Suicides
This page updated February 19, 2022
This was not a page I had thought about placing on the website. However, in going through the obituaries looking for information pertaining to military services or fraternal orders, I seemed to be coming across many suicides.
It crossed my mind in wonder..just how many deaths were caused by suicide as opposed to natural or accidents. I was rather surprised by the number of them.
When you find the word "Unknown" in the cause section-then none was posted, but the death was judged as suicide.
It must be kept in mind though that suicides were not specifically reserved for the men in the communities. I found instances of women as well as children who committed suicide.
In many situations, women were terribly isolated- some with many children (13-14) -- it was not possible then to control the number of children. Some women were in abusive relationships -- which simply wasn't talked about in those days.
The source for these is mainly the obituaries and news clippings from the county papers.Some suicides may have occurred outside our counties, but were persons from our counties.
These are not in alphabetical order as I am still collecting them. So PLEASE, PLEASE look through the entire list. As well, the counties are NOT divided. I have done my best to list just where these persons lived. As with everything else on the website, these are listed as simply another avenue to locate your ancestor.
Suicide of Wm. A. Montgomery- February 24, 1885 Suicide of Wm. A. Montgomery- Article #2 Suicide of Wm. A. Montgomery- Article #3 August 31, 1939 Morgan/Owen County Line Drowning George ADAMS December 1949 Greencastle 12 Rifle Shots(yes 12) February 22, 1934 Morgan County unknown Milton AVERY September 2, 1896 Monrovia Gunshot (Insanity) Joseph BALLENGER William BARNES January 19, 1904 Ashland Twp, MC Gunshot, Hang, Burn May 27, 1954 Morgan County Hanging Henry BREWER January 9, 1952 Morgan County Unknown July 8, 1904 North Paragon Drowning Nellie BURNS October 1899 Morgan County Took Morphine August 24, 1922 Near Spencer Shot in Head John DAYHUFF March 3, 1943 Atkinsonville Hanging February 28, 1943 Cuba, IN Hanging May 25, 1933 Freedom Hanging Benjamin CAMPBELL May 10, 1928 Indianapolis Shooting May 1906 Mooresville Took Carbolic Acid William COX March 17, 1883 Clay Twp, MC Hanging May 26, 1882 Morgan County Took Arsenic Marion DETAMORE January 1929 Martinsville Jail Hanging March 22, 1931 West of Mooresville Took Carbolic Acid Edwin FISHER July 1885 Putnam County Hanging July 3, 1896 North of Monrovia Hanging Jesse FRANCIS May 1, 1884 Morgan County Took Morphine November 17, 1910 Monrovia Took Carbolic Acid Joseph J. GOSS June 20, 1895 Near Plano Unknown August 17, 1886 Indianapolis Hanging June 9, 1902 Morgan County Took Carbolic Acid Rev. Jesse HADLEY February 9, 1954 Mooresville Hanging May 24, 1894 Mooresville Unknown E.H. HARBISON June 13, 1962 Mooresville Carbon Monoxide Poisoning March 9, 1949 Quincy, Owen County IN Strichnine Poisoning February 9, 1946 Morgan County Unknown Gary W. HUBER April 5, 1961 Madison Twp, MC Carbon Monoxide Poisoning July of 1940 former resident Drank Lysol July 12, 1897 Martinsville Hanging Frank JOHNSON Miss Maude JOHNSON March 28, 1905 Monrovia Unknown September 16, 1873 4 mi. SE Mooresville Hanging David LEE February 1, 1959 Morgan County Unknown October 7, 194xxxx Indianapolis Unknown Elijah MANNAN September 9, 1896 Delta, Iowa Unknown November 20, 1936 Mooresville Hanging February 14, 1997 Monrovia Hanging Johnny MOSER November 17, 1968 Morgan County Jail Hanging November 23, 1893 Jefferson Twp, MC Unknown August 11, 1939 Near Lewisville, MC