MN MN - Goodhue, Unidentified Body of elderly white man found in unmarked grave in 1984.

[Richard]

Could this man have been a victim of - or at least hastily buried because of - Prohibition Era (1919-1933) illegal alcohol activity?

Here are a couple of recent articles about Minnesota during Prohibition:

The lessons of Prohibition in Minnesota

One hundred years ago today the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, the first line of which read: "The eighteenth article of amendment to the...

www.americanexperiment.org

How Minnesota farmers kept booze flowing during Prohibition

Mobsters became famous for bootlegging, but smaller moonshine operations dotted the countryside.

www.startribune.com

 

[Richard]

It would be nice to have an artist's conception drawn or sculpted to see what he might have looked like. Putting a face to the man would be a good step toward learning who he was.

Perhaps DNA testing of the remains would lead to some answers as well.

 

[Richard]

This case is now an active one being worked by the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office. The remains were located in storage at Hamline University, where they had been sent for study in 1984. They were returned to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office, along with all files, and chain of custody documents last month.

Perhaps DNA testing will be done as with two previous long time unidentified doe cases which were solved by the Goodhue County Sheriff Office in 2022.

LINK:

Identified! - MN - Red Wing/Old Frontenac, infant siblings: Jamie (Fem/UP4795/Nov'99) / Cory (Male/UP4794/Dec'03) *Mother Arrested*

This case bothers me a great deal, and has had little to no attention here- I've only found a side mention of it in a very old post about a similar, unrelated case in the same area. On November 4, 1999, fishermen discovered the body of a newborn baby girl was found near the docks on the shore...

www.websleuths.com

 

[carbuff]

Oh I hope so!

 

[Richard]

It has now been 40 years since this Unidentified man was found buried in a sitting position.

His shallow grave was located very close to a farm house in rural Goodhue Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota.

Initial autopsy results in 1984 indicated that it was the body of a white man, between 60 and 70 years of age, who stood 5 feet 3 inches tall. His left femur had been broken and healed many years before his death, and that old injury probably caused him to walk with a limp.

His teeth were in poor condition, with many missing, and no fillings or dental work evident. At some time - perhaps shortly before death, he suffered a broken nose.

A difficult factor in this case is lack of evidence which might establish an accurate date of death, or at least a way to narrow down a period of time in which death and burial occurred.

The remains consist of a complete skeleton, which has been carefully stored under proper conditions at the Hamline University Anthropology Department, and has now been transferred back to the Medical Examiner's Office of Hennepin County for further testing and analysis.

Meanwhile, a special investigator with the Goodhue County Sherrif's Department has been assigned to the case.

 

[Richard]

Bumping this thread up...

 

[Richard]

This case is not currently included on Minnesota's official clearinghouse of Missing and Unidentified Persons. Perhaps it would generate wider interest and possibly useful information if listed.

 

[Richard]

Knowing how to care for and handle horses was an important skill set in the early 20th century for anyone working a farm. This Goodhue farmer has added two mustangs to his team of draft horses to do much of the needed work.

 

[Richard]

It has been 40 years since this Unidentified man's body was found.

 

[Richard]

Bumping this thread up.

 

[Richard]

This unidentified man's bones were recently located at the Hamline University's Anthropology Department, and transferred back to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner. Hopefully DNA testing can be done.

The unsolved case is one in the jurisdiction of the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office.

 

[Richard]

Trying to match this unidentified man with missing persons is not an easy task, due to the passing of time.

The unconventional manner in which he was buried ( i.e. sitting position in a shallow back yard grave) would indicate that he was probably murdered and/or that his death might have brought unwanted attention to illegal activities being conducted near the property.

His skeletal remains were found in 1984, but they had been in the ground for decades before they were discovered. He was estimated to be somewhere in his late 60's when he died. An approximate estimate of death date might be some time between 1920 and 1930.

With only such estimates to go on, it makes it difficult to research possible identifications. Newspapers in those years tended to report local stories and items of interest about residents of the area. However, Goodhue County had a continuous flow of migrant workers passing through to work in the clay pits and on farms during harvest seasons. The newspapers did not tend to print many articles mentioning migrants by name.

Plat maps show the property boundary lines, along with the names of property owners for various years.

Census records were made every 10 years in years ending in a "0", such as 1910, 1920, 1930, etc. These records are like snapshots of who was living - and where at the time - this includes family members and all hired persons residing at a listed address/farm.

Comparing entries between two census years for farms in the vicinity of the rural farm where this man was buried gives an indication of persons who may have died or moved away.

Death indices, obituaries, cemetery records, news reports, and other records can be consulted in such a search for potential matches to this unidentified man. He would likely NOT be listed in any of these dearh records but they can be used to eliminate persons as potential matches.

