Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Charlie of Aberystwyth Castle

  

Mosaic at the Castle about the discovery of the skeleton

Aberystwyth Castle was built between 1277 to 1289 in Aberystwyth, Wales. The castle that is now in ruins is the third built of it before it was destroyed in 1649 during the English Civil Wars. It was slighted by Oliver Cromwell making it into ruins. This was to prevent it from being a fortress again. The locals likely took advantage and pilfered the castle walls. 

Over 200 years later in 1988, an excavation was done at the castle. Surprisingly enough the body of a man. The soil in the area was acidic enough that typically destructive to organic matter. Because the castle was destroyed though it added lime to the soil helping keep the skeleton from being destroyed. It was hard to place when the man had died, but it was believed that he died during the Parliamentarian siege of Aberystwyth Castle. 

The skeleton was given the name Charlie and he can be found at the Ceredigion Museum

SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Geni
Crazy About Castles
Way Marking

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

UNIDENTIFIED: May 31, 1883 Dodge County, Nebraska Desperado

 On May 31, 1883, an individual died in Dodge County, Nebraska. On June 1st they were buried in Ridge Cemetery in Fremont. It's not stated the cause of death, but they were described as a desperado. Meaning they may have been some sort of outlaw or criminal.

SOURCES:

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

INFANTICIDE: May 24, 1959 Parsippany, New Jersey Baby Jane Doe

On May 24, 1959, the body of a newborn baby girl was found in the woods near Vail Road in the Lake Hiawatha section of Parsippany, New Jersey. The girl was found in a paper sack. She had been born and died several hours before she was found.

Jane Doe was a white female.

SOURCES:

Morris County New Jersey

The News May 25, 1959

Monday, May 22, 2023

INFANTICIDE: May 23, 1923 Walkley, England Baby John Doe

 On May 23, 1923, a woman with a parcel would be seen loitering about Walkley Cemetary in Walkley a suburb of Sheffield, England. 30 minutes later a black bag was found by some children in the Cemetary. Inside the bag was the body of a newborn boy.


SOURCES:
Unsolved Murders

Saturday, May 20, 2023

INFANTICIDE: May 21, 1932 Birmingham, England Baby Jane Doe

On May 21, 1932, the body of a newborn baby girl was found in a public lavatory on Washwood Heath Rd in Birmingham, England. The baby had been decapitated and had signs of scorching on the body after death. It was born alive and died due to suffocation possibly caused by constriction of the throat with a finger and thumb.

SOURCES:
Birmingham Gazette May 26, 1932

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

UNIDENTIFIED: May 17, 1900 Acton, England Jane Doe

In 1899, Alfred Johnson, a laborer, began living in his home on  9 Junction Rd, Acton, England. On May 17, 1900, the Brentford Gas Company came to lay some pipes in the home. They sent Thomas Sheild to do the job and he had to take up the floor to do it. About a foot from the Heartstone Thomas spotted what he thought was a rat's nest. He then realized that it was a skull and he called to the other worker. The two would then contact the police. 

Under the floorboards was the body of a young girl around 2 to 3 years old. She had been covered in lime and wrapped in a child chemise. Her cause of death could not be found and her hands were missing, but it wasn't stated whether or not the hands were destroyed due to the lime or removed either by a person or animal activity. The way her body was found it was believed that she was put there with care, but that does not mean she wasn't murdered. Due to the lime it was unknown when she died 2 to 3 years. 

There were several tenants who came in and out of the home, but the children were traced. One family who lived there between 1896 and August 1898 stated that all their children were fine and there was no noticeable smell. The next family moved in October 1898 and stated that there was a woody smell and it was stronger when the floor was washed and moved out around a year later. 

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

Middlesex County Times May 26, 1900

Acton and Chiswick Gazzette June 1, 1900

Thursday, May 11, 2023

UNIDENTIFIED: May 12, 1906 Omaruru, Nambia John Doe

 On May 12, 1906 an Italian migrant worker who worked for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company by building the OMEG Railway in Nambia would die from malaria. He was buried at the Rhenish Cementary in Omaruru.


SOURCES:

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

UNIDENTIFIED: May 11, 1923 Southern Pines, North Carolina Stranger

 On May 11, 1923, a man was found shot to death near the corner of New Hampshire Ave and Leak St.in Southern Pines, North Carolina. He had been shot to death with a pistol either on the 10th or the 11th. There is little information in this case. I'm not sure if anyone was arrested for the murder only information is from the Find a Grave. 

John Doe is a black male. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Saturday, May 6, 2023

The Bleivik Man


In 1952 a bog body now known as the Bleivik Man (Bleivik funnet) was found in a bog in Rogaland, Norway about 6 km (3.7 Miles)north of Haugesund. It was discovered by a farmer in a drainage ditch that was around 70 cm (about 2.2 ft). His well-preserved skull, a thigh bone, and an upper arm bone, a later excavation brought out other bones like a rib, two vertebrae, and fragments of another thigh bone. 

It's believed that the man lived and died between 6110 and 5890 BC (mesolithic). It's believed to have been a man between 55 to 60-years-old. From his long bones, it was estimated that he was 160 cm (5'2") at most and had a strong physic as indicated by his muscular attachment marks on the bones.

 No cause of death could be found, but it's possible that he may have drowned in waters that may have been open at the time. The layer of Earth where he was found showed no disturbances suggesting he was not buried, but naturally was there, but gradually covered in sediment. 

There are songs inspired by the Bleivik Man. 

SOURCES:

Thursday, May 4, 2023

UNIDENTIFIED: 1913 Presque Isle, Maine Jane Doe

 A woman would come to Presque Isle, Maine in May 1913 and would die the same year from a hemorrhage. For some reason, her arrival was listed, but her date of death was not. 

Jane Doe was a white female.

SOURCES:

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Grave of Caroline Christine Walter

 




Caroline Christine Walter was born in 1850  to a poor family in Germany. A tragedy would hit the family as her parents died. Caroline and her affectionate sister, Selma, would get to live with their grandparents in Freiburg. Caroline would grow up to become a beautiful young lady and was loved by many who knew her. 

At 16/17 the young lady would contract tuberculosis. She would then pass away in just a few weeks. Her sister would have her buried at the Alter Friedhof Freiburg im Breisgau. Her sister would have a life-size tomb statue of her sister falling asleep reading. The book's inscription is "it is surely God’s will to separate from what is dearest to you."

After a few weeks, Selma would notice that someone else had started leaving flowers at the grave. It didn't seem that anything stopped the visitor from leaving a flower. Caroline was a beauty and had many suitors it's unknown if she had someone she was seeing. Some think that she and a particular teacher were seeing each other. Some think that it was someone who loved her but regretted never telling her. 

For the next 150 years, someone left flowers on her grave. Unless the original visitor is some sort of immortal someone others have taken. It's unknown who these people are or for why they continue to do this.