Saturday, April 20, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 20


April 20, 19821 – “This beautiful Queen Anne historic home in Stillwater was built in 1881 by William Sauntry, a local lumber baron. [A] Recreation Hall sitting directly behind the mansion, or Gymnasium as it was called back in the day, was built in 1902 in the Moorish style, and is now a separate residence. Both buildings [were placed] on the National Registry of Historic Places [on this date].

While not a pioneer of the lumber trade in Stillwater, William Sauntry learned his craft from the best, the Timber King Frederick Weyerhaeuser. Weyerhaeuser took Sauntry, who is related to Bing Crosby, under his wing, where Sauntry flourished. Sauntry directed the Ann River Logging Company, which cut most of the last logs in the St. Croix River Valley. When logging dried up, Sauntry put his money into mining on some lands he owned on the Mesabi range. Not knowing a thing about the mining business, he ended up losing what money he had earned from logging. On November 10, 1914, at the Ryan Hotel in Saint Paul, he committed suicide by shooting himself with a revolver.

The Sauntry Mansion is now run as a very successful Bed and Breakfast by the current owners.”

1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Washington_County,_Minnesota
2http://www.historichomesofminnesota.com/2009/10/sauntry-mansion-is-stillwater.html






Photos taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain April 20, 2013,
as long as acknowledgement included.
 Photos taken Sept. 7, 2012.


Friday, April 19, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 19


April 19, 1963 – Dick W. C. Anderson, a 35-year old man from Minneapolis, was arrested in Phoenix, Ariz., on this date for the March 6 murder of Carol Thompson in Highland Park (St. Paul, Minn.).  Another Minneapolis man, Richard Sharpe, was also arrested in Phoenix, as St. Paul authorities believed “he may have played a significant part in arranging the murder.”1

“Also sought by St. Paul police for questioning” was Sheldon Morris, a man police thought “may have had temporary possession of the gun used” to bludgeon Carol Thompson to death. A fourth man, Norman Mastrian of Spring Lake Park, was also taken into custody by St. Paul homicide detectives, in the belief that Mastrian “acted as the ‘middle man’ in what” they now feel “was a case of murder-for-hire.”1

St. Paul Lt. George Barkley said he had evidence that “Mastian offered several people money to kill” Mrs. Thompson.2

T. Eugene Thompson, well known St. Paul criminal attorney and husband of the murdered woman, released a note from his office to the press saying he was very happy with the job the St. Paul police and county attorney’s office were doing on the case.

1St. Paul Pioneer Press; “No. 1 Slay Suspect Arrested;” April 20, 1963; pp. 1 and 2.
2Minneapolis Morning Tribune; “Minneapolis Police Work Rated ‘Good Job’ by St. Paul Officer”; April 20, 1963; pp. 1 and 6.




Carol and T. Eugene Thompson

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fringefestival.org/2012/img/shows/300/2399.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fringefestival.org/2012/mobile/show/?id%3D2399&h=131&w=300&sz=8&tbnid=aSULkgMvJGJE-M:&tbnh=48&tbnw=110&zoom=1&usg=__MIRu3mBlOQZysiNpkBq0KMYatRU=&docid=OCivbwRWVcXH1M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=BA2DULOME-aVyQGSwICQBw&ved=0CCsQ9QEwBA&dur=1384

Murder of Carol Thompson; see March 6, 2013 blog


Gun handle pieces found at the scene of Carol Thompson’s murder identified; see April 9, 2013 blog


Thieves admit to stealing and selling gun used in Carol Thompson murder; see April 17, 2013 blog


Suspect implicates another as actual murderer in Carol Thompson case; see April 21, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson represented one of the suspects in his wife’s murder; see April 23, 2013 blog


Pistol used to bludgeon Carol Thompson found; see April 30, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson walks out on grand jury; see May 2, 2013 blog


Getaway car in Carol Thompson murder located; see May 3, 2013 blog


Blood-stained trousers believed to have been worn by Carol Thompson’s murderer found; May 9, 2013 blog


Suspect in Carol Thompson’s murder confesses, implicates T. Eugene Thompson; see June 20, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson arrested in his wife’s murder; see June 21, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson’s role in wife’s murder revealed to public; see June 22, 2013 blog

Minn. Supreme Court affirms T. Eugene Thompson’s conviction; see Jan. 7, 2014 blog

Minn. Supreme Court denies T. Eugene Thompson’s attempt to collect wife’s insurance death benefits; see Feb. 10, 2014 blog

Thursday, April 18, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 18

April 18, 1910 – The St. Paul Hotel, ‘St. Paul’s Million-Dollar Hotel,’ opens with much enthusiasm and ceremony on [this date], with guests such as James J. Hill, the builder of the Great Northern Railway, Lucius P. Ordway, businessman and early 3M investor, and John Ireland, archbishop of St. Paul.”
http://www.saintpaulhotel.com/our_hotel/history/



St. Paul Hotel, downtown st. Paul, Minn.
Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain April 18, 2013,
as long as acknowledgement included.
 



