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Cold Cases of the Diamond
The mission of the Biographical Committee of SABR is to
identify every major league ballplayer and to collect accurate demographic
information on each of them. One of the lynchpins of this research is death information, since an obituary
is one of the best places for a researcher to get an overview of a person’s
life. Over the years, the committee has winnowed the list of more than 16,000
to fewer than 300 players for whom death information is missing. Of those,
about 200 have not been firmly identified because contemporary coverage of their
careers was too cursory. The purpose of this page is to review what is known
about the approximately 100 major leaguers who have been well identified but who
have thus far eluded the committee’s grasp.
The decision to classify these “missing players” as either
identified or unidentified is of course not a hard and fast one. For many
players there are fragmentary notes that provide some clues and the committee
retains hope that they may coalesce into a firm identification. Yet until that
happens, the men profiled below are the ones we have the best chance of
tracking down.
The basic criterion that I used was: if a death certificate
for a man with this name is found, would it be possible to determine whether or
not he was the ballplayer? If notes from the player’s career have enabled us to
establish such information as his date and place of birth, the name of parents
and siblings, etc., then he is classed as being identified. If this type of
information is not known, then he is considered unidentified.
This too is not always cut and dried. Frank Graves was a
well-known nineteenth-century player and manager and yet fell into such
obscurity that the death certificate for the man we believe to be him says
“unknown” in almost every field. He remains officially among the missing.
George Treadway’s death certificate was similarly unhelpful and his age was off
by 20 years, so the mystery was only solved when Andy McCue found a newspaper
article that said that one of his few possessions was a membership card in an
association of old-time ballplayers.
Yet as a rule death certificates do include enough
information to make the determination. Bert Miller, for example, was homeless
and estranged from his family when he died during the Great Depression but his
death certificate still included his place and date of birth, which were
provided by one of the institutions that, lamentably, was all too necessary
during that era – the local
transient bureau.
A greater difficulty, especially in recent years, is
obtaining a death certificate because many states are prohibiting non-relatives from
obtaining copies even when the death occurred many decades. Such restrictions
are the main reason why so many of the players on this list are from
Pennsylvania. With ballplayers on this list from other states, researchers
have usually already carefully checked for a death certificate. Pennsylvania’s
restrictive policies, unfortunately, make that impossible and many of the
“missing players” from that state are likely to have died there.
A number of other factors can make a player very difficult
to trace, including: a common name; an Irish surname, as prejudice against
Irish-Americans tended to mean that records abut them were kept sloppily; a
desire to hide something, such as a criminal record or having deserted one’s
wife and children; moving around a lot, either because of a job like working for
the railroad or just due to temperament, etc.
Here then are the cold cases of the diamond for which a
solution is just a single elusive piece of paper away. The names given are
based upon the best available research and do not always match what may be
listed in the various encyclopedias. When there are such discrepancies, I
believe this information to be more accurate:
JAMES J. ADAMS (deb. 4/21/1890) How he would be identified:
married Lena C. Keber on 9/21/98 in Christian Co, Ill; possibly born in Ohio
around 1869; last known to be living in East St. Louis, Ill., in 1911. What
makes him tough: history of brushes with the law; marriage seems to have broken down;
common name (and James may have been his middle name).
THOMAS BARLOW (deb. 5/2/1872) How he would be identified:
born in Brooklyn around 1851 to Michael and Elizabeth; living in Brooklyn until
1880; referred to as dead by former teammates by 1888. What makes him tough: no
death record in New York; history of brushes with the law.
CREED NAPOLEON BATES (deb. 10/7/1898) How he would be
identified: born on September 28, 1876, in Cleveland, Tennessee to Levi and
Lucille; last living in Cincinnati in 1918. What makes him tough: considered
the black sheep of his family, he had several brushes with the law, lost contact
with his family and moved frequently.
