and was only an hour in the house when he entered into an argument with his wife. She was at the time washing and never expected that her husband was going to take her life. They had only been talking a short time when McAlpine pulled his gun and without any provocation let it go at his wife. The bullet in its flight went into the woman's head, and possing out lodged in the pail in the pantry. McAlpine was deliberate in his actions. Seeing that his wife was dead he turned the muzzle of the revolver to his side and discharged it under his heart....." Now we all know why Great-Grandma never talked about her family. My Grandfather, Raymond Earl Ramsey, was born in 1907 in Missouri. In 1927 he was working in the oil fields around Wewoka, Oklahoma during the Oil Boom Days. It was in the Wayfarer's Cafe that he met Mabel BRUCE. She was his waitress and asked his what his name was when she was filling out his lunch ticket. His reply was, "The same as yours' is gonna be." He was a man of his word and within six months they were married. Their marriage lasted for over 63 years until Grandma's death. I'm not done with the Family Tree though. There are still plenty of gaps to fill in and then there's always the future!!! You see, my son is getting is getting married in six months, so now I have a whole new branch to start on. Rebecca Ramsey - an America Mutt, and proud of it!