Wednesday, April 17, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 17

April 17, 1963 - Henry W. Butler and Willard Ingram admitted to Minneapolis police that they had stolen Wayne F. Brandt’s Luger (the gun used to bludgeon Carol Thompson on March 6) from his apartment on Feb. 14, and sold it to Norman Mastrian and Sheldon Morris. Both men were found to have criminal records and were being sought by police.

This lead was the big break the authorities were looking for, and the beginning of the end for T. Eugne Thompson.

Minneapolis Morning Tribune; “Minneapolis Police Work Rated ‘Good Job’ by St. Paul Officer”; April 20, 1963; pp. 1 and 6.



The pistol handle pieces shown in newspapers.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/087542290X?ie=UTF8&index=1
Oct. 1963 issue of Front Page Detective


Murder of Carol Thompson; see March 6, 2013 blog


Gun handle pieces found at the scene of Carol Thompson’s murder identified; see April 9, 2013 blog


Suspects arrested in Carol Thompson’s murder; see April 19, 2013 blog


Suspect implicates another as actual murderer in Carol Thompson case; see April 21, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson represented one of the suspects in his wife’s murder; see April 23, 2013 blog


Pistol used to bludgeon Carol Thompson found; see April 30, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson walks out on grand jury; see May 2, 2013 blog


Getaway car in Carol Thompson murder located; see May 3, 2013 blog


Blood-stained trousers believed to have been worn by Carol Thompson’s murderer found; May 9, 2013 blog



Suspect in Carol Thompson’s murder confesses, implicates T. Eugene Thompson; see June 20, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson arrested in his wife’s murder; see June 21, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson’s role in wife’s murder revealed to public; see June 22, 2013 blog


Minn. Supreme Court affirms T. Eugene Thompson’s conviction; see Jan. 7, 2014 blog


Minn. Supreme Court denies T. Eugene Thompson’s attempt to collect wife’s insurance death benefits; see Feb. 10, 2014 blog

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 16

April 16, 1930 – Carol Bly, a teacher and an award-winning American author of short stories, essays, and nonfiction works on writing, was born in Duluth, Minn. on this date. She was the winner of the 2001 Minnesota Humanities Award for Literature and named the Minnesota Women's Press Favorite Woman Author in 2000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Bly




http://web.stlawu.edu/news/carolbly.html



Monday, April 15, 2013

Women Immigrating Solo

I’m always in awe of the courage and possibly the desperation that caused our ancestors to immigrate to America from their homelands. Many of our ancestors crossed the oceans as families, and many single men came over to find work or to own land, which they couldn't do in their home county. But what about our women ancestors?

My great-grandmother Anna came from Finland to Minnesota by herself in 1902. Her husband, my great-grandfather William, had come to Minnesota six months earlier to find a job and a place for them to live. I admire my great-grandmother because she traveled alone and

   1) she didn't speak or read English and

   2) while she spoke Finnish, she couldn't read Finnish. She couldn't read, period.

How did she know where to go? How did she know when to get on or when to get off the train?

My great-grandmother Anna was married when she immigrated, yet many of our female ancestors came to America by themselves; no family to meet up or live with, and no jobs set up in advance. In time, these single women immigrants became a big concern for the U.S. government.

Most of these single women became teachers, nannies, laundresses, maids, etc. However, the government was worried that if these women had no husband, family or job when they arrived alone, they may become corrupted by local Fagins or recruited by houses of ill repute, or worse, a public charge on the dole (lpc marked on the detainee passenger list = likely to become a public charge).



http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Pa-Sp/Slovak-Americans.html


Women Detainees
“Beginning about 1903, the passenger arrival lists began to include a supplemental section for detainees. Many immigrants were detained for short periods of time at the port of arrival until relatives came to claim them. This especially applied to unescorted women, regardless if children accompanied them. A woman may have been held until her husband or other relative was able to come collect her, or at least until a response was received to a telegram informing the husband or relative of her arrival. Once it was confirmed that someone would be expecting her, the woman could be released to catch the rail to her final destination.”1

http://www.geh.org/fm/lwhprints/htmlsrc2/m197701770074_ful.html


Did any of your female ancestors travel to the U.S. alone? If yes, do you know if she was detained as "likely to become a public charge"?

LLet me help you find out what parts of history your family had a role in.


Discover your roots and watch the branches of your family tree 
begin to grow.


For more information on my Family History Research services, visit TheMemoryQuilt.com and click on Family History Research in the left-hand column.

1http://www.dvhh.org/dta/usa/general-research/alien_detentions.htm

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 15

April 15, 1944 – “The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party was created on [on this date] after the Minnesota Democrats merged with the Farmer-Labor Party. Hubert H. Humphrey was instrumental in the merger and is considered by many to be the founder of Minnesota DFL Party.”
http://dfl.org/about/history




Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H_Humphrey.jpg

Sunday, April 14, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 14


April 14, 1861 – “The 1st Minnesota was the first state volunteer regiment formally tendered to the Federal government under Abraham Lincoln's call for 75,000 troops in 1861, being offered on April 14 for three months service, Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey happening to be in Washington
at the time.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Minnesota_Volunteer_Infantry


Governor Alexander Ramsey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alexander_Ramsey,_Brady-Handy_bw_photo_portrait,_ca1865-1880.jpg