GEORGE W. BLACKBURN (deb. 7/6/1897) How he would be
identified: born on September 21, 1869 in Ozark, Mo., to Josiah B. and Rebecca;
twice widowed; long career in baseball and last known to have served as
umpire-in-chief of the Arizona St. League in 1930. What makes him tough: moved
all over the South and outlived his family. Apparently was living in California in
1933.
MICHAEL T. “SPIKE” BRADY (deb. 9/25/1875) How he would be
identified: born in December of 1854 to Patrick and Anna; married Mary Foley on
November 17, 1893 and had eight children; prominent grocer. What makes him
tough: abandoned family around 1910 and left for parts unknown; one of his sons
tried hard to locate him without success.
JAMES JOSEPH BURNS (deb. 7/6/1901) How he would be
identified: born June 2, 1876 in England to Peter and Catherine, but grew up in
Steubenville, Ohio; still living in Steubenville in 1945 though had fallen on
hard times. What makes him tough: Ohio death index now goes to mid-1950s but he
isn’t in it.
PATRICK J. CALLAGHAN
(deb. 5/1/1884): Born in Morrisania, NY around 1855 to Michael and Ann. What makes him hard:
extremely common Irish name.
JOHN WILLIAM CALLAHAN (deb. 9/3/1898) How he would be
identified: born in Freeport, Illinois, in 1874; mother’s name Hattie; married Lizzie
B. Clemson on October 16, 1906 in Moberly, Missouri. What makes him tough:
marriage ended in divorce in 1907 and he disappeared from Moberly around 1910.
As of 1942, he was living in Oklahoma City with his second wife Jessie and
that’s the last we know.
PIERCE NUGET CHILES (deb. 4/18/1899) How he would be
identified: Born May 28, 1867 Deepwater, Mo. to Alfred and Amanda. What makes
him tough: led a life of crime and was last known to be in prison in Oregon in
1903. May have changed his name to Newton Chiles and died in a California asylum.
GEORGE ELMER CRABLE (deb. 8/3/1910) How he would be
identified: Born January 9, 1885 in Shelton, Nebraska to David and Rosa; wife’s
name Musette; in Lincoln with his vaudeville act in 1930 and opening for Lon
Cheney. What makes him tough: abandoned wife, lost touch with family and became
a traveling vaudeville performer.
HUGH “ONE-ARM” DAILY (deb. 5/1/1882) How he would be
identified: Born around 1848 in Ireland to Thomas and Rose; family emigrated to
Baltimore in 1849; still living in Baltimore in 1923. What makes him tough:
never married; common Irish surname with several variants; no death record can
be found in Maryland.
JOHN J. DAILEY (deb. 7/12/1875) How he would be identified:
Born October 26, 1853 (or possibly 1851) in Brooklyn to James and Mary; still living in Brooklyn in
1897; worked as a printer. What makes him tough: common Irish
surname with several variants.
TALBOT PERCY DALTON (deb. 6/20/1910) How he would be
identified: Born on July 3, 1884 in Henderson, Tennessee to Talbot and Martha;
wife Thelma. What makes him tough: disappeared in 1950s and police could not
find him.
EARLE HARRY DECKER (deb. 8/23/1884) How he would be
identified: Born around 1865 in Lockport, Illinois to Phillip and Margaret; last
known alive when released from San Quentin in 1915. What makes him tough: very
long career of crime and used many aliases.
JAMES J. DEE (deb. 7/30/1884) How he would be identified:
Born around 1865 in Safe Harbor, Pa; living in Buffalo with wife
Ellen and three daughters in 1893. What makes him tough: Apparently married a
Pittsburgh woman while still married to first wife; seems to be living in
Pittsburgh as late as 1930.
JOHN DILLON (deb. 5/8/1875) How he would be identified:
Born around 1850 in St. Louis to John and Alicia; last in St. Louis around 1875.
What makes him tough: leaves for parts unknown; common Irish surname.