Unknown William OLDS April 7, 1891 Jefferson Twp, MC Unknown November 19, 1917 Clay twp, OC Gunshot August 8, 1928 Morgan County Drowning William PENNINGTON February 15, 1884 Monrovia Hanging May 19, 1876 Monrovia Gunshot John PLUNKETT March 7, 1904 Mahalasville Drowning November 1, 1966 Southport Lumber Co. Hanging George RIKE February 22, 1910 Mooresville Gunshot November 11, 1963 Mooresville Gunshot William ROGERS March 28, 1952 SE of Monrovia Hanging August 12, 1886 Ashland Twp, MC Hanging August 6, 1946 Morgan County Hanging August 27, 1958 Friendswood Gunshot June 18, 1859 South of Spencer, OC Hanging July 1890 Morgan County Hanging June 1, 1924 Morgan County Unknown June 1889 Morgantown Gunshot November 2, 1905 Morgan County Gunshot March 23, 1885 Morgantown Gunshot to chest June 30, 1889 Morgantown Gunshot February 6, 1872 Green Twp, MC Throat Cut February 16, 1897 Morgantown Hanging January 11, 1905 Ashville, NC Hanging September 1895 Morgan County Hanging November 10, 1882 Monrovia Unknown December 28, 1971 Morgan County Took Poison February 1980 At Foster Cemetery Carbon Monoxide Poisoning June 18, 1859 8 mi. S of Spencer Hanging November 19, 1917 Clay Twp, Owen County Shooting Unknown Madison Twp, Putnam County Throat Cut May 26, 1904 Harrison Twp, Owen County Hanging December 9, 1892 Spencer, Owen County Gunshot February 24, 1885 Gosport, Owen County Hanging
Person
Date
Location
Method/Cause
Anna Louise (BALDWIN) ABEL
November 1931
Bloomington
Gunshot
Dr. Charles L. AKERS
John AMICK
September 18, 1894
Martinsville
Gun Shot
Bertha BAILEY
May 5, 1899
Ballingertown, Morgan County
Hanging
October 24, 1891
Morgan/Hendricks County Line
Gunshot
Thomas BOWMAN
Ralph BRAY
February 2, 1900
Morgan County
Taking Carbolic Acid
Otho Logan BREWER
William BULLINGTON
April 26, 1908
Mooresville
Hanging
Joe BUSKIRK
John CROUCH
April 12, 1912
Near Spencer
Hanging
Dora Miles QUERY
Nathaniel QUERY
Walter WILLIAMS
April 23, 1956
Mount Tabor
Hanging
William CARLISLE
R.W. COVALT
August 18, 1894
Morgan County
Unknown
Abram CRAMER
Fannie CRAYTON
February 7, 1961
Centerton
Hanging
Hubert ELMORE
Talbot FEAR
June 21, 1881
Central State Hospital
Jumped out window
Wiley FOSTER
Leonard FOX
April 9, 1886
Madison Twp, MC
Gunshot
William FUSELMAN
Katherine GENTRY
June 2, 1881
Gosport
Hanging
Zerilda GOSS
W.A. GRINSTEAD
Horace HADLEY
January 8, 1916
Morgan County
Hanging
Mrs. Norris HADLEY
James HAMMONS
February 1878
Morgan County
Unknown
Robert J. HENDERSON
Metta (Truax) HILBURN
Benjamin H. HOBSON
January 22, 1987
Monrovia
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Billy G. HUFF
Mrs. Renos JARVIS
William JOHNS
December 1892
Spencer
Shot in Head
November 6, 1901
Morgan County
Drowning
Viola KIVETT
Rebecca (Worthington) LEATHERS
July 1, 1954
Hall
Harley LIVINGSTON
Bertha MANLY
April 23, 1896
Morgan/Putnam County Line
Gunshot
Andrew J. McNABB
Pleasant MILLS
Kenzie MORRISON
January 16, 1880
Mahalasville
Unknown
George NORMAN
Elizabeth O'NEAL
Winfield NICHOLS
June 20, 1889
Morgan County
Gunshot
Sarah OLIVER
Mrs. Ambrose OOLEY
John PADDOCK
August 21, 1874
Brown Twp, MC
Unknown
Eli PLUNKETT
William PLUNKETT
February 10, 1896
3 mi. SE Monrovia
Hanging
Enoch RENNER
Courtney RICE
January 1924
Hall
Unknown
Schuyler ROBBINS
Matthew ROBERT
November 18, 1906
Eminence
Hanging
Noah SCHRADER
Samuel SHIELDS
Claude SOMERS
Schuyler SPOON
David STANSBURY
Douglas THOMAS
John THOMPSON
William WARD
Cassie WASHINGTON
Martha WELLS
Tyre WELLS
Jacob WEMER
John WHETSTINE
Oran WHITAKER
Alonzo WHITE
James WILKERSON
Harold WILLIAMS
Kenneth YARNELL
David STANSBURY
Mrs. Ambrose OOLEY
William LEWIS
Etta (Truax) ROSS
Frank JOHNSON
William A. MONTGOMERY