Finding branches of your family tree in someone else’s murder trial

During the two years I spent researching the story of Florence Knoblock’s murder and the subsequent investigation and criminal trials, I was astonished by the number of names I encountered. I expected to find details about Florence and her family, but I hadn’t really appreciated just how well I would get to know the people living in Pleasant Township, the city of Burlington, and the various people working for the courts and the law. One of the great advantages of researching a major historic murder case in a small town: because they don’t happen often, when they do, they’re big news. The local paper may add extra sheets to cover the details if the editor thinks he can make enough sales. As Sherwood Anderson wrote in his book, Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small Town Life, “The paper…had one policy. It strove to mention by name in each issue as many as possible of the inhabitants of the village.”

Let’s look at what this might mean for someone researching family history during a time period that coincides with the Florence Knoblock murder investigation.

Statements from possible witnesses

The Daily Republican included some early statements from various witnesses who might have seen a potential suspect. In addition to learning about what she saw, we learned that Mrs. E. E. Liggett worked at the Katy Store on West Neosho Street in Burlington and that she worked on Saturday mornings.

E. E. Liggett’s statement, from “Deacon Stevens Claims He Was in Independence at the Time of the Murder,” Daily Republican, June 2, 1925.

Law enforcement, medical personnel, and other officials

Sometimes when researching family members, we might find names and dates of major life events, but we don’t always know much about what those ancestors actually did for a living. Newspaper articles tell us the roles played by various official personnel. Imagine being able to understand exactly where your great-uncle-so-and-so was the afternoon of May 30, 1925. Here, we learn the names and roles of the sheriff, the coroner, the county attorney, the marshal, and a doctor.

From “Skull Crushed and Throat Cut–Mrs. Knoblock is Found by Her Husband Saturday Afternoon,” Daily Republican, June 1, 1925.

Possible suspects

Several different men are arrested during the investigation of the murder of Florence Knoblock. Because there was no apparent motive and no obvious suspects, anyone who was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time was likely to be arrested and questioned. For example, a man named Vance Fox cut through a farm field of William Strawn to shorten his walk home. After a manhunt involving a hundred people, he was taken into custody. A genealogist learned a lot about Vance Fox; where he lived, the fact that he was probably poor because he walked from Emporia to Strawn instead of taking the train or a car, and that he was healthy enough to make a 35-mile walk.

From “Crowd Gathers in Response to Alarm Vance Fox Held,” Daily Republican, June 6, 1925.

Subpoenaed witnesses

Both the Daily Republican and the Emporia Gazette printed lists of subpoenaed witnesses. In the case of State of Kansas v. John Knoblock, the number of witnesses would ultimately clear one hundred. Here is an excerpt from the list printed for the preliminary hearing. The genealogist will see names, family connections, and lots of people who lived in the same neighborhood.

From “Are Preparing for Hard Fight at Preliminary,” Daily Republican, November 7, 1925.

Prospective jurors

My favorite newspaper articles involved the jury selection process. Reporters John Redmond and Bill White listed every juror and every excuse they used to try to get out of jury duty. The genealogist might learn where their relatives live and work. They might learn that their ancestor was hard of hearing or was recovering from the flu, or that they can’t afford the financial burden of sitting on a trial instead of earning a living.

A sampling of the juror selection process from the first trial. From “Making Good Progress Toward Securing Jury to Try John Knoblock,” January 12, 1926.

A sampling of prospective jurors from the second trial. From “Accept Two Jurors,” Emporia Gazette, May 6, 1926.

Reporting on other reporters

To emphasize how important the trial might be, reporters might take the time to mention other reporters and important citizens who are attending the trial as spectators. For example, John Redmond mentions a newspaper reporter and a magazine reporter present at the trial.

From “Notes on the Trial,” Daily Republican, January 13, 1926.

Trial witnesses

We expect to see information about testimony from witnesses in newspaper articles about murder trials. Genealogists may also learn details about the witness: where he/she works, lives, who he/she associates with, and even what he/she looks like. Although the local reporter might not go into great detail about local folks, an out-of-town reporter will make the extra effort to describe how witnesses appear on the witness stand. For example, here are two descriptions of Coffey County woman Stella Menard, a witness called by the prosecution, as written by Emporia Gazette reporter Bill White:

From “Trial Slowing Up,” Emporia Gazette, January 14, 1926.

From “State Rests Tonight,” Emporia Gazette, January 15, 1926.

As I read through the newspaper articles about the Florence Knoblock murder, investigation and trials, I was overwhelmed by the hundreds of names that appeared connected just to this story. The tough part for the genealogist is learning about the major trials that might have happened in an area where his or her ancestors lived, and then accessing those newspapers if they’re not already available online.

As part of my research, I created a giant spreadsheet of all of the names I encountered in just the newspaper articles. Although they don’t all turn up in Shadow on the Hill, I wanted to make the information easily available for anyone who might be researching family who lived in Coffey County and Lyon County between 1925 and 1926. It’s also a handy way to keep track of the several hundred people who do turn up in Shadow on the Hill. As you explore the database, think not only of the trial, but what it was like to be on that witness stand, or hoping to avoid jury duty, or being interviewed by the paper for something you saw. It’s an enlightening way to think about your ancestors–as regular human beings experiencing a moment in time.

For Readers and Genealogists: Names connected to the Knoblock murder investigation and trial

The Kansas Center for the Book honors Doc

Doc by Mary Doria Russell

 

A year ago, I listened to the audiobook version of Mary Doria Russell’s book Doc, a very human perspective of the legendary Doc Holliday. I fell in love with the book and never miss an opportunity to recommend it for its storytelling, beautiful language, and fascinating perspective of post-Civil War Kansas.

The Kansas Center for the Book just named Doc a 2012 Kansas Notable Book, which means that Doc isn’t just a great book, it’s worthy of being included in the canon of Kansas literature.

Buy it, borrow it, download it, read it, listen to it. Doc will change the way you understand history and humanity.

Sometimes a rock is just a rock

“See that big boulder over there?” My then-boyfriend, now-husband, Jim, pointed to a large rock with a small bronze rectangle on it. It was in the spring of 2000, during one of my visits to Emporia before I packed up my meager belongings and left L.A. for good. We were driving through the old Maplewood section of Memorial Lawn Cemetery.

“The story goes that Preston B. Plumb, one of early Emporia’s important citizens, was having an affair with a woman in Colorado. Supposedly, his wife caught Preston with his mistress, right on that very rock. When he died, Mrs. Plumb had that rock hauled all the way back to Emporia, planted it smack on top of his grave, and said, ‘That ought to keep the SOB down.'”

—

Each year, around the end of July and the beginning of August, Kansas is hit with the most hideous and humid weather. Temperatures reach the triple digits, with a humidity pushing the heat index to 110 or 115 degrees. Our air conditioners can barely keep up, but at least we have air conditioners. A hundred years ago, Kansans had two options: if you were poor, you stayed around and suffered. If you were at least a little well-to-do, you hopped the train and headed for the cooler air of Colorado.

Such was the case of the Plumb family. Preston B. Plumb was, in fact, an important Emporian. Emporia State University’s oldest and most prominent building bears his name. His house, Plumb Place, still serves as a well-respected residence for low-income women. And so, when the heat of summer settled over Emporia like a smothering wet towel, the Plumb family packed their bags and headed west.

—

“So I had that stone shipped back to Emporia and hand it placed right on top of his grave. That ought to keep that man down!” It was living history day at the cemetery, and a university theater major, dressed as Mrs. Plumb, told the story of the Plumb rock as the crowd roared with laughter.

“Now wait just a doggone minute!” a shout came out over the still chuckling crowd. “Where did you get that history?”

The girl, taken aback, looked at the balding man with the closely cropped white beard. “The historical society,” she said.

The naysayer wasn’t just any naysayer; he was Bob Hodge, a man who has spent his retired years reading every available microfilmed issue of all 44 Lyon County newspapers then indexing their contents.  The crowd parted, turning their attention to the man in the short-sleeved plaid shirt.

“The rock,” he said, “was from Colorado. But that’s because the Plumbs went to Colorado over the summers. And this rock came from one of their favorite spots. So when he died, his wife had this rock brought back for their plot. That’s why this rock doesn’t look like the other rocks in this cemetery. It isn’t native. The story about the affair isn’t true.”

After hearing Bob Hodge’s story, the crowd departed. The truth wasn’t nearly as interesting as the legend.

—

Still, the legend has legs in Emporia; its one of a handful of stories newcomers interested in history hear, following how Emporia became the county seat (supposedly, men stole the books from the territorial county seat in Americus), the Sandy Bird/Marty Anderson murders, and the legend of the brewery in a cave next to the university campus. Yet I couldn’t find it documented on paper anywhere, and a google search brought up another wonderful Plumb legend: that of the curse of the Wyandot Indians. Apparently, Preston B. Plumb argued the ancient Huron Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas should be razed and sold for land; he dropped dead a year later.

Despite there being at least a dozen other large stones used as family markers throughout the cemetery, the Plumb rock continues to garner the most attention.  One part of the legend cannot be true; Preston has his own marker nearby, just as the other Plumbs do – meaning the boulder isn’t planted on his chest.

Emporia is finally cooling down; 100 years ago, the Plumbs and others would be en route to Emporia right now. Plumb had no idea that despite helping found a town, despite being a U.S. Senator, despite his work as a Kansas legislator, he would be better known for betraying his wife and stomping on a Native American tribe.

But without the legends, would he just be a name on a building and a rock?

The famous Plumb rock in the old Maplewood Section of Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Emporia, Kansas.