ROY EVANS
(deb. 5/15/1897): Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 19, 1874, to Edward and
Mary. Full name may have been Robert Roy Evans. In 1920, he was
convicted on bigamy in Fort Worth, Texas. He was released in 1922 and his
whereabouts after that are unknown. What makes him hard: a perennial crook
and con man who apparently was disowned by his family.
WILLIAM CHARLES FARMER (deb. 5/1/1888) How he would be
identified: born February 13, 1864, in Dublin, Ireland, to Ambrose and Bessy;
grew up in Philadelphia and still living there in 1925; a policeman. What makes
him tough: being from Pennsylvania.
SAMUEL SCOTT FLETCHER (deb. 10/6/1909) How he would be
identified: born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, around 1881 to Benjamin and
Sarah; married Leona Vandernic in Harrison, West Virginia, on June 11, 1909, and had two children, Roy and Blance; disappears
around 1918. What makes him tough: being from Pennsylvania; suggestions that he
abandoned family.
JOHN J. FOLEY (deb. 9/18/1885) How he would be identified:
born October 25, 1857, in Brattleboro, Vermont, to Hugh and Catherine; living in
Peoria, Illinois, in 1909 according to a note in Sporting Life. What makes him
tough: common Irish name.
LOUIS/LEWIS J. GALVIN (deb. 10/1/1884) How he would be
identified: born April, 1862, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Henry and Mary; became
a policeman; wife May or Mary, daughters Hazel and Helen; family moves to
Chicago in 1908 and then disappears. What makes him tough: most of the family
moved to California but Lewis doesn’t seem to have; no death record in either
Illinois or Minnesota.
ROBERT J. GAMBLE (deb. 5/2/1888) How he would be
identified: born February 6, 1867, in Philadelphia; wife Annie and daughter
Mary; worked for Pennsylvania Rail Road so moved around but eventually returned
to Philadelphia; still living there in 1956. What makes him tough: being from
Pennsylvania.
GEORGE BERT GOETZ (deb. 6/17/1889) How he would be
identified: born in Greencastle, Pa., around 1865 to Philip and Anna. What makes
him tough: had moved to California by 1912 but disappeared at that point.
FRANK JOSEPH HENGSTEBECK (BECK) JR. (deb. 5/2/1884) How he
would be identified: in addition to his unique name, he was born in
Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in November of 1858, to Frank and Mary; living in New York
City in 1901 with wife Anna and daughters Katherine and May. What makes him
tough: whole family disappears at that point; could have changed his name to
Beck.
FRANK JACOB HOFFMAN (deb. 8/13/1888) How he would be
identified: born around 1865 to Frank and Harriett, probably in Mississippi, but
the family moved around a lot; married Lottie Stewart in Sacramento on September
15, 1890; living in San Francisco in 1910. What makes him tough: a bit of a
drifter.
WILLIAM A. HOFFMAN (deb. 5/10/1879): Born in Cleveland around 1853 to Peter and
Catherine. He married a woman named Jennie Ogburn and lived in Minneapolis from
1880-1893, working as a gas fitter. He then moved to Chicago and worked in the
same profession until 1898. What makes him hard: common name; no trace of him after 1898.
CHARLES HOOVER (deb. 10/11/1890) How he would be
identified: born on September 9, 1865, in Mound City, Illinois, to Daniel and
Eliza; released from Missouri State pen on May 3, 1902 and vanished.
There's a note about a Charlie Hoover being released from a Missouri prison in
1911 and this could be him. What makes
him tough: long criminal record.
PATRICK J.
HORAN (deb. 5/17/1884): Born in Chicago around 1859 to John and Margaret. He was
still in Chicago in 1907, but nothing definite is known after that. One
possibility is a Pat Horan who died Feb. 28, 1914, age 58. What makes him hard:
common Irish name; difficult period for finding Chicago deaths.
WILLIAM F. HURLEY (deb. 4/18/1872) How he would be
identified: married Ophelia Mahagan on February 21, 1870 in Washington, D.C.;
they had a son named Francis in December; according to census he was born in
1849 in Pennsylvania. What makes him tough: he deserted his wife and son in the
late 1870s; she obtained a divorce in 1884 and he was never heard from
afterward.
