Welcome to a brand new series called “You Died How?”
In preparation for and celebration of Halloween, what better subject can a genealogist write about than death? Somewhere in our family trees, we all have an ancestor who died in an unusual way, or maybe under questionable circumstances. In my family tree, bizarre deaths are everywhere. Up almost every branch people met strange and unfortunate ends—accidents, suicides, surgeries gone wrong . . . even brutal murders. In this series, I examine these deaths case by case.
Yes, it’s a little macabre. But it’s also a little bit funny. How some of these deaths occurred is frankly absurd, and the fact that they all come from one family is almost unbelievable. So let us confront the hard lives and shocking deaths of our ancestors with candor, sympathy, and a dash of humor. I also look forward to hearing what stories you have to share. Feel free to comment.
As new stories are added in the series, I will update this post to serve as an index with links.