#88: Mystery Monday #1 | The Death of Mary A.E. Malone Chappell

For my inaugural "Mystery Monday" genealogy blogging prompt, we are stepping into a chilling homefront mystery from the final year of the Civil War, uncovered through a striking contrast between official state records and a Depression-era federal history project.

[Update 11 Jul 2026: New evidence has been found! Please scroll to the bottom of this post for the resolution of this mystery.]

The Two Faces of Evidence

When researching family history, we often find that official documentation tells only half the story, leaving oral traditions to fill in the gaps. Such is the case with Mary A. E. Malone (1824–1864), daughter of Daniel and Wilmouth Malone of Dinwiddie County, Virginia.

Source Document	Date Recorded	Details Provided
Dinwiddie County Death Register	September 1864	Lists her cause of death simply as: "Killed."
WPA Historical Inventory (Report DIN288)	November 19, 1936	"Mary A. E. Malone, born May 5, 1824. Killed September 16, 1864, by a soldier during the war between the states."

Clipped portion of the 1864 Death Register for Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Mary is the bottom line, and the cause of death is visible in the far right column.

#74: The Deep Roots of Indigo—Joshua Epps and the Colonial Foundation

Halifax Hues #4: The Deep Roots of Indigo—Joshua Epps and the Colonial Foundation

We have traveled a long way in this series. We started with a handwritten note from a grandmother, proved a brotherhood through 19th-century tax ledgers, and stood on the battlefields of the Revolution with Moses Epps.

When we began, the goal was to prove that Daniel and William Epps were brothers and that the Moses Epps identified as their father was the same man. We’ve done that. But today, we push past the finish line. This document doesn't just confirm Moses; it reveals the generation that came before him—the bedrock of the entire Halifax cluster.

To truly understand the Epps family, we have to go back to the "darker, deeper roots" of the family, to the couple who first carved a home out of the Virginia wilderness: Joshua and Betty Epps.

The 1778 Will: A Father’s Blueprint

#62: The Ohioans! | Abraham Miller: What the Census Suggests

The Ohioans! | Abraham Miller

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-07)

Henry Miller (abt 1806-1883) was a long-standing brick wall in my wife’s ancestry. I originally began my “The Ohioans!” series with a post about Henry and “The Land” they lived and were buried on. However, while researching for the 52 Ancestors prompt “What the Census Suggests,” I discovered documented histories that I had missed back in 2020.