Nancy A Margott was born about 1842 in Ohio.
I found one small newspaper article, it doesn't tell us much about Nancy.
The San Francisco Call - 21 Oct 1891 - Page 3
When searching for criminal records Newspapers are your best resource, they tell you the when, where, and why in most cases. Most criminal records are not online and you have to write, email, or call for them. Sometimes they are housed in an archives if the prison is no long in operation. If the prison is still in operation you can the prison for them. The hardest record to get is jail records.
If you have an ancestor that has a FBI file you will need to send a Freedom of Information Act along with your request. These records take the longest to get.
I wanted to write about Nancy because her Mugshot was taken in 1891 upon her arrival to the prison. The oldest Mugshots to be found would be 1850's.
By 1857, the New York City Police Department had a gallery where daguerreotypes of criminals were displayed. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency began using these on wanted posters in the United States. By the 1870s the agency had amassed the largest collection of mug shots in the US.
Turns out mugshots have been around since the beginning of photography itself. In the 1840s, police departments started creating what they called “rogues' galleries,” a collection of photos of suspects and convicts.
All criminal matters typically become public record. This means criminal records, court records, and even mugshots are released to the public. However, some states and local governments have different laws on mugshots. For example, if criminal charges are not filed then a mugshot may not be available.
Even though I didn't find much genealogy information on Nancy, Her mugshot tells us a few things. Her jacket has large buttons on it and her hat has flowers on it. I would say that this is her Sunday's best, Most lower middle class ladies would have one good outfit they saved for church, weddings, funerals, and other special occasions.
I believe she was a widow and when her husband died she no longer and that income and therefore she became poor, her children may have moved away or she didn't have any, or they died. In any case she was alone. I did not find any of this information nor when she died.
A member in my Facebook Group found this for me after I wrote this blog post:
Enjoy you adventure in genealogy you never know where it will lead.
Inmate #14686 Folsom Prison (California)
Rec: 20 Oct 1891
Crime: Grand Larceny
Term: 1 year
Age: 49
The San Francisco Call - 21 Oct 1891 - Page 3
When searching for criminal records Newspapers are your best resource, they tell you the when, where, and why in most cases. Most criminal records are not online and you have to write, email, or call for them. Sometimes they are housed in an archives if the prison is no long in operation. If the prison is still in operation you can the prison for them. The hardest record to get is jail records.
If you have an ancestor that has a FBI file you will need to send a Freedom of Information Act along with your request. These records take the longest to get.
I wanted to write about Nancy because her Mugshot was taken in 1891 upon her arrival to the prison. The oldest Mugshots to be found would be 1850's.
By 1857, the New York City Police Department had a gallery where daguerreotypes of criminals were displayed. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency began using these on wanted posters in the United States. By the 1870s the agency had amassed the largest collection of mug shots in the US.
Turns out mugshots have been around since the beginning of photography itself. In the 1840s, police departments started creating what they called “rogues' galleries,” a collection of photos of suspects and convicts.
All criminal matters typically become public record. This means criminal records, court records, and even mugshots are released to the public. However, some states and local governments have different laws on mugshots. For example, if criminal charges are not filed then a mugshot may not be available.
Even though I didn't find much genealogy information on Nancy, Her mugshot tells us a few things. Her jacket has large buttons on it and her hat has flowers on it. I would say that this is her Sunday's best, Most lower middle class ladies would have one good outfit they saved for church, weddings, funerals, and other special occasions.
I believe she was a widow and when her husband died she no longer and that income and therefore she became poor, her children may have moved away or she didn't have any, or they died. In any case she was alone. I did not find any of this information nor when she died.
A member in my Facebook Group found this for me after I wrote this blog post:
Enjoy you adventure in genealogy you never know where it will lead.
Comments
Post a Comment