Robert Grey Reynolds - The Genealogy of Herman Webster Mudgett

The Genealogy of

Herman Webster Mudgett

American Serial Killer

Robert Grey Reynolds Jr.

Smashwords Edition 2013

Herman Webster Mudgett(1861-1896), who became the first serial killer in the UnitedStates, was from rural New England. His roots are in Gilmanton, NewHampshire, a town incorporated in 1727 and settled in 1761. Aparish, first known as Averytown, was the location of anunsuccessful mining enterprise. It is still called Gimanton IronWorks. Mudgetts maternal family had the surnames Page and Price.His great-grandparents and grandparents, on his mothers side, cameto Gilmanton from Sandown and Belmont, NH. Still a small town,Gilmantons 2010 population was only 3,777. His paternal ancestorscame to Massachusetts from England. This e-book is not of the truecrime genre. I have concentrated instead on detailing the genealogyof the man who became the fiendish mass murderer, Dr. Henry Howard(H.H.) Holmes. I have used the most common spelling of the surnameMudgett throughout the text of my work. It is sometimes spelledwith a single t on the end in some ancestral records. The title ofthe book is a bit misleading in terms of its scope. The contentalso includes some of the ancestry of the wives, children, and oneof the accomplices of Herman Mudgett. Herman Webster Mudgett was the son of Theodate TheodociaPage Price Mudgett (October 1827-December 1903) and George LeviHorton Mudgett (November 1827-1911). Theodate was born inGilmanton, Belknap, New Hampshire Figure 1 Gilmanton Academy,Gilmanton, New Hampshire on October 1, 1827. The daughter of MosesSmith Price (March 8, 1799-April 7, 1876) and Sarah Page Price(March 13, 1807-November 19, 1851), Theodate died of old age,according to her Massachusetts Death Certificate. Treated by aphysician from December 5 to December 23, 1903, Theodate died atage 76. A primary contributor to her death was valvular heartdisease. Her final residence was 52 Mystic Street in Arlington,Massachusetts. She is buried in Beech GroveCemetery in Gilmanton. Figure 2 Grave of Theodate MudgettLevi Horton Mudgett, the father of serial killer Dr. Henry HowardHolmes, was a painter. He married Theodate Price on September 6,1849 in Belmont, New Hampshire, the birthplace of LeviMudgett. Figure 3 View of Belmont, NewHampshire Figure 4 Main Street Looking South,Belmont, NH The United States Census of June 1870 lists HermanMudgetts name as Hiram. The third child borne by Theodate, hewas attending school when the census was taken. His age was 9.Arthur P. Mudgett (born 1857) worked on a farm at age 13. He alsoowned property, amounting to $500. The youngest child at the time,Henry Levi (1866-1900), was five years old. Both Levi and TheodateMudgett were forty-three years old. Levi was a house painter whosepersonal estate was valued at $500. Somewhat unusual for the time,is that the familys real estate is recorded as belonging toTheodate. It amounted to $2,500. Her occupation was keepinghouse. Figure 5 High Street, Gilmanton IronWorks, 1910 The eldest child of the Mudgetts, Ellen P. (born1852), taught school. She was 18. The June 1880 United StatesCensus for Gilmanton, New Hampshire states that Levis householdincluded Theodate, a son and a daughter. The son, Henry Levi, anddaughter, Mary Adams (born 1871) were both in school at the time.In June 1900 the Mudgetts remained in Gilmanton. The 1900 U.S.Census tells us that both Levi and Theodates parents were NewHampshire natives. Of five children born to the couple, three wereliving in 1900. Levi and Theodate had been married for fifty yearsby then. Levi Horton Mudgett died in Arlington, Middlesex County,New Hampshire, on March 9, 1911. He is buried in Beech GroveCemetery, formerly Gimanton Cemetery. Figure 6 Grave of Levi HortonMudgett Levi died from a cerebral hemorrhage, a result ofarteriosclerosis. He was 83, retired, and a widower. His Arlingtonaddress was 52 Mystic Street. Levi lived with his son-in-law,Herbert Fowle (born 1868), and his daughter, Mary Adams Fowle.Herbert was an architectural draftsman from Lexington,Massachusetts. Married in Lexington on August 18, 1897, the Fowleshad no children. The sister of Herman Webster Mudgett was notemployed outside of her home. Mary was widowed according to theJanuary 1920 U.S. Census. 48, she lived on Massachusetts Avenue inBoston, MA. She rented a residence in Ward 7, and worked as ahousekeeper for a plural family. The 1922 Boston City Directorystates that Mary Adams Fowle died in 1921. Herman Webster Mudgettsyounger brother, Henry Levi, was born on October 15, 1866. Hemarried Minnie B. Shields on December 25, 1888, in Malden,Massachusetts. Henry Levis bride was 22. She was a native ofMilton, Nova Scotia. Henry died an untimely death at age 33, onApril 23, 1900. His death was caused by diabetes mellitus. Agrocer, he lived at 36 Clinton Street in Woburn, MA. Figure 7 Death Record of Henry LeviMudgett Levi Horton Mudgetts parents were Scribner Mudgett (March6, 1801- December 8, 1831) Figure 8 Grave Marker of Scribnerand Nancy Mudgett and Nancy Prescott Mudgett (September 2,1797-March 7, 1871) Figure 9 Mudgett Burial Ground,Gilmanton Iron Works Scribner married Nancy Prescott in Gilmantonon November 24, 1825. Figure 10 Marriage Record ofScribner and Nancy Mudgett The 1830 United States Census statesthat Scribner Mudgett lived in Caledonia County Township, WaldenCounty, Vermont. He was 30 when he died in 1831. Scribner Mudgettwas the son of Samuel Mudgett (1776-December 10, 1858) and MaryMorrill (born 1776). Samuel and Mary wed in Loudon, New Hampshireon October 16, 1800. Samuel farmed for a living. The September 1850United States Census for Gilmanton notes that Samuels real estateamounted to $1,800. Aside from Mary, the residence included fourother people. Among these was a physician, Edwin F. Hurd, 29, andLaura A. Mudgett, 25. In June 1860 Samuel was 85 and Mary was 83.They lived in the home of David Parson Leonard (July 15, 1827-1904)and Susan Hoster Mudgett Leonard (1821-1889), 33 and 39 years ofage, respectively. Susan was the daughter of Samuel and MaryMorrill Mudgett. David Leonards real estate was worth $2,000. Hispersonal estate was valued at $600. The Leonards son was namedEdward Fenno Leonard (born April 15, 1862). He was born in Belmont,NH. Samuel Mudgetts parents were Edward Scribner Mudgett (August1745-February 5, 1826) and Sarah Smith Mudgett (1749-1832). Inaddition to Samuel their children were Edward (1774-1862), RichardMudgett (1778-1849), and Betsey Mudgett (1788-1848). EdwardScribner Mudgett was the son of John Mudgett (1700-1746) andSusanna Scribner Mudgett (1708-1763). John Mudgett was born inSalisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts on December 17, 1700. Hedied in Brentwood, Rockingham County, New Hampshire on May 28,1746.