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
Person | Date | Location | Method/Cause |
Anna Louise (BALDWIN) ABEL |
August 31, 1939 |
Morgan/Owen County Line |
Drowning |
George ADAMS |
November 1931 | Bloomington | Gunshot |
Dr. Charles L. AKERS |
December 1949 |
Greencastle |
12 Rifle Shots(yes 12) |
John AMICK |
February 22, 1934 |
Morgan County |
unknown |
Milton AVERY |
September 18, 1894 | Martinsville | Gun Shot |
Bertha BAILEY |
September 2, 1896 |
Monrovia |
Gunshot (Insanity) |
Joseph BALLENGER |
May 5, 1899 | Ballingertown, Morgan County | Hanging |
William BARNES |
October 24, 1891 | Morgan/Hendricks County Line | Gunshot |
Thomas BOWMAN |
January 19, 1904 |
Ashland Twp, MC |
Gunshot, Hang, Burn |
Ralph BRAY |
May 27, 1954 |
Morgan County |
Hanging |
Henry BREWER |
February 2, 1900 | Morgan County | Taking Carbolic Acid |
Otho Logan BREWER |
January 9, 1952 |
Morgan County |
Unknown |
William BULLINGTON |
July 8, 1904 |
North Paragon |
Drowning |
Nellie BURNS |
April 26, 1908 | Mooresville | Hanging |
Joe BUSKIRK |
October 1899 |
Morgan County |
Took Morphine |
John CROUCH |
August 24, 1922 |
Near Spencer |
Shot in Head |
John DAYHUFF |
April 12, 1912 | Near Spencer | Hanging |
Dora Miles QUERY |
March 3, 1943 |
Atkinsonville |
Hanging |
Nathaniel QUERY |
February 28, 1943 |
Cuba, IN |
Hanging |
Walter WILLIAMS |
May 25, 1933 |
Freedom |
Hanging |
Benjamin CAMPBELL |
April 23, 1956 | Mount Tabor | Hanging |
William CARLISLE |
May 10, 1928 |
Indianapolis |
Shooting |
R.W. COVALT |
May 1906 |
Mooresville |
Took Carbolic Acid |
William COX |
August 18, 1894 | Morgan County | Unknown |
Abram CRAMER |
March 17, 1883 |
Clay Twp, MC |
Hanging |
Fannie CRAYTON |
May 26, 1882 |
Morgan County |
Took Arsenic |
Marion DETAMORE |
February 7, 1961 | Centerton | Hanging |
Hubert ELMORE |
January 1929 |
Martinsville Jail |
Hanging |
Talbot FEAR |
March 22, 1931 |
West of Mooresville |
Took Carbolic Acid |
Edwin FISHER |
June 21, 1881 | Central State Hospital | Jumped out window |
Wiley FOSTER |
July 1885 |
Putnam County |
Hanging |
Leonard FOX |
July 3, 1896 |
North of Monrovia |
Hanging |
Jesse FRANCIS |
April 9, 1886 | Madison Twp, MC | Gunshot |
William FUSELMAN |
May 1, 1884 |
Morgan County |
Took Morphine |
Katherine GENTRY |
November 17, 1910 |
Monrovia |
Took Carbolic Acid |
Joseph J. GOSS |
June 2, 1881 | Gosport | Hanging |
Zerilda GOSS |
June 20, 1895 |
Near Plano |
Unknown |
W.A. GRINSTEAD |
August 17, 1886 |
Indianapolis |
Hanging |
Horace HADLEY |
June 9, 1902 |
Morgan County |
Took Carbolic Acid |
Rev. Jesse HADLEY |
January 8, 1916 | Morgan County | Hanging |
Mrs. Norris HADLEY |
February 9, 1954 |
Mooresville |
Hanging |
James HAMMONS |
May 24, 1894 |
Mooresville |
Unknown |
E.H. HARBISON |
February 1878 | Morgan County | Unknown |
Robert J. HENDERSON |
June 13, 1962 |
Mooresville |
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning |
Metta (Truax) HILBURN![]() |
March 9, 1949 |
Quincy, Owen County IN |
Strichnine Poisoning |
Benjamin H. HOBSON |
February 9, 1946 |
Morgan County |
Unknown |
Gary W. HUBER |
January 22, 1987 | Monrovia | Carbon Monoxide Poisoning |
Billy G. HUFF |
April 5, 1961 |
Madison Twp, MC |
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning |
Mrs. Renos JARVIS |
July of 1940 |
former resident |
Drank Lysol |
William JOHNS |
July 12, 1897 |
