UT UT - Nephi, WhtMale UP106859, 65-70, along US HWY 189 in a patch of oak brush, grey stetson with letters "jhk, Apr'41

[Romulus]

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP106859
Male, White/Caucasian
Date Body Found: April 25, 1941
Location Found: Nephi, Utah

Estimated Age Range: 65-70 Years
Estimated Age Group Adult - Pre 70
Estimated Age Range (Years): 65-70
Estimated Year of Death--
Estimated PMI--

Height: 6' 0"(72 inches) , Estimated
Weight: Cannot Estimate
Hair Color: Gray or Partially Gray
Head Hair Description: Black with gray mixed throughout
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye Color: Unknown
Right Eye Color: Unknown
Eye Description--
Condition of RemainsNot recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction


Clothing: He was wearing a grey stetson hat with the letters "jhk" perforated into the band, a black overcoat, overalls and a tan pair of trousers underneath the overalls. a los angeles times newspaper front page dated april 23rd, 1941 was found in one of his pockets

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Circumstances of Recovery: The body of a man along US HWY 189 (now known as U-132) was found in a patch of oak brush about 2.5 to 3 miles from Nephi midway between the U.S. Gypsum company plant and the Nephi Municipal Power Plant (no longer there). The body was badly decomposed and it was estimated that he had been deceased about 6 weeks.

 

[Tony1902]

A real Stetson? Don’t they keep names and measurements? Anyone?

 

[lostnwyomn]

No, even back then they were mass produced. Looks like initials were put on it though.

A real Stetson? Don’t they keep names and measurements? Anyone?

 

[Bit of hope]

Being from abroad I had to look up what a Stetson looked/looks like. This is a vintage model from 1941, just as an example. $5 in 1941 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $103.78 today. I think it's safe to say this particular one was more expensive because it was customized (initials). Maybe it was a hat "for life" thing and it that perspective not that expensive?

 

[Bit of hope]

This is in the Namus file: 'This information came from Newspaper Reports, Juab COSO could not find a case on this'. My guess is COSO means County Sheriff's Office Very diligent to enter this old cases.

Forgot to ask: is there somebody who is a member of newspapers.com who can dig up the Los Angeles times newspaper front page dated april 23rd, 1941? or at least look if it's archived?

 

[cenazoic]

Here you go!

 

[cenazoic]

It’d be interesting to know what kind of Stetson the man was wearing.

I’d mildly argue that Stetson, particularly in the western US, is more known for something like this:

 

[Bit of hope]

Here you go!

Thank you so much! Maybe this is why this person had this front page in his possession, but off course it could be anything.







Either he was interested in the pig iron plant (Mt. Pleasant is 33 min. (29,7 miles) from Nephi). Looking for job opportunities? No idea how long people worked/had to work in 1941 to earn a living. Would that be realistic given his estimated age. Or maybe he was even a family member of Henry J. Kaiser (initials J.H.K.) but that is probably to much imagination. Is it? I have to find out now.

 

[Bit of hope]

Thank you so much! Maybe this is why this person had this front page in his possession, but off course it could be anything.

View attachment 442470

View attachment 442467

View attachment 442468

Either he was interested in the pig iron plant (Mt. Pleasant is 33 min. (29,7 miles) from Nephi). Looking for job opportunities? No idea how long people worked/had to work in 1941 to earn a living. Would that be realistic given his estimated age. Or maybe he was even a family member of Henry J. Kaiser (initials J.H.K.) but that is probably to much imagination. Is it? I have to find out now.

The Henry J. Kaiser mentioned in the article has no father, brother with the name of J.H. Kaiser. It would have been to good to be true.

 

[cenazoic]

Nice catch!

Here’s what doesn’t add up for me:

Date Body Found: April 25, 1941

Newspaper date: April 23, 1941

Yet he was ‘decomposing/putrefied’.

Also, would a 65-70 year old be looking for work at a pig iron plant? (Possibly, doing his bit for the war, etc)

Still, makes me wonder if something didn’t get entered incorrectly.

Here’s the April 23, 1940 front page, but not sure it reveals anything.

The Salt Lake Tribune indicates possible labor/union issues in 1941.

 

[Bit of hope]

Nice catch!

Here’s what doesn’t add up for me:

Date Body Found: April 25, 1941

Newspaper date: April 23, 1941

Yet he was ‘decomposing/putrefied’.

Also, would a 65-70 year old be looking for work at a pig iron plant? (Possibly, doing his bit for the war, etc)

Still, makes me wonder if something didn’t get entered incorrectly.

Here’s the April 23, 1940 front page, but not sure it reveals anything.

The Salt Lake Tribune indicates possible labor/union issues in 1941.

Yes, sharp. I also can't imagine The Los Angeles Times circulated in Utah and that would mean he or someone else traveled from A. to B. Would it even have been possible to travel in two days in 1941?

I found this, but I can't open it my self due to privacy policies. Is there more info in it? John DOE-Juab County

 

[deadfoot13]

Yes, sharp. I also can't imagine The Los Angeles Times circulated in Utah and that would mean he or someone else traveled from A. to B. Would it even have been possible to travel in two days in 1941?

