How I Found Murder and Intrigue in My Family History

When I first started using the Internet in 2000 I wanted to use the new technology to help trace my family tree. My grandmother had given me a mimeographed print out from the 1960s that showed her great-great grandfather, Daniel, was an orphaned boy who lived in West Virginia. I was fascinated. How was this boy orphaned? I began my search.

I joined Rootsweb (now a part of Ancestry.com). At the time Rootsweb was a grassroots gathering on the Internet with resources categorized by surname and by region. I contacted a librarian, Phyllis, in Frederick, Maryland (Daniel's birthplace). Phyllis had signed up with Rootsweb as a volunteer resource for her region. If you sent her details about an individual, when she found time, she would look up information from resources in her library. I sent Phyllis all the details about Daniel.

Phyllis replied to me by email. She found evidence that Daniel's father, Johannes, was a glassblower in Frederick. Glassblowing was a common profession in this area at the time. Johannes probably made simple vessels to hold beer and wine. Not much research on the old glassworks exists, and the buildings did not survive, but we do know that Johannes worked there and that his sister's marriage was performed at the glassworks. Some of this information was derived from extensive records by the local Lutheran Church where my family attended services. For many families the best resource for researching their genealogy is documentation from religious communities. Most people throughout history have been associated with a religion. Religious authorities are usually the most literate in a community and they love to keep records!

Now having Daniel's father's name and birth date from the Lutheran records, I was now able to search online military records and I soon discovered that Johannes was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. His unit was at Valley Forge with General George Washington. Was Johannes at Valley Forge? We don't know that exactly, but knowing that his unit was there we can assume he was most likely with them. Now when we read about the history of that time it is a lot more personal and interesting to us. Most United State's military role calls are online and free to search. You can search through Ancestry.com by buying a membership at 12.95 per month (with a free two week trial). My local library has an Ancestry.com membership and I can use it free with my library card ID. Check your local library.

Phyllis, the librarian volunteer, then sent me disturbing news. She sent me an article from The Maryland Chronicle dated 11 April 1787:

Frederick-Town, April 11

"On Tuesday, the 3rd instant, was committed in this town, a murder of a nature so horrible that every being possessed of rational endowments, lucid intervals, a patriotic zeal for the welfare of his country and countrymen, together with an affection for his dearly beloved spouse, must wonder how any rational man could commit a cruelty of the following nature, (to wit):

A certain (Johannes A), who could not get any recompense at his brother-in-law's went home and had a few words with his wife and beat her in such a manner that she expired in about two hours afterwards. The next day in order the more clearly to ascertain the purpose of this so horrible a deed, the presence of sundry physicians were requested by the coroner of the county, who after having full examined the bruises by dissection, and investigating the matter maturely decreed that said husband of malice and ill will did commit this act; this villain was immediately committed to the goal from whence it is the sincere wish of every individual among us, he may not be discharged until justice the grand basis of our happiness, may finally put an end to his existence."

My ancestor was a murderer! My face went white when I read the email. I had a hard time believing that I had inherited murderous genes. Was Johannes only acting out of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? I had read about the conditions soldiers had lived in throughout the war. Or was there a mean streak running through my family tree? Well, we have had a couple of peaceful centuries in my family since then so I think all is well. But I continue to try to learn more about preventing domestic violence and I contribute to a local women's shelter as a result of researching our family tree.

We don't really think our family is unusual. I imagine most people will find something like this if they search their family tree. Be prepared for what you might find and be sure to call on the genealogy community for support when you need it. We are now trying to find out what happened to little orphaned Daniel. Who took him in? Did he have a hard life? Did he leave any written history? The search continues...

Source: The Maryland Chronicle