William Taylor was a farmer who died in excruciating pain from what was thought to be tetanus. Was it actually strychnine poisoning, and was his wife Virginia the culprit?
Sources and resources:
“The Strychnine Exhumation” by Raychelle Burks, Chemistry World, 22 April 2017, Royal Society of Chemistry, https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/the-strychnine-exhumation/3007131.article
Richmond Dispatch, December 27,1888, https://eshore.iath.virginia.edu/node/4866
Richmond Dispatch, March 28, 1889, https://eshore.iath.virginia.edu/node/4665
Brown’s Household Panacea: https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:tm70n416s
"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBP-6MW?cc=1417683&wc=XZ36-N38%3A1589415431%2C1589415430%2C1589415428%2C1589394938 : 24 December 2015), Virginia > Accomack > Metompkin Magisterial District > ED 6 > image 56 of 64; citing NARA microfilm publication T9, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., n.d.)
"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YB8-935T?cc=1727033&wc=QZZC-ZRK%3A133639801%2C140113301%2C140118001%2C1589089926 : 24 June 2017), Virginia > Northampton > Capeville > ED 91 > image 44 of 50; citing NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
"United States Census, 1920", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJFH-Y9B : Fri Dec 08 00:55:26 UTC 2023), Entry for Thomas Taylor and Flora D Taylor, 1920.
"Virginia, Vital Records, 1715-1901", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6JBN-LCF2 : Tue Nov 07 16:39:54 UTC 2023), Entry for Asa T Taylor and Wm J Taylor, 2 Jun 1878.
"Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XRS3-F3X : 29 January 2020), Virginia A. Gardner in entry for Wm. J. Taylor, 1877.
"United States Census, 1940", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRB2-YZP : Tue Nov 28 15:24:45 UTC 2023), Entry for Virginia Townsend and Lee H Hart, 1940.
African American History of Accomac County, Virginia, http://accomacroots.com/
Cover art photo: photo, public domain.
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