I found this, but I can't open it my self due to privacy policies. Is there more info in it? John DOE-Juab County

The information from the link you provided:

"On April 25, 1941, a shepherd taking his sheep through the mountains of Salt Creek Canyon in Nephi Canyon (Nephi, Utah) found the body of a man along us Hwy 189 (now known as u-132) in a patch of oak brush. The body was located about 2.5 to 3 miles from Nephi, midway between the U. S. Gypsum Company plant and the Nephi municipal power plant (no longer there). The body was badly decomposed and it was estimated he had been dead about 6 weeks. there were no external or internal signs of injury, so it was determined the man likely died of natural causes, such as a heart attack. He was laying under an oak tree covered by a canvas tarp in a sleeping position. the man was described as white/caucasian, about 65 to 70 years old, at least 6 feet tall, and had black hair with grey mixed throughout. He was wearing a Gray Stetson hat with the letters “jhk” perforated into the band, a black overcoat, overalls, and a tan pair of trousers underneath the overalls. a Los Angeles Times newspaper front page dated April 23rd, 1941 was found in one of his pockets. a “hobo’s bag” was found nearby but no identification was located, and he was never identified. he was buried in the Nephi cemetery (now the vine bluff cemetery) on about June 24th, 1941. Information came from Newspaper Articles."

 

[Bit of hope]

The information from the link you provided:

"On April 25, 1941, a shepherd taking his sheep through the mountains of Salt Creek Canyon in Nephi Canyon (Nephi, Utah) found the body of a man along us Hwy 189 (now known as u-132) in a patch of oak brush. The body was located about 2.5 to 3 miles from Nephi, midway between the U. S. Gypsum Company plant and the Nephi municipal power plant (no longer there). The body was badly decomposed and it was estimated he had been dead about 6 weeks. there were no external or internal signs of injury, so it was determined the man likely died of natural causes, such as a heart attack. He was laying under an oak tree covered by a canvas tarp in a sleeping position. the man was described as white/caucasian, about 65 to 70 years old, at least 6 feet tall, and had black hair with grey mixed throughout. He was wearing a Gray Stetson hat with the letters “jhk” perforated into the band, a black overcoat, overalls, and a tan pair of trousers underneath the overalls. a Los Angeles Times newspaper front page dated April 23rd, 1941 was found in one of his pockets. a “hobo’s bag” was found nearby but no identification was located, and he was never identified. he was buried in the Nephi cemetery (now the vine bluff cemetery) on about June 24th, 1941. Information came from Newspaper Articles."

Thank you! If he was found on April 25, 1941 and was dead for approx. 6 weeks he would have passed around March 14, 1941. I'm kind of happy to hear he died of natural causes, but how does a front page of April 23, 1941 turn up in his pocket??? This must be a mistake in the file. Either he was found in April 1942 or the front page was from April 1940. Or the journalist who wrote the original newspaper articles about the finding messed up.

 

[Bit of hope]

I couldn't find his grave on Vine Bluff Cemetery, but this might be his memorial. John Doe - Find a Grave Memorial

 

[MadMcGoo]

The newspaper date and PMI were confusing me too. I found these June 24/25th articles that suggest he was discovered a short time before being reported. One says a week prior but the date listed on NamUs is a few months prior, so I bet the PMI is estimated from the report/recovery in late June rather than the initial discovery.

Jun 26, 1941, page 1 - The Times-News at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Times-News dated Jun 26, 1941, page 1.

www.newspapers.com

Jun 24, 1941, page 1 - The Daily Herald at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Daily Herald dated Jun 24, 1941, page 1.

www.newspapers.com

 

[Bit of hope]

The newspaper date and PMI were confusing me too. I found these June 24/25th articles that suggest he was discovered a short time before being reported. One says a week prior but the date listed on NamUs is a few months prior, so I bet the PMI is estimated from the report/recovery in late June rather than the initial discovery.

Jun 26, 1941, page 1 - The Times-News at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Times-News dated Jun 26, 1941, page 1.

www.newspapers.com

View attachment 442604

Jun 24, 1941, page 1 - The Daily Herald at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Daily Herald dated Jun 24, 1941, page 1.

www.newspapers.com

View attachment 442606

Thank you Mad. That makes more sense.

 

[Bit of hope]

Being interested where this man may have come from, having a front page of The LA times, I wondered how far the distribution of the paper besides Los Angeles went.

In 1928 it began to use airplanes to deliver newspapers to other cities.
Article from (LA) Times, 12 August 1928. From Point A to Point B: The “Spirit of Los Angeles” Aircraft, 14 April 1928 -The Homestead Blog


Times, 16 September 1928.

The Spirit of Los Angeles appears to have served its promotional purpose and then became part of the Mutual fleet ferrying small cargo, like Times newspapers, to Oakland, with stops at Bakersfield and Fresno.

I can imagine by 1941 the paper was widely spread in California and maybe other states? I was searching for a 1941 Colophon that might mention distribution, but I couldn't find that.