Mystery Monday: Nowakowsky commits suicide, leaves questions

A friend’s grandfather was said to have committed suicide in jail and he asked me to research it a bit. He knew very little to start. His grandfather was born in the Ukraine and died sometime before September 1918 in the Clearfield County (PA) jail. His name is another puzzle. His first name was Ludwig. His last name was Novakosky or sometimes it was spelled Nowakosky. It might have been spelled other ways as well.

After a few unsuccessful searches, I turned to the Clearfield County PA Genealogy group on Facebook. Back around Thanksgiving, I posted “Looking for info pls on a Ludwig Novakosky. He allegedly died before September 1917 in Clearfield County Jail. Story is suicide. Looking for proof ... or direction. TIA”

One lady actually found an article dated 30 August 1917 titled “Gulich Township Citizen Makes Noose of His Belt and Is Found Dead by Attendant.” The article states Ludwig Kowokosky committed suicide while at the County Home. He was mentally defective and had been in and out of the Home. She also found his death certificate of the same date.

His name of the death certificate reads Ludwick Nowakowsky. He was a white male born in 1870. He was married, though his spouse was not listed. His parents’ names are not listed but his and their birthplaces are listed as Romania. He died, at the age of 47, on 30 August 1917.

I can not find Ludwig on any Census records. Depending on when he immigrated though, this is not surprising. Aside from this single life experience, he remains a mystery at this time. His suicide leaves so many questions: why? What happened to his widow? When did he come over? How did he land in Clearfield?

Mystery Monday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.

Comments

Coatesville's First Serial Killer

Young Alexander Meyer was a disturbed and angry young man with some major issues. He had failed sixth and seventh grade, and instead of having to repeat eighth grade again, he finally gave up on school. At age 16 he quit Downingtown Junior High. Meyer is not a relative, nor are his victims (that I am aware). I stumbled upon young Alex while reading Tortured Minds: Pennsylvania's Most Bizarre - But Forgotten - Murders by Tammy Mal. On 11 February 1937 Alexander Thweatt Meyer killed young Helen Moyer as she walked home from school in Coatesville along Modena Road. She was not his first. The jury was out only three minutes after hearing Dr. Michael Margolis' testimony on the death of Helen Moyer. The jury determined Meyer had murdered Moyer and should be held for first degree murder. The jury also condemned the parole system which had released Meyer back into the public, after having served just 14 months in Huntingdon Reformatory, for the murder of two other girls - Anna Blasc

Thaddeus Stevens at the Lancaster Convention Center

Within the Lancaster Convention Center (Lancaster, PA) is a small section dedicated to Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith. The section is known as the Stevens & Smith Historic Site. It is scheduled for development this year. At the moment one can only get a glimpse of it through the Convention Center or by peeking in from the outside. Here at Queen and Vine Streets in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania, Thaddeus Stevens had his law office. Stevens was an abolitionist. An abolitionist is a person who favors the abolition of a practice or institution, especially capital punishment or (formerly) slavery. Stevens was born 4 April 1792 to Joshua Stevens and Sarah (Sally) Morrill in Danville Vermont. One of four children, he attended Vermont University from 1810 to 1812 when the War prompted its closure. He then went to Dartmouth, where he graduated in 1814. He then studied law and found himself set up in Gettysburg, PA in 1816. He practiced law there until 1828 when he found hi

Living History Offers Opportunity to Step Back in Time

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to work the fields on a plantation during the Revolutionary War? Or stroll through an 18th century village? Or fight in battle during the Civil War? Living history offers an interactive perspective which incorporates historical activities and dress providing a sense of stepping back in time. So, how can YOU step back in time? Rock Ford volunteer Nancy Bradley in the Study of the mansion Rock Ford Plantation, in Lancaster County, PA, will be hosting a Volunteer Tour Guide Recruitment Event on Sunday, 22 March. They need tour guides for its upcoming tour season. Built circa 1794, Rock Ford was the home of Edward Hand and his family. Hand, an Irish immigrant and physician, served as Adjutant General to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Volunteer tour guides at Rock Ford bring the past to life for museum visitors. A tour guide can be any person aged 18 years and up. No experience is necessary, and trainin

Genealogical Gems

Search This Blog