If DNA testing is done on these bones, perhaps more information will be available, such as nationality, age, year of death, etc. Census records list nationalities and previous countries of residence.

 

[Richard]

Goodhue County, in 1864, established a Poor Farm near Red Wing for the purpose of housing and employing persons in need. This was the first such farm in the state and it was in existence for 100 years before closing.

It is possible that this unidentified man might have resided at the Poor Farm at some point. He was of an advancd age and had some disabilities and health issues.

Poor Farm Records are available which list all of the residents over that long space of time. An abstract of Poor Farm records can be seen on line which states that the resident listing are Restricted. I am sure, however, that Law Enforcement investors could access them.

 

[Richard]

Goodhue County, in 1864, established a Poor Farm near Red Wing for the purpose of housing and employing persons in need. This was the first such farm in the state and it was in existence for 100 years before closing.

It is possible that this unidentified man might have resided at the Poor Farm at some point. He was of an advancd age and had some disabilities and health issues.

Poor Farm Records are available which list all of the residents over that long space of time. An abstract of Poor Farm records can be seen on line which states that the resident listing are Restricted. I am sure, however, that Law Enforcement investors could access them.

What brought the Poor Farm to my attention was the existence of a hired man named Daniel "Dan" Harington/Harrington who had lived on a farm adjacent to the farm where this Unidentified man was found.

Dan was born in Ireland in 1859 and emigrated to the United States in 1875. He appears in the 1920 census, as living at the O'Reilly farm, but was not there in the 1930 census. After further research, I found that he died at age 68 in 1927 at the Goodhue County Poor Farm and is buried in their cemetery.

Dan's obituary stated that he had a relative (not named in the obit) working for a railroad who was coming to make funeral arrangements (and presumably claim his belongings).

Although Dan is not the Unidentified Goodhue man, he might be connected to him in some way. If the railroad relative or a friend of Dan's at the Poor Farm went to Dan's former home/employer to collect his possessions or seek work, it is possible that he met with foul play at the adjacent farm.

The records of the Poor Farm might provide a possible lead.

 

[Richard]

Here is a link to the Goodhue County Poor Farm Cemetery in Find a Grave. Although this man would not be listed among the 200 or so entries, a look at some of the death certificates and obituaries might give an insight into possibilities.

The Poor Farm (also known as the Alms House) and its associated cemetery was located just off Route 61 near the millionaire "Puffed Wheat" Anderson's house in Burnside, Minnesota.

One can see that most of these people had no relatives or much known history. Many suffered from senility and other infirmities or illnesses.

Memorials in Poor Farm Cemetery - Find a Grave

The World’s largest gravesite collection. Contribute, create and discover gravesites from all over the world. Memorials in Poor Farm Cemetery, a Find a Grave.

www.findagrave.com

 

[Richard]

Here is a link to a video made by two Red Wing, Minnesota residents of the area where the old Goodhue County Poor farm once stood. At 7:26 on the video, they show a sign with photos and history.

The Poor Farm (also known as the Almshouse) housed elderly, handicapped, and homeless people. They kept careful records and made annual reports as to who its residents were, where they came from, age, new arrivals, departures, and deaths.

Since this unidentified man was elderly, had infirmities, and probably no close relatives looking for him, it is a possibility that he may have been at one time a resident of the Goodhue County Poor Farm, or one like it in another county.

LINK:

 

[Richard]

This unidentified man was found in the back yard of a farm house in 1984, buried in a sitting position, only a foot or two below the surface.

His complete skeleton was removed and transported to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, since Goodhue County did not have similar capabilities.

The Hennepin County ME later transfered the bones to the Anthropology Department of Hamline University for further analysis, where they remained for a number of years.

The Goodhue County Sheriff's Office has always had jurisdiction in this case. At their request, due to recent reopening of the case, the Hennepin County ME got Hamline to return the bones to his office, where they now reside.

The Goodhue County Sheriff's Office has this as an open cold case.

There has been an ongoing search of records in an attempt to identify this man, and to determine how/why he died.

 

[Richard]

This building, which is still located on a corner in Goodhue, Minnesota served as a liquor store, food market (during the prohibition era) and as the Goodhue Post Office.

LINK:

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[Richard]

Street scene in Goodhue, 1925
Possibly around the time of this unidentified man's death.
The old post office building with the corner tower can be seen in the upper left of the photo.

LINK:

Goodhue Minnesota Gallery

Goodhue Minnesota Gallery. Recent and historical photos of the Goodhue area.

www.lakesnwoods.com

 

[Richard]

Downtown Goodhue about 1910, Main Street looking south. Building on right is the First National Bank built in 1901. Buildings in center are stores and businesses. The building with the round tower attached on the far left was a bar/tavern which also served for a time as the Goodhue post office.