Minnie Adkins—a young Black mother and domestic worker—sparked a rare wave of public sympathy after she shot and killed a white man who threatened her. Minnie Williamson (1884-aft. 1950) was born in 1884 in North Carolina to Bedford Williamson and Della Willis. One of nine siblings, Minnie came of age in the post-Reconstruction South asContinue reading “A Killing in Dennison: The Story of Minnie Adkins”
Tag Archives: manslaughter
No Apology Given: The Leo Byers Murder of 1934
On a quiet street in Dover, Ohio, a friendship turned fatal one Sunday in 1934. Leo E. Byers (1894-1934) was born in 1894 in Pennsylvania to William E. Byers (1868-1945), who later served as police chief in Dover, Ohio, and Jane Robertson (1869-1907). During his early years, he lived with his family in Westmoreland County,Continue reading “No Apology Given: The Leo Byers Murder of 1934”
A Quiet Life Broken: The 1909 Murder of Alice Parsons
The seemingly idyllic life of Alice and Lewis Parsons in New Philadelphia, Ohio was shattered by gunshots on a fall morning in 1909. Content warning: This post contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to getContinue reading “A Quiet Life Broken: The 1909 Murder of Alice Parsons”
“A Bad Man”: The Killing of Henry Bushman
German immigrant Henry Bushman led a troubled and short life, marred by frequent run-ins with the law and fueled by alcohol, which eventually led to a fatal encounter with his nephew in Uhrichsville, Ohio. When someone lived as short a life as German immigrant Henry Bushman (1852-1883) did in the 19th century, it is oftenContinue reading ““A Bad Man”: The Killing of Henry Bushman”
A Life for Two Dollars: The 1907 Murder of Joseph Yerian
A deadly altercation over a $2 bet between two transient railroad workers in Bolivar, Ohio led to the town’s first murder. The Yerian family arrived in Ohio from western Pennsylvania in the early nineteenth-century and, by the time Joseph A. Yerian (1883-1907) was born, a branch of that family lived in Washington County, Ohio. JosephContinue reading “A Life for Two Dollars: The 1907 Murder of Joseph Yerian”
The Last Chapter: Frank Foote Part Three
Frank Foote, Jr. was convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death of George Clawson in December 1861 and experienced violence and death as a soldier during the Civil War from 1862 until 1865. He returned home to Cincinnati after the war to begin the last chapter of his short life, accompanied by the ghosts ofContinue reading “The Last Chapter: Frank Foote Part Three”
“On the Front Line All the Time.”: Frank Foote Part Two
Frank Foote, Jr., convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death of George Clawson in December 1861, found himself enlisted in Company I, 70th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in early 1862. He served in the regiment from 1862 until 1865, experienced a number of bloody engagements, until his discharge and return to Cincinnati. It is unclear exactlyContinue reading ““On the Front Line All the Time.”: Frank Foote Part Two”
“A Surly and Offensive Reply”: Frank Foote Part One
When studying an ancestor’s personal story, I often wonder how the events and actions they experienced impacted the course of their lives. In the case of my 3rd-great-uncle, Frank Foote, Junior, there is little doubt his death was hastened by the violence of his youth. (The Foote surname is spelled Foote and Foot in theContinue reading ““A Surly and Offensive Reply”: Frank Foote Part One”
Tuscarawas County Stories 