VT VT - Middlebury, 2 WhtChildren (9-11/13-15)/1 WhtFem Adult (35-45), off logging Rd, 15 May 1935

[alucardsdream]

All three were updated again a few days ago. I hope it's good news they are hiding there in the background information which we can't see

Oh, I really hope so! I've been obsessed with this case and I would love to see some movement on it!

 

[moonglow123]

Oh wow. I hope this means there’s an update.

I hate that (presumably) the killer must’ve gotten away with it by starting a new life elsewhere and just dodging inquiries from family or friends. I’m sure there were people out there that loved and missed this family. I wonder what state they were from, MA or NY?

Very sad. Hope they’ll get their names back soon.

 

[strangerthanfiction1200]

It was early in the depression when they were killed. If they have living relatives, they might not know they had missing relatives. The question is not only the identity of the victims, but why. That might not be answered if it was a stranger who did the deed.

 

[LookingForClues]

Oh wow. I hope this means there’s an update.

I hate that (presumably) the killer must’ve gotten away with it by starting a new life elsewhere and just dodging inquiries from family or friends. I’m sure there were people out there that loved and missed this family. I wonder what state they were from, MA or NY?

Very sad. Hope they’ll get their names back soon.

Is there a reason you don't think they lived in Vermont?

 

[moonglow123]

Is there a reason you don't think they lived in Vermont?

Well, from my experience it's just a very small, sparsely populated state. Total population of 359,000 people in 1930. Feels like everyone knows each other in each town. I think it would be much harder for a family to disappear without making any noise or drawing any questions. And for no one to have heard about the case and put the pieces together.

They also felt like the child's orthodontic work was likely completed in a city somewhere, whether Boston or elsewhere. It's possible they traveled to get it done, but again, would've expected a wealthier family like that to have attracted some notice. Burlington's not a big city, but NYC and Boston are.

All just speculation though - it's possible they were.

 

[LookingForClues]

Well, from my experience it's just a very small, sparsely populated state. Total population of 359,000 people in 1930. Feels like everyone knows each other in each town. I think it would be much harder for a family to disappear without making any noise or drawing any questions. And for no one to have heard about the case and put the pieces together.

They also felt like the child's orthodontic work was likely completed in a city somewhere, whether Boston or elsewhere. It's possible they traveled to get it done, but again, would've expected a wealthier family like that to have attracted some notice. Burlington's not a big city, but NYC and Boston are.

All just speculation though - it's possible they were.

I plan to come back later when I have time for a longer response. But I did want to respond to let you know I saw your reply.

It's true that Vermont was and still is a small state. It seems logical to think the victims are not local. I've lived here since 1996, so I'm not a true Vermonter (you're an outsider if you don't have many generations of family here!). However, my husband's family on his mom's side have lived here for generations. She was born in 1928. Her mother's family is from Boston, her father's family is from Vermont. She spent her time shuttling between family in Boston and Vermont. My impression is this was common, families split between Vermont and neighboring states. My reason for providing this background is to show that the family could have been local, with ties to cities elsewhere.

I will add more later. Time for dinner!

 

[moonglow123]

I plan to come back later when I have time for a longer response. But I did want to respond to let you know I saw your reply.

It's true that Vermont was and still is a small state. It seems logical to think the victims are not local. I've lived here since 1996, so I'm not a true Vermonter (you're an outsider if you don't have many generations of family here!). However, my husband's family on his mom's side have lived here for generations. She was born in 1928. Her mother's family is from Boston, her father's family is from Vermont. She spent her time shuttling between family in Boston and Vermont. My impression is this was common, families split between Vermont and neighboring states. My reason for providing this background is to show that the family could have been local, with ties to cities elsewhere.

I will add more later. Time for dinner!

I appreciate your perspective! I've spent a decent amount of time there but I've never lived there, so you would definitely know better than me. Sorry if I sounded presumptuous listing the population - I was curious how much smaller it had been in 1930 so, had to look it up.

It's definitely possible they could've been from VT, or split their time between VT and other places like you said. I think the theory of the family that had a vacation home in VT someone mentioned upthread is a fair one.

I wish we could know how heavily the story was reported on at the time. I assumed if the family spent considerable time in Vermont someone would've recognized them or put the pieces together, but it's possible they either kept to themselves or the story wasn't widely transmitted enough.

I do hope the potential update or change means they were able to put together a family tree or found leads elsewhere.

 

[LookingForClues]

@moonglow123 please forgive me if you thought I was discounting your theory! That was not my intention at all!

As someone who was "just a tourist" before moving here 30 years ago, I've discovered many things about Vermont. I always knew this was "vacationland" for people who lived elsewhere, especially residents of New England and New York, back to the 1800s. It was only after marrying someone who's mom is from here that I realized some folks in the 1920s and '30s married locals while others remained separate as simply vacationers at grand hotels or vacation homeowners. I found it fