This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Budsburg, Gunness Classification: Census Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/DFC.2ACE/152.748 Message Board Post: BW-Belle Gunness (1896-1908) aka "Lady Bluebeard" was the first 20th Century Black Widow. She was never brought to justice. On a farm outside of Chicago, she killed 49 people, including multiple husbands, ranch workers, and children who were put up with her thru adoption agencies. Most of the people died from poisoning, diagnosed as acute colitis, although many others met with freak accidents on the farm. Toward the end, she collaborated in an arson cover-up with one of the ranch workers who was also set up as the patsy while she faked her own death. The patsy died in prison, innocent of any crime other than the arson he participated in. http://www.crimelibrary.com/classics/gunness/ http://www.horrorseek.com/horror/bedlambound/library/gunness.html Meanwhile, the suitors kept coming; all responding to Belle's enticing advertisements. Ole B. Budsburg, an elderly widower from Iolo, Wisconsin, next appeared. He was last seen alive at the La Porte Savings Bank on April 6th, 1907 - when he mortgaged his Wisconsin land there, signing over a deed and obtaining several thousand dollars in cash. His sons, Oscar and Mathew Budsburg, had no idea that their father had gone off to visit the widow Belle. When they finally discovered his destination, they wrote to Mrs. Gunness - she promptly wrote back, saying she had never seen Mr. Budsburg Sr. +++++ On-line sources to check: Stevens Point Area Obituary Index http://library.uwsp.edu/depts/archives/obits/osearch.htm Cemetery records at: http://library.uwsp.edu/depts/archives/Cemetery/ Census records at: http://library.uwsp.edu/depts/archives/Census/ Portage County Historical Society http://www.pchswi.org/index.htm Portage County Courthouse: http://www.co.portage.wi.us/ UW-St Point Archives http://library.uwsp.edu/depts/gen/genealog.htm#ARCHIVES Where to write http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiportag/links/portadd.htm Recent obits can be obtained from WI Newpapers On-line - http://www.wisinfo.com/ I am not related to nor have any additional information on these surnames. If there is a question of error in this transcription, please consult the original documents. R/S MAK http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiportag ++++++