Fortunately for my research into hubby's McKibbin/McKibben family, there are lots of old Indiana newspapers available to search.
(NOTE: I just posted a new ancestor landing page for McKibbin/Larimer connections.)
At left, one of the more bizarre articles I found in Elkhart newspapers from 1903. Headline: Skeleton Puzzles Farmers Living East of Goshen.
The key man in the action is John Wright McKibben (McKibbin), hubby's 2d cousin 3x removed, son of "Squire" Alexander McKibbin and Harriet Larimer McKibbin.
It seems that farmer McKibben (1850-1911) unearthed a skeleton in a gravel pit.
The newspaper speculated on who the dead person might be. Possibly Bill Swazy who went missing after a night of heavy drinking?
I previously found an article about another of "Squire" McKibbin's children, Phoebe McKibbin Herrold. The headline: Dies in Chair as She Crochets. Can't make this stuff up!
The squire's wife, Harriet Larimer McKibbin, died of "lung fever" according to the sentence in the news I found. The squire himself "dropped dead" at his home, as the news item above shows.
Any McKibbin-McKibben-Larimer cousins reading this, please feel free to comment!
Those are crazy stories! As the saying goes, truth really is stranger than fiction! What newspaper sites are you accessing for Elkhart? I have people there and although I am currently researching the other side of the family, your post makes me curious.
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