Homer Ferguson's Revenge?

The story of Homer Ferguson's troubles in Roscommon County, Michigan (Daily Telegram published September 6, 1902), caused me to wonder if I'd stumbled upon a possible ulterior motive for the Homer Ferguson grand jury indictment in Detroit several years later of Roscommon native Duncan McCrea (my Cameron grandmother's cousin).  Did any of Duncan's friends or family members set-up Homer for political gain?  (At the very least they probably knew of each other -- Duncan lived in Roscommon County in 1900 and 1910.)

Here's the 1902 story:

Sheriff Johnson of Roscommon wired the authorities here [Lapeer] yesterday afternoon to arrest Attorney Homer L. Ferguson, who is wanted on a warrant issued on complaint of Hattie Clark (she also accused him of embezzlement).
He also to the officer he was a candidate for prosecuting attorney and that his opponent was trying to put up a job on him.  The prisoner formerly lived in Almont township.  He...was located in Cheboygan before going to Roscommon.  His people are among the most wealthy in Lapeer county and are highly respected.  Ferguson is thirty years old.

The Homer L. Ferguson who was arrested in 1902 was born in Michigan in March of 1869 according to the 1900 Census.  At that time he was listed as an attorney and a widower living in Cheboygan, Michigan.  In 1935 Homer L. Ferguson was a college educated taxidermist in Homosassa, Citrus County, Florida and living with his wife Edna.  Homer Lawrence Ferguson died in Citrus County, FL, in 1953/4.

It was a different Homer Ferguson who became the nemesis of Duncan C. McCrea.  That Homer Ferguson, a judge living in Detroit in 1940, was born in Pennsylvania in 1889.  He died in 1982.

Source

Darn. A perfectly good conspiracy theory spoiled by inconvertible facts!  The prosecution of Duncan McCrea had no connection to the 1902 troubles of Homer L. Ferguson in Roscommon County.

A blog post about Detroit Mayor Richard Reading who, along with Duncan McCrea, was ensnared by Homer Ferguson's probe.

Pearl (Zimmerman) Desy

From the Flint [Michigan] Journal:

The 1930 census revealed three things about Pearl (Zimmerman) Desy that I did not previously know. Her husband's first name was Eugene; the family, including Pearl's mother, Louisa (Breithaupt) Zimmerman, lived in San Antonio, Texas, in 1930, and both of her daughters were born in Texas. Pearl's oldest daughter was raised by Pearl's brother & sister-in-law, Angus & June (Powers) Zimmerman (June was my great-aunt).

Eugene Desy, Pearl's husband died in San Antonio, Texas, on 22 August 1938 (at Footnote.com). Did he stay behind or move back to Texas after Pearl died in Flint, Michigan? Eugene was the son of Come & Virginia Desy, both born in Quebec, Canada. He first married Rachel Davenport; she was listed on the "Durant Roll" of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians (Mac band) here.

Pearl was buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Mackinaw City, Michigan (See gravestone here).

Piecing Together A Family From A Newspaper Announcement In Cheboygan, Michigan

While researching the WHITNEY surname in northern Michigan, I found the following entry in a fairly comprehensive Cheboygan Co., Michigan, Index at the GenWeb site:

Whitney Margaret Miss Aug 28, 1924
Cheboygan Daily Tribune

On a trip to the Library of Michigan in Lansing, MI, I used the date from the indexed item above and found the following article relating to "Miss" Margaret Whitney.


Once I found the Cheboygan newspaper article, Margaret appeared to be unrelated to any Whitney I was researching, but thought that a move to West Virginia from northern Michigan was interesting. I shelved the article several months ago and while searching through my files today, thought that with the Michigan marriages and West Virginia records online here, I might have a little luck finding "the rest of the story" behind Margaret Whitney.

Since Margaret Whitney married Wilbur Jones, his name was checked first and found this record (the categories left blank were erased):

Groom name: Wilbur L. Jones

Groom age: 21 years

Groom birth year: 1903

Groom birth place: Wolverine, Michigan

Bride name: Marguerite T. Gill Whitney

Bride age: 28 years

Bride birth year: 1896

Bride birth place: New York

Marriage date: 24 Aug 1924

Marriage place: Levering, Emmet, Michigan

Father of groom name: A. W. Jones

Mother of groom name: Vina Ryckman

Father of bride name: E. B. Gill

Mother of bride name: Nellie

Film number: 2342761

Digital GS number: 4210097

Image number: 434

Reference number: v 2 rn 3630

Collection: Michigan Marriages 1868-1925

This record told me that "Miss" Margaret Whitney's maiden name was GILL not Whitney.

Using the same database, a marriage record for Marguerite Gill was found:

Groom name: Joseph R. Whitney

Groom age: 23 years

Groom birth year: 1894

Groom birth place: Merrill

Bride name: Marguerite Gill

Bride age: 21 years

Bride birth year: 1896

Bride birth place: New York

Marriage date: 07 Apr 1917

Marriage place: Central Lake, Antrim, Michigan

Father of groom name: J. H.

Mother of groom name: Minnie Thomas

Father of bride name: Emmons

Mother of bride name: Bush

Film number: 2342722

Digital GS number: 4209964

Image number: 581

Reference number: v 5 p 15 rn 23864

Collection: Michigan Marriages 1868-1925

Between the two marriage records, her parents were identified as Emmons & Nellie (Bush) Gill, and that she was born in New York, ca 1896.

1900 PA Susquehanna, Montrose

Gill, Emmons, Oct 1864, NY NY NY

", Nellie, Jan/June 1867, NY NY NY

", Allina, daughter, Oct 1890, NY NY NY

", Marguerite, May 1895, NY NY NY

1920 MI Antrim, Central Lake

Gill, E.B., 56, b. NY, manager of a canning factory

", Helen, wife, 53

", Myrta (Merla?), 16

", Elwood, son, 6

Whitney, Marguerite, daughter, 24, widowed, b. NY

", Joseph, son 1/12, b. MI

The Jones family was found living in Cheboygan, Michigan:

1900 MI Cheboygan

Jones, Almon, head, Jan/June 1871, MI Canada England

", Lavina Mrs., June 1869

Ryckman, Archie, Jany 1873

", Levi, Oct 1876

[Info on the Internet indicated that the Ryckmans were Lavina Ryckman's cousins]

[Wilbur, Marguerite Gill Whitney's husband, wasn't born yet]

1920 MI Cheboygan, Nunda Twp

Jones, Alman W., 48, MI

", Levina, wife, 50, MI

", Wilbur L., son, 16, MI

Did Mr. & Mrs. Wilbur Jones ever move to West Virginia? From what I gathered, Wilbur died in Jackson, MI.