Martinsville |
Hanging |
Frank JOHNSON |
December 1892 | Spencer | Shot in Head |
Miss Maude JOHNSON |
November 6, 1901 | Morgan County | Drowning |
Viola KIVETT |
March 28, 1905 |
Monrovia |
Unknown |
Rebecca (Worthington) LEATHERS |
September 16, 1873 |
4 mi. SE Mooresville |
Hanging |
David LEE |
July 1, 1954 | Hall | |
Harley LIVINGSTON |
February 1, 1959 |
Morgan County |
Unknown |
Bertha MANLY |
October 7, 194xxxx |
Indianapolis |
Unknown |
Elijah MANNAN |
April 23, 1896 | Morgan/Putnam County Line | Gunshot |
Andrew J. McNABB |
September 9, 1896 |
Delta, Iowa |
Unknown |
Pleasant MILLS |
November 20, 1936 |
Mooresville |
Hanging |
Kenzie MORRISON |
February 14, 1997 |
Monrovia |
Hanging |
Johnny MOSER |
January 16, 1880 | Mahalasville | Unknown |
George NORMAN |
November 17, 1968 |
Morgan County Jail |
Hanging |
Elizabeth O'NEAL |
November 23, 1893 |
Jefferson Twp, MC |
Unknown |
Winfield NICHOLS |
August 11, 1939 |
Near Lewisville, MC |
Unknown |
William OLDS |
June 20, 1889 | Morgan County | Gunshot |
Sarah OLIVER |
April 7, 1891 |
Jefferson Twp, MC |
Unknown |
Mrs. Ambrose OOLEY |
November 19, 1917 |
Clay twp, OC |
Gunshot |
John PADDOCK |
August 8, 1928 |
Morgan County |
Drowning |
William PENNINGTON |
August 21, 1874 | Brown Twp, MC | Unknown |
Eli PLUNKETT |
February 15, 1884 |
Monrovia |
Hanging |
William PLUNKETT |
May 19, 1876 |
Monrovia |
Gunshot |
John PLUNKETT |
February 10, 1896 | 3 mi. SE Monrovia | Hanging |
Enoch RENNER |
March 7, 1904 |
Mahalasville |
Drowning |
Courtney RICE |
November 1, 1966 |
Southport Lumber Co. |
Hanging |
George RIKE |
January 1924 | Hall | Unknown |
Schuyler ROBBINS |
February 22, 1910 |
Mooresville |
Gunshot |
Matthew ROBERT |
November 11, 1963 |
Mooresville |
Gunshot |
William ROGERS |
November 18, 1906 | Eminence | Hanging |
Noah SCHRADER |
March 28, 1952 |
SE of Monrovia |
Hanging |
Samuel SHIELDS |
August 12, 1886 |
Ashland Twp, MC |
Hanging |
Claude SOMERS |
August 6, 1946 |
Morgan County |
Hanging |
Schuyler SPOON |
August 27, 1958 |
Friendswood |
Gunshot |
David STANSBURY |
June 18, 1859 |
South of Spencer, OC |
Hanging |
Douglas THOMAS |
July 1890 |
Morgan County |
Hanging |
John THOMPSON |
June 1, 1924 |
Morgan County |
Unknown |
William WARD |
June 1889 |
Morgantown |
Gunshot |
Cassie WASHINGTON |
November 2, 1905 |
Morgan County |
Gunshot |
Martha WELLS |
March 23, 1885 |
Morgantown |
Gunshot to chest |
Tyre WELLS |
June 30, 1889 |
Morgantown |
Gunshot |
Jacob WEMER |
February 6, 1872 |
Green Twp, MC |
Throat Cut |
John WHETSTINE |
February 16, 1897 |
Morgantown |
Hanging |
Oran WHITAKER |
January 11, 1905 |
Ashville, NC |
Hanging |
Alonzo WHITE |
September 1895 |
Morgan County |
Hanging |
James WILKERSON |
November 10, 1882 |
Monrovia |
Unknown |
Harold WILLIAMS |
December 28, 1971 |
Morgan County |
Took Poison |
Kenneth YARNELL |
February 1980 |
At Foster Cemetery |
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning |
David STANSBURY |
June 18, 1859 |
8 mi. S of Spencer |
Hanging |
Mrs. Ambrose OOLEY |
November 19, 1917 |
Clay Twp, Owen County |
Shooting |
William LEWIS |
Unknown |
Madison Twp, Putnam County |
Throat Cut |
Etta (Truax) ROSS |
May 26, 1904 |
Harrison Twp, Owen County |
Hanging |
Frank JOHNSON |
December 9, 1892 |
Spencer, Owen County |
Gunshot |
William A. MONTGOMERY |
February 24, 1885 |
Gosport, Owen County |
Hanging |