The Fatal Glass of Beer: Murder of George Diggle 
May 24, 1888 
Location:  Caroline Overacker Rooming House --  Clarion, Wright County, Iowa

Author :  Nancy Bowers
Source:   Iowa Unsolved Murders: Historic Cases
Link to Story:
1888 Murder of George Diggle -- Clarion, Iowa

Daily Globe - St. Paul, Minnesota  --- October 20, 1888

1888 Sioux Falls, Dakota Territory -- City Directory

1888 Sioux Falls City Directory

Link to "Was It Suicide or Murder?":

May 30, 1888 - Wright County Monitor Newspaper

 

George Diggle (March 1850 – May 24, 1888)

A genealogy and biographical sketch by Sarah Thorson Little, 2015

George Diggle was born in March 1850 in Middleton, Lancashire, England. He is enumerated in 1851 in the Tonge, St Michael, Lancashire census. His father was Robert Diggle who was born in ca. 1826 in Pendleton, Lancashire, England and Betsey (Whittaker) Diggle who was born ca. 1827 in Middleton, Lancashire, England. His father, Robert Diggle emigrated to Philadelphia on the ship Tonawanda which departed from Liverpool arriving in Philadelphia on August 18, 1854. George and his mother, Betsey along with his three brothers, Joseph, James and John all emigrated from Liverpool to New York arriving on November 24, 1856 on the ship Robert Kelly. The family settled in Philadelphia where his father was engaged in the calico print works industry, a business he had learned in England. George’s mother, Betsey died in Philadelphia and his father remarried a widow, Sarah (Powell) Jones Shapcott who was from Somersetshire, England. Mrs. Shapcott had been married twice, her first husband, John Jones dying on February 18, 1844 in Wellington, Somerset, England. She had two sons by John Jones. She then married Richard Shapcott in 1850 in England and had four sons, William, John, Henry and Richard. They emigrated to Philadelphia in 1857 and lived near the Diggle family. Richard Shapcott died January 19, 1864 and Sarah then married George Diggle’s father, Robert Diggle in Philadelphia.  In October 1869, the Diggle family moved to Grant County, Wisconsin buying a 160 acre farm near Montfort in the SE ¼ of Section 23 of Wingville Township. George is living with his father and stepmother as enumerated in the 1870 census. His father, Robert died in early 1900 and is buried in the Hillcrest Cemetery in Montfort. His widow (George’s stepmother) Sarah returned to Philadelphia and died in 1906.

At the age of 30 according to the 1880 census, George Diggle is living in Bloomington, Grant County, Wisconsin and working as a barber.   He then met Bertha whose possible maiden name is Clair and they were married in Philadelphia in 1884.  Since George lived in Philadelphia from the age of six to age 19 and had stepbrothers living there, it is apparent he periodically visited the city. George and Bertha were living in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County, South Dakota by 1886 where George worked as a barber. Bertha was also known as “Jessie Leland,” a leading lady of traveling theatrical companies — first touring with Andrews’ Opera Company until September 6, 1887 and then joining Ford’s Metropolitan Dramatic Company on March 10, 1888. Although news accounts on May 30, 1888 at the time of George’s death say the couple had two children, one a six month infant, my research only located one child.  A delayed birth certificate was recorded on November 5, 1943 in Minnehaha County, South Dakota for the October 15, 1889 birth of Irene Diggle to George Diggle and Bertha Clair.  However, the date must be in error since it is highly likely that Irene was born on October 15, 1887 and not 1889. This would make her seven months old at the time of her father’s death. In order for a delayed certificate to be issued, Irene had to have been living in 1943.  The October 1887 date is consistent, however, with Bertha’s account of not working in the theatre from September 1887 to March 1888.  I tried to locate the daughter, Irene, (hopefully living with her mother) in census records but was not successful. In the 1900 census in Hartford, Minnehaha County, South Dakota, I located a 12 year old girl, Irene Deigle. She was born November 1887 in South Dakota and was living with Charles L. Jones, born October 1824 in New York and Mary Jones, born October 1844 in Kentucky. The Jones couple had been married nine years in 1900.

George Diggle was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Clarion, Iowa shortly after his death on May 24, 1888.  His father was 62 years old and living at the time in Montfort, Wisconsin. No further information was located on Bertha (Clair) Diggle, aka Jessie Leland.

 

Sources consulted were: History of Grant County, Wisconsin; History of Wright County, Iowa; Wright County Monitor newspaper; 1851 England Census; 1860 Pennsylvania census; 1870 and 1880 Wisconsin Censuses; 1900 Pennsylvania Census; 1900 South Dakota Census; Philadelphia death records; South Dakota birth records; Grant County, Wisconsin cemetery records; Philadelphia and New York Immigration records; England birth and marriage records;

This biography was compiled and contributed by: Sarah Thorson Little wrightgenie@yahoo.com

April 2015, Copyright. Permission was given by Sarah Thorson Little to post this information on the Wright County, IAGenWeb Page.

 

 

11 Apr 2015