A Revenge Murder In Lapeer Co., Michigan

From the Brooklyn Eagle, Tuesday, June 20, 1854 (click link to read the whole article):

Peter Ulrich married Abby (Abalania/Appolonia) in Wurtemberg, Germany. She had previously rejected Henry Daum "after the wedding guests had met" and Henry never got over it. Henry "sold his estate and moved to a distant province." After Abby became Mrs. Ulrich, Henry Daum stalked Ulrich. "At length they met in a wild, narrow mountain pass; a deadly and fierce struggle took place, at the termination of which Ulrich was left upon the ground slain, as his assassin supposed." "Daum fled, and Ulrich recovered...".

Daum fled to England where he stayed for six years. The Ulrichs and their children "joined a party who were emigrating to America, and settled in the county of Lapeer." In August of 1838, Henry Daum knocked on the door of Ulrich's Lapeer home. Abby answered the door; Mr. Ulrich had been out hunting, never to return home alive.

Henry Daum was put on trial for the murder of Peter Ulrich, but was acquitted because the circumstantial evidence was not strong enough to compel the jury to convict him.

The "rest of the story" can be found in the "History of Lapeer County," including the fact that the widowed Mrs. Ulrich married 2nd Philip Harbor**. **Philip & Abby Harbar, both age 49, and both born in Russia, were living in Thornville, Lapeer Co., Michigan, in 1860.

Data about some of the involved persons:

1870 MI Lapeer, Metamora
Harbor, Philip, 59, farmer, b. Prussia
", Apolonia, 59, b. Prussia
", Philip, Jr., 27, b. MI
", Fred, 25, b. MI
", Margaret, 22, b. MI
", Appy, 19, b. MI

1880 Census MI, Lapeer, Metamora
Philip HARBER Self M W 69 PPU Farmer --- ---
Abigail HARBER Wife M W 69 BADEN Keeps House --- ---
Smiley MATHEW SonL M W 29 CAN Farmer IRE IRE
Abagail MATHEW Dau M W 29 MI Keeps House PRU BADEN
Frank MATHEW Son S W 1 MI CAN MI

This land Patents site has the following:

2 August 1837 - Oakland Co.
Henry Daum of Wayne Co., Michigan
N fractional 1/4 of Section 6 T 5 N R 10 E
117 & 72/100 acres

1 Oct 1839 - Lapeer Co.
Henry Daum of Oakland Co., Michigan
SE 1/4 of SE 1/4 of Section 11 T 6 N R 10 E
40 acres

10 November 1840 - Lapeer Co.
Maria Daum of Lapeer Co.
SE 1/4 of SE 1/4 of Section 7 T 6 N R 11 E
40 acres