A Murdered Child In My Cousin's Family Tree

The murder came to my attention while browsing newspapers online. Little did I know that the child's mother was already in my family tree!

Evelyn/Eveline (Barnum) Hillier was the daughter of Joseph and Caroline (Pollock) Barnum and the granddaughter of Calvin and Evaline (Jennings) Barnum. My first cousins are also descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Barnum.  Evelyn Barnum married Robert Hillier on August 8, 1908.

Robert E. Hillier, son of Leslie (or Wesley) and Mary (Deck) Hillier, age 20, killed his wife's child* in 1909 in Flint. One account of the murder indicated that a few months earlier Evelyn had filed an assault charge against her employer; was the baby Robert's child? Confession*and inquest* [*pdf files at GenealogyBank.com]

Cause of Death for two day old Joseph Hillier was listed as unknown on his death certificate, 13 January 1909, in Genesee County, Michigan.

Robert E. Hillier was sentenced to the prison at Ionia, Michigan:

United States Census, 1930

event place: Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan

head Robert E Hiller M 41 Michigan

wife Ella C Hiller F 41 Michigan

son Burt W Hiller M 14 Michigan

daughter Florence J Hiller F 9 Michigan

nephew Lawrence F Tracy M 27 Michigan

niece Laura P Tracy F 24 Michigan

nephew Thomas N Tracy M 8 Michigan

niece Olive M Tracy F 4 Michigan

Index: SAGINAW NEWS

Friday, December 10, 1937 (8)

Name: HILLIER, ROBERT

Spouse's Name: ELLA PETERS

Married: 00/00/1913

Child Of: WESLEY OF MONTANA

Age: 48

Birth Date: 12/29/1888

Birth Place: GRAYLING, MI

Death Date: 12/09/1937

Death Place: SAGINAW, MI

Cemetery: FOREST LAWN

Misc: ADOPTED BY GRANDFATHER, ROBERT

Evaline Barnum Hiller married 2nd Louis Bolio (1888-1917) in 1912.  She married 3rd Rudolph Honewald.

This story fits in my family tree because my Dad's sister married Evelyn Barnum's 1st cousin once removed.