I haven't seen any rules against this, so I hope it's okay. Coral was never officially listed as missing, though her living relatives have no idea what happened to her. She seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth after 1920. I know it's a rather strange case but nonetheless, I hope someone can make some sort of headway with it.
Overview:
Coral Shay, born 1891 in Forest, Ontario, Canada, was last verified to have been seen when she made a court appearance for her arson trial in January 1920. She'd set fire to a "home for wayward girls" she'd been forced to live in for 15 years. She was found not guilty. After this, she was supposed to go work as a maid again, but there doesn't seem to be any records of this, meaning her trial was the last official record of her. Her descendants don't know what happened to her, especially since it's not completely clear whether her parents and sisters even knew for sure themselves or if they just kept her under wraps more securely to stop a repeat performance.
(There are photos of Coral at the link. I can't seem to get them to show up here
)
She stole a blanket and was trapped in a home for wayward girls for 15 years. Then she made a run for it | The Star
Family:
Her parents were:
Theories:
Personally, I'm leaning to perhaps a mix of one and three. From what I've heard, Coral's mom wasn't very fond of her and there's some who believe Thomas had an affair and took the resulting baby (Coral) to live with them which would explain why. It could also explain why Margaret never talked about her and why they kept her locked away for so long.
Overview:
Coral Shay, born 1891 in Forest, Ontario, Canada, was last verified to have been seen when she made a court appearance for her arson trial in January 1920. She'd set fire to a "home for wayward girls" she'd been forced to live in for 15 years. She was found not guilty. After this, she was supposed to go work as a maid again, but there doesn't seem to be any records of this, meaning her trial was the last official record of her. Her descendants don't know what happened to her, especially since it's not completely clear whether her parents and sisters even knew for sure themselves or if they just kept her under wraps more securely to stop a repeat performance.
(There are photos of Coral at the link. I can't seem to get them to show up here
)She stole a blanket and was trapped in a home for wayward girls for 15 years. Then she made a run for it | The Star
Family:
Her parents were:
- Thomas Shay (1854-1924)
- Margaret Shay (née Harvey) (1862-1944)
- Margaret Shay (later Sutherland) (1882-1960)
- Mabelle Shay (later Fraser) (1884-1967)
Theories:
- According to the article, Coral's nephew would visit her in either Toronto or Detroit in an institution. She possibly lived and died there after her trial but there doesn't seem to be any concrete proof of this unless she changed her background and her name. It's also possible that the nephew just misremembered and they either never visited Coral or at least never visited her at an institution.
- Both parents' obits listed her as being married to different men (though both with the same surname) in different cities. It's possible she married one (or both) of them, and changed her name. It's also possible it was a lie to keep the family 'looking good.'
- Possibility that she's not really a Shay but an 'adopted' child or maybe a child from an affair, which would account for there being no known birth record or records later on with the name Coral Shay. She could have lived the rest of her life with a different (real??) name.
Personally, I'm leaning to perhaps a mix of one and three. From what I've heard, Coral's mom wasn't very fond of her and there's some who believe Thomas had an affair and took the resulting baby (Coral) to live with them which would explain why. It could also explain why Margaret never talked about her and why they kept her locked away for so long.
