Saturday, June 23, 2007

Genealogy Funny

I have been doing genealogy for years.  I find it so fascinating.  But so far I haven't found it necessary to "gloss over" certain incidents in my family history.  Thanks to my daughter, Julie, who forwarded this one to me.   Enjoy....Linda

An amateur genealogical researcher discovered that his great-great uncle, Remus Starr, a fellow lacking in character, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows. On the back of the picture is this inscription:

"Remus Starr; horse thief; sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887; robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives. Convicted and hanged 1889."

In a Family History subsequently written by the researcher, Remus’s picture is cropped so that all that's seen is a head shot. The accompanying biographical sketch is as follows:

"Remus Starr was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1885, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL I like those play in words you can make anything sound good.
Take care, Chrissie

Anonymous said...

Hi, LInda,  That a good one.   Interesting what one can do with words..isn't it?  Hope all is well in your end of town.   We had two festivals here near the airport.  One in Seatac at Angel Lake and one in Burien...a strawberry festival.   Last weekend was the Fremont fair.  This week was the first day of summer...the longest daylight of the year.   Have a great weekend.  Maria

Anonymous said...

How clever ,So with abit of imagineation you can change history lol ...love Jan xx

Anonymous said...

Play of words, LOLOL

Anonymous said...

He sounded a great guy didn't he?! Lol! Funny how a little tweaking of words can change someone! Jeannette xx  http://journals.aol.co.uk/jlocorriere05/Welcometomytravels/  

Anonymous said...

Loved it. LOL.
Sug

Anonymous said...

now that is really looking on the sunny side!
Love it
Marti

Anonymous said...

Thank you for a wonderful read!!