News articles from 1859 needed

CRIPPEN, BIDWELL, WRIGHT

Posted By: Kellena Crippen (email)
Date: 6/20/2012 at 22:01:12

Seeking newspaper articles and/or other documentation of divorce procedings, murder trial and eventual disappearance of Nancy (Bidwell) Crippen, and husband John Crippen who divorced in Clayton County in 1859 (according to John's civil war file).

Wife of their grandson had newspaper clippings from the time period, that told about the murder trial and acquittal of Nancy, but can't be found. The grand daughter of their grandson remembers clippings that said that John Crippen owned or worked at a sawmill in Buena Vista, Nancy committed adultery with a hired hand, then a murder with Nancy as the prime suspect and stood trial.

Nancy eventually married (Edward) Frank Wright in October 1859 in Wisconsin. Nancy's shawl was found on the banks of the Cedar River in approximately March/April 1864, and Mr. Wright was held on suspicion, but eventually let go for lack of evidence and her death ruled a suicide. There also was at least one newspaper article on this event.

The following is a timeline of gathered data. Any additional documentation would be greatly appreciated!

John A. Crippen CHRONOLOGY
1817 Born about 1817 Cayuga County, New York (per enlistment documents)
1849 Married 21 JUN 1849 in Pennsylvania to Nancy Bidwell (per family Bible quoted in John’s military pension file)
1852 NY, 1855 PA, 1857 IOWA - sons born

CHILDREN
1. George R. born 27 DEC 1852 in New York or Pennsylvania (buried North Liberty, Johnson County, Iowa)
2. David Gilbert born 08 AUG 1855 in Pennsylvania (buried North Liberty, Johnson County, Iowa)
3. William A. born 23 FEB 1857 in Iowa (descendants in SD)
William A. had a family Bible with some family history information (per pension file)
John A Crippen and wife (Nancy) had a sawmill in Buena Vista (town of Buena Vista per family story)
1859 Divorced 1859 (in Iowa Clayton County per pension file)

Nancy tried and acquitted for murder (per family story; as seen in newspaper articles now lost; tried in death of a man she was having an affair with)
Trial when? just before or just after 1859 divorce [unknown]

1859 - 09 Oct 1859 married to Edward Frank Wright, Grant County Wisconsin (marriage record)
1860 census - mother (Nancy and current husband Edward Frank Wright) and children (listed as Cripring or Gripring) in Lyons Twp., Clinton Co. IA
1860 census - John A Crippen not yet found

1861 27 Jul 1861 married Adelia Sills (marriage license) in Cedar Rapids, Linn Co., IA
1862 John A Crippen living in Cedar Rapids, Linn, Iowa per military enlistment papers
1862 John A Crippen enlisted as a Private on 30 August 1862 at the age of 45
Enlisted in Cedar Rapids, mustered in 06 NOV 1862 in Muscatine age 45 Company D, Iowa 37th Infantry Regiment . (per military record)
1864 Nancy goes missing (shawl found on banks of Cedar River) and second husband (Frank Wright) questioned and released (per family stories)
29 MAR 1864 Nancy presumed drowned in Cedar River (date per family Bible quoted in orphan's pension claim)
1864 John A died 04 Nov 1864 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Discharged from military 03Nov1864 for debility - unabated diarrhea since May (per military record)
DIED
1864 John A Crippen mustered out 03 NOV 1864 at Cincinnati, Ohio. Survived the war? No. (Question on the military form) Died of disease 04 NOV 1864 at Cincinnati, Ohio.

Iowa Civil War Soldier Burial Records. Name: John A Crippen Rank: Private Unit: IA 37 Inf D Birth Information: Cayuga Co NY Death Information: 04 Nov 1864 Cincinnati OH Cemetery: Spring Grove Cemetery Location: Cincinnati OH Comments: enl 30 Aug 1862 age 45 res Cedar Rapids; muster 06 Nov 1862; died chronic diarrhea; cem card says b IA

Pension filed by children 1872 (?) Children claimed that they had been abandoned by their father's widow and raised by a neighbor, and that they had heard she (Adelia) was remarried. Affadavit in pension claim from woman stating she had been a bridesmaid at Adelia's wedding to a Mr. Hodge in 1865, that the marriage had been annulled, and that the last knowledge she had was that Adelia was married in 1870 to a Mr. Sweeney.

1870 Census - Amelia Crippen age 46 in Cedar Rapids, Linn, Iowa with Andrew Vanedick 27, Harriet Vanedick 30, and Sarah J. Hook 42