A New Years Resolution: Find out what happened to my grand uncle, Eddie Stephan McCullen. Family legend, passed down by family historian Judy Herbert, has it that he was murdered in the streets of Manhattan on August 18, 1953. A very high level of probability is attached to this lore. Eddie’s uncle, Judge Edward J. McCullen, apparently sealed the court records surrounding the homicide. […]
Thompson Colonnade Greets Visitors to Butte Cemetery
A graceful granite colonnade framing several modest gravestones greets visitors to the Mount Moriah Cemetery in Butte, Montana. This is the place where William Thompson (1838-1900) and Annie Maria Boyce Thompson (1846-1894) were buried, along with two of their children, Arthur and Flora. A year before he died, eldest son William Boyce Thompson, who wasn’t particularly religious, commissioned […]
Ernest’s Butler Still Haunts His New Orleans Home
I couldn’t figure out why the picture on the brochure advertising ghost tours of the Garden District in New Orleans looked familiar. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks–that’s my long-lost uncle Ernest Kruttschnitt’s house on the cover. The home, which is currently used as a boarding house, and apparently is for sale […]
The Mysterious Hunt for the Grave of Rebecca de Mendes
Row 8, plot 85. With the coordinates in hand, it should be simple to find the grave of Rebecca de Mendes Benjamin. But the sun has set over the Dispersed of Judah cemetery, the moon is reduced to a crescent, and an ominous chill has settled in over otherwise warm-blooded New Orleans. Ethan points a meager flashlight borrowed […]
Peninah Benjamin Kruttschnitt Died in a Big House in the Garden District
Peninah Benjamin Kruttschnitt died on April 18, 1903, at her son Ernest’s home, according to her obituary in the Times Picayune. Remarkably, the stately residence at 1423 First Street is still standing, and it’s in very good condition. In fact, the eclectic house, with its Classical columns and Palladian windows, is one of the most beautiful […]
Young Margaret McCullen Sued the Railroad — and Won
On July 22, 1900, John Wigmore jumped on a trolley car at Flushing headed for Far Rockaway. According to the U.S. Census, the 18-year-old, who lived in a New York City tenement and caned chairs for a living, was thrown off the car by either the conductor or the motorman after he refused to pay an […]