Isabelle McNicoll was born about 1878 in New York to Andrew and Marianne McNicoll. She had several brothers and sisters. Her birth year might be wrong unless I am missing some siblings.
John R McNicoll 1856-
Andrew McNicoll 1859-
Annie McNicoll 1860-
Ellen McNicoll 1862-
George Washington McNicoll 1866-
William F McNicoll 1868
The newspaper articles mention her mother 2 sisters and a brother all had mental issues.
In 1895 she marries Joseph M Mello who became a very wealthy rancher in Contra Costa County, CA, they have the following children.
Chester Mello 1897-1953
Webster Mello 1904-1987
Ramona Mello 1906-1910
Leona Mello 1908-1910
Vernal Mello (Twin) 1910-1910
Bernal Mello (Twin) 1910-1910
In July of 1910 she took 4 of her children into the bathroom and undressed them as if to bath them and drowned them. The two older boys heard their siblings crying and went to see what was happening and with fear they ran from the house out to the front yard and screamed for their father who was too faraway to hear their screams.
Sheriff Veale was driving by the ranch and heard the boys pleas for help and drove into the yard and the boys told him of the horror they saw, that their mother drowned their brothers and sisters. The sheriff went into the house to investigate. He saw the last child dripping wet in the mother's arms and took the child and tried to revive it for about half an hour. The twins were 5 months old. She asked the sheriff if she could take the photos of her children and newly cut locks of hair from her deceased children with her, He said she could.
Her explanation was she feared the children would inherit the insanity from her and her family. She had written letters to family members explaining how she was feeling being isolated on the ranch and they told her she need to rest.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31166988/isabelle_mello/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31161976/isabel_mello/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31160602/isabel_mello/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31160446/mrs_joseph_m_mello/
Isabelle was arrested and later taken to the Stockton Asylum in Stockton, CA.
The death date on her asylum record and her death cert are different..they messed up the year.
I found her Findagrave memorial and I made memorials for all the children and attached them to her along with a newspaper clipping. Hopefully her story finds a family member. I did notice some trees with wrong info, they have her maiden name wrong and there are 2 Joseph M Mello's one has ties to New Jersey.
John R McNicoll 1856-
Andrew McNicoll 1859-
Annie McNicoll 1860-
Ellen McNicoll 1862-
George Washington McNicoll 1866-
William F McNicoll 1868
The newspaper articles mention her mother 2 sisters and a brother all had mental issues.
In 1895 she marries Joseph M Mello who became a very wealthy rancher in Contra Costa County, CA, they have the following children.
Chester Mello 1897-1953
Webster Mello 1904-1987
Ramona Mello 1906-1910
Leona Mello 1908-1910
Vernal Mello (Twin) 1910-1910
Bernal Mello (Twin) 1910-1910
In July of 1910 she took 4 of her children into the bathroom and undressed them as if to bath them and drowned them. The two older boys heard their siblings crying and went to see what was happening and with fear they ran from the house out to the front yard and screamed for their father who was too faraway to hear their screams.
Sheriff Veale was driving by the ranch and heard the boys pleas for help and drove into the yard and the boys told him of the horror they saw, that their mother drowned their brothers and sisters. The sheriff went into the house to investigate. He saw the last child dripping wet in the mother's arms and took the child and tried to revive it for about half an hour. The twins were 5 months old. She asked the sheriff if she could take the photos of her children and newly cut locks of hair from her deceased children with her, He said she could.
Her explanation was she feared the children would inherit the insanity from her and her family. She had written letters to family members explaining how she was feeling being isolated on the ranch and they told her she need to rest.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31161976/isabel_mello/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31160602/isabel_mello/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31160446/mrs_joseph_m_mello/
Isabelle was arrested and later taken to the Stockton Asylum in Stockton, CA.
Her husband would never come see her and she would die here.
I found her Findagrave memorial and I made memorials for all the children and attached them to her along with a newspaper clipping. Hopefully her story finds a family member. I did notice some trees with wrong info, they have her maiden name wrong and there are 2 Joseph M Mello's one has ties to New Jersey.
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