2023 Fall Newsletter

THINGS TO LEARN FROM MIAMI COUNTY OBITUARIES MCHM continues to work on digitizing its catalog of Obituaries. There is a treasure trove of information glued to those cards in the physical catalog. There are stories of people doing heroic deeds. There are stories of people dying in unusual circumstances. There are people with unusual given names or nicknames. We’ll share some of this with you in the newsletters. by Mike Barnett

met death in Colorado last Thursday evening”. It seems Joe and D. A. took a car to town to pick up some things for the return train journey while the ladies waited at home. On the return trip, the men crossed the railroad tracks at the Main St. crossing. No flagman as present and their car was struck by a pas senger engine coming up from the yards. Joe was car ried nearly a block and never recovered from the five inch gash in his head. The irony in this obituary tale is rich. A railroad employee in the middle of a railroad trip honeymoon is killed by a train while crossing a rail road track - in an automobile. Rest in peace Joe. The Double-Barreled Tale of Joseph Danneck Joseph grew up in Paola as the son of Mrs. Kathryn Danneck. “He graduated from Paola High School in 1923. For a time he operated a road show company of ‘Broadway’. In 1929 he left the show business to be come associated with a sporting goods firm in Detroit.” Joe’s final resting place is the Grand Lawn Cemetery in Detroit. His mother attended the services. Barrel one – The gunfight. “Two business men were killed today in a pistol battle at close range on the bal cony of a sporting goods store in downtown Detroit. The dead are Harry Levey, 50, owner of the sporting goods company, and Joseph Danneck, 30, manager of another sports equipment company store. The bod ies were found in Levey’s store when a clerk entered shortly after 9 a.m. They were twenty feet apart and pistols which had been fired several times were found beside each body. Police found an application for an indemnity bond on which entries by Levey made uncomplimentary refer ences to Danneck’s financial conduct.” Mr. Levey was treasurer of the Detroit Basketball Asso ciation. Joseph Danneck had previously worked for Mr. Levey. Joe sought the bond from the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Co. The Hartford apparently went to Mr. Levey for reference. Both parties paid the ultimate price.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? We all get at least one assigned to us when we arrive on the scene. Often that gets shortened or replaced by a nickname by our parents, siblings or peers for everyday use. Here are some doozies from our obituaries. (Yes – they are real) Male given names: Cola Othur Abijah Fanander Female given names: Thurza Lalah Evah Siotha Cool Nicknames: Marvin E ‘BIRDSEED’ Bledsoe Agatha ‘EASTA’ Booth Lillian M ‘ISH’ Bussell OBITUARY TALES Many of the obituaries have an ex traordinary tale to tell. Here are the first tales to share with you in the newsletter. They come from the cate gory of death with unusual circumstances. The Sad Tale of Joe Bones Joe’s family moved to Lane in 1903 when Joe was one “where he drew up as a splendid type of manhood”. He was employed as a machinist helper at MoPac in 1922. “Joe was a general favorite, a very capable young man, happy, industrious coupled with serene good cheer, a smile and a cheery word.” Joe Bones rests in the Elmdale Cemetery. He was killed in a tragic accident at age 24. In Feb. 1926, 24-year-old Joe married Miss Pearl Gregg on a Sunday in Ottawa. Joe and Pearl left for Grand Junction, CO, that same evening on the train from Osawatomie to start their honeymoon where they stayed with brother-in-law D. A. Eddy. The obituary reports that “tragedy followed a young Osawatomie couple closely, overtaking them on their honeymoon trip, so that the joy of the wedding party was turned to deepest sorrow when the bridegroom

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