HERBERT BENJAMIN JACKSON (deb. 8/11/1905): Born on September 24, 1883, in
Ithaca, New York, to
William and Carrie; grew up in Ithaca; married Winifred Allison in 1914. What
makes him hard: he and his wife were living in Elyria, Ohio, in 1920, but
disappear one year later. They cannot be found on the 1930 census or in NY or
Ohio deaths, so the most plausible theory is that they returned to Pennsylvania
and Herbert died there before 1930.
CHARLES W. JONES (born BENJAMIN RIPPAY?) (deb. 5/14/1873)
How he would be identified: born April 30, 1852 in Alamance County, North
Carolina; raised in Gibson County, Indiana by Reuben Jones; living in Staten
Island in 1909 in very poor health; apparently still alive in December 1910. What makes him tough: very common name; may
have been institutionalized out of state.
CHARLES FRANKLIN KEFFER (deb. 4/19/1890) How he would be
identified: born July 1865 in Lancaster, Pa., to Peter and Ann; still in
Harrisburg in 1910. What makes him tough: being from Pennsylvania.
JOHN KENNEY/KENNY (deb. 5/2/1872) How he would be
identified: is on 1880 census at 194 Walworth St, Brooklyn, as John Kenny, born
1846 NY, hydrant inspector, with wife Hannah (30) and son Charles (8). What
makes him tough: common Irish name with variant spellings; hard to trace before
and after. UPDATE: Found!
EDWARD C. KENT (deb. 8/14/1884) How he would be identified:
born in New York state in September of 1859 to James and Kate; married second
wife Fredericka H. Dunham on June 22, 1892 in Manhattan; living in Rutherford,
N.J. in 1931 and working in New York City. What makes him tough: did not die in
New Jersey between 1930 and 1940.
FRANK H. KNAUSS (deb. 6/25/1890) How he would be
identified: born in October 1868 in Cleveland to William and Susanna; still
living in Cleveland in 1921. What makes him tough: never seems to have married;
drifted in and out of Cleveland and no death record has been found there.
JOHN LAVIN (deb. 9/10/1884) How he would be identified:
born in Saratoga Springs around 1856 to Owen and Mary; living in Binghamton in
1893; sisters are buried in St Mary’s Cemetery, Troy and he may be too. What
makes him tough: common Irish name. Possibilities: one John Lavin died on
December 7, 1893 in Troy and another on August 13, 1893 in West Troy.
FREDERICK THOMAS LETCHER (deb. 9/27/1891) How he would be
identified: born in January 1868 in Bryan, Ohio to Thomas and Mary Jane; grew up
in Michigan; with second wife Lizzie and daughters Hazel and Gladys moved to
Saskatchewan after career; living in Saskatoon in 1919. His daughters ended up
in British Columbia, but Fred likely died in Sakatchewan. What makes him tough:
hard to get Canadian death records in that period.
ALBERT PRINCE LUKENS/HALL (deb. 6/23/1894) How he would be
identified: born in Wheeling, West Virginia in November 1869 to Albert and Mary
Hall; parents divorced and was raised by stepfather John Lukens; married Mabel
Parsons of Vineland, N.J., around 1897 but marriage seems to have ended in
divorce; living in Philadelphia in 1930. What makes him tough: used both of his
surnames at various points; being from Pennsylvania.
WILLIAM MAGEE (deb. 5/18/1897) How he would be identified:
born July 6, 1875 in Canada, probably St. John’s, New Brunswick; family moved to
Boston in 1884. May have been living in New York City in 1917. What makes him tough: left wife and children and was never heard
from again by any family members.
JOHN MAGNER (deb. 7/14/1879) How he would be identified:
born in St. Louis around 1857 to John and Mary; still in St. Louis until 1912;
had a brother named Patrick R. who lived in Vicksburg, Mississippi, but is also
hard to trace. What makes him tough: never married; no obituary in St. Louis and
not buried in family plot.
FREDERICK H. MAUER
(deb. 7/24/1886; played as Frederick Brooks): Born in Wayne County, Pa., in
March 1862; married Emma in 1891. Lived in Honesdale for many years, but things
get confusing during WWI. It looks like he moved to Schenectady, NY and then to
Chester, Pa., most likely dying between 1920 and 1928. What makes him hard:
Being from Pennsylvania.
ARCHIBALD J. McCARTHY (deb. 8/14/1902) How he would be
identified: born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on January 21, 1881; orphaned when
young and raised by uncle John McCarthy of Detroit who died in 1908; married Etheline around 1909 and lived in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, until 1911;
divorced a few years later; living
in a railroad camp in Galitzer, Pa., in 1918. What makes him tough: “Mc” names
can be difficult to find in death indexes; worked on railroad so could have
moved around; living in Pennsylvania.
JOHN A. McCARTY (deb. 4/18/1889) How he would be
identified: born in Independence, Missouri, around 1867 to Patrick and Margaret;
living in Kansas City, Missouri, with wife Edna until 1924. Then they
moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was still living as of 1938. What makes him tough: no death record has been found;
“Mc” names can be difficult to find in death indexes and McCarty is often
rendered as much more common McCarthy.
JOHN ARTHUR McCARTHY (deb. 8/3/1893): Born on March 26, 1869 in Hardwick, Mass.
(The 1931 date of death once listed in the encyclopedias is incorrect.) Lived in
Chicago for much of his life and was buried there in 1948. But there is no death
record in Illinois and exactly when he died remains unknown. See my
home page for more details.
MICHAEL HENRY McGEARY (deb. 5/9/1871) How he would be
identified: born in Philadelphia around 1851 to Michael and Ann; married Jennie
Hudson of Piqua, Ohio, in 1877 and had two sons; appears to have still been in
Philadelphia in 1935. What makes him tough: deserted wife and outlived her and
both sons; played poker rather than pursuing a regular career after baseball;
fortunes rose and fell often as a result; “Mc” names can be difficult to find in
death indexes; an Irish name with several variant spellings; being from
Pennsylvania.
GEORGE MEISTER (deb. 8/15/1884): How he would be
identified: born in Maryland around 1854, owned a cigar store in Pittsburgh,
where he lived until 1928. He probably died there in the next year or two. What
makes him tough: Did I mention that Pennsylvania has idiotic laws that prevent
historical research?
HENRY SCOTT MOORE (deb. 4/17/1884) How he would be
identified: born in California around 1862 to Henry James Moore and Catherine;
parents divorced; married Maggie Agnew in 1890; she remarried in 1906. But a 1900 article stated that he was leaving her,
so he may have gotten a divorce and moved. He is referred to in a 1902
article and that is the last we know of him. What makes him tough: may have
died in San Francisco in the early twentieth century since death record from that era are
very spotty due to the 1906 earthquake; common name.
EUGENE JOHN MORIARTY (deb. 6/18/1884) How he would be
identified: born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, on January 5, 1863, to Eugene and
Johanna. What makes him tough: no trace of him after 1893 when he was still
playing ball.
JONATHAN W. MORRISON (deb. 8/1/1884) How he would be
identified: born in 1859 in London, Ontario; mother’s name Margaret; married
Carrie Herbert or Hurlburt of Utica, NY, in 1887. What makes him tough: common
name, especially if he went by John rather than Jonathan.
MICHAEL MULDOON (deb. 5/1/1882) How he would be identified:
born April 9, 1858 in Westmeath County, Ireland, to Michael and Catherine;
raised in Hartford. What makes him tough: left Hartford in 1890 and hard to
trace after that.
ANDREW ANTHONY NELSON (deb. 5/26/1908) How he would be
identified: born November 29, 1884, to Ole and Ellen in St. Paul, Minnesota;
lived in Utah for a while; returned to St. Paul in 1925 but left again for parts
unknown. What makes him tough: a drifter with a very common name who worked for
the railroads.
MICHAEL O’NEIL
JR. (deb. 10/23/1874): Born in Ireland around 1853 to Michael and Sarah; grew up
in New York and Hartford, where he became a boxer under the name “Fancy O’Neil.”
What makes him hard: no fixed occupation or address, trouble with the law.
FREDERICK W. OSBORNE (deb. 7/14/1890) How he would be
identified: born in Canada in May of 1864 to Henry and Sarah but grew up in
Hampton, Iowa; living in Walla Walla, Washington in 1890s and seems to continue
there until 1905. What makes him tough: no record of a marriage; variant
spellings of his name make him difficult to trace.
CHARLES E. PETTY (deb. 7/30/1889) How he would be
identified: born June 28, 1866, in Nashville, Tennessee, to Sanford and Rachel;
married Hattie Hammonds in 1891; living in Cairo, Illinois, in 1920 with Hattie
and daughters Bessie and Cecil. What makes him tough: Hattie died in 1921 and
Charles seems to have left town shortly thereafter for parts unknown.
MATTHEW SHELDON PORTER (deb. 6/27/1884) How he would be
identified: born in New York around 1858 to Nathaniel and Cecilia but grew up in
Missouri. What makes him tough: believed to have died in Mexico in September of
1906, but no death record has been found.
WILLIAM A. PURCELL (deb. 5/1/1879) How he would be
identified: born around 1855 in New York state; father’s name James; grew up
in Paterson; wife’s name Alice. What makes him tough: worked as a bookmaker;
left wife and family around 1898, his daughter last saw him in Philadelphia
around 1910 and did not know what happened to him.
JOHN JAY REMSEN (deb. 5/2/1872) How he would be identified:
born April 1850 in Brooklyn to Abraham and Ann Eliza; wife Emily; son
Harry and daughter Corine; John and his wife were both living in New York City
as late as 1921. Emily died in New York in 1927 and is buried in
Connecticut with Harry, who died in 1919. But John seems to have outlived
her and does not appear to be buried with her. What makes him tough: no death record has been found in New
York.
HARRY E. SCHERER (deb. 7/24/1889) How he would be
identified: Born in Baltimore around 1868 to John and Mary; in city until at
least 1892. Birth name may have been William H. Scherer, but he later went as
Harry E. Scherer. It looks as though he may have become an actor and died on
April 21, 1897, but we are not sure of that. What makes him tough: common name with several variants; has proved
difficult to pin down.
SAMUEL E. SHAW (deb. 5/3/1888) How he would be identified:
born in May of 1864 in Baltimore to Robert and Jane; married a woman apparently
named Ursula Susanne who often went by Susie; daughter Irene; living in
Baltimore until 1905; then in Atlantic City until around 1925; then vanishes.
What makes him tough: no death record for either Sam or his wife in New Jersey,
so they appear to have moved again.
DANIEL SHEHAN/SHEEHAN (deb. 4/19/1884) How he would be
identified: born in Washington, DC, around 1859 to Daniel and Ellen. Had trouble
with the law but them became a police officer and in 1887 he was shot in the hip
by a robber. What makes him tough: common Irish name with many variants; seems
to have died or left town in 1888.
ALBERT EDGAR SMITH (deb. 6/20/1883) How he would be
identified: born October 15, 1860 in North Haven, Connecticut; attended Yale and
played baseball there in 1882, but did not graduate; in 1900 living in New York
City with wife Ella and sons Donald and Harry; Yale records show that Smith was
retired and living with his daughter in Syracuse as late as 1930; however, he
didn’t have a daughter and the Harriet Smith with whom he appears to be living
does not seem to be a relative. Then he disappears in 1930. What makes him
tough: extremely common name; no death record that seems to match.
WILLIAM EDWARD STRATTON (deb. 5/14/1873) How he would be
identified: born in Maryland around 1855 to Robert and Charlotte; living in
Richmond, Va., until 1892. What makes him tough: no trace of him after that.
JOHN STREICH/STRIKE (deb. 9/24/1886) How he would be
identified: born in March of 1864 in Philadelphia to William and Mary; living in
Philadelphia in 1930 with wife Margaret. What makes him tough: being from
Pennsylvania; different spellings of name.
ANDREW J. SWAN (deb. 7/23/1884) How he would be identified:
born August 1858 Falls Twp, Bucks Co, Pa., to Franklin and Julia; worked as a
telegrapher; living in D.C. in 1900 with wife Catherine and son Frank; she is
listed as widow by 1903 and remarried by 1910. What makes him tough: no death
record has been found in D.C. He may have moved to Chicago and run into
trouble with the law but his trail grows cold.
JOHN J. “ROONEY”
SWEENEY JR. (deb. 7/25/1883): Born in New York City on November 1, 1858;
father’s name John. Worked as a fireman. What makes him hard: common name; many
run-ins with the law; difficult to trace after losing job on fire department.
ARTHUR S. TWINEHAM (deb. 9/11/1893) How he would be
identified: born November 26, 1866, in Galesburg, Illinois, to John and
Josephine; wife Rosa and two children. What makes him tough: was living in
Memphis in 1905 and almost certainly died in the next year or two but no death
record has been found.
EUGENE VADEBONCOEUR (deb. 7/11/1884) How he would be
identified: born in Quebec on September 5, 1859 to Joseph Onesime and Angela;
family moved to
Syracuse, N.Y., in 1868; alive in 1890 but probably died not long afterward. What makes
him tough: reportedly died in a YMCA while still an active player.
WILLIAM EDWARD WHITE (deb. 6/21/1879) How he would be
identified: born in October 1860 in Milner, Georgia, to A.J and Hannah; mother
was an African-American slave but he apparently passed for white; settled in
Chicago in 1880s; married to Hattie and had three daughters. What makes him
tough: seems to have left family in 1917; very common name.
HENRY/HARRY CLAYTON WILSON (deb. 10/12/1898): Born Jan. 1, 1877, in Baltimore to
John and Mary; served in Greece during World War I; apparently back in Baltimore
by early 1920s. What makes him hard: common name;
moved around.
WILLIAM FRANKLYN WOLFF (deb. 9/10/1902): How he would be
identified: born January 1876 in Tremont, Pa., to James and Sophia; last listed
in Philadelphia city directory in 1924. What makes him tough: being from
Pennsylvania.
FREDERICK LLEWELYN WOOD (deb. 5/14/1884): Wood was born on July 21, 1863, in Hamilton, Ontario, to John Frederick and Mariette
Wood. He married Adelaide Orr in 1884 and became a dentist. He lived in London,
Ontario, until 1935 with wife and two children, but then most of the family moved
to British Columbia. A Fred Wood, age 78, died in Victoria on January 15, 1943,
but he was not the ballplayer. No other Fred Wood in B.C. matches either, so he
seems to have died somewhere else.
PETER FRANKLIN WOODRUFF (deb. 9/19/1899) How he would be
identified: born in Baltimore in June 1873; father’s name Spencer; became an
actor after baseball and is on 1910 census as a member of a traveling acting
troupe. What makes him tough: no fixed address after baseball.
WILLIAM HIRAM WRIGHT JR. (deb. 9/16/1887) How he would be
identified: born in D.C. around 1864 to Hiram and Emily; living with family
until 1898 and then becomes harder to trace. He seems to have died in 1940, but
we haven't been able to pin down a date. What makes him tough: very common name;
moved often and is hard to pin down; difficulty of accessing D.C. deaths.
GEORGE J. ZIEGLER
(deb. 6/19/1890): Born in Cincinnati in September 1866 to George and Mary. Death
listed in encyclopedias is for a different man. What makes him hard: Served in
Spanish-American War and was discharged on Dec. 24, 1898, then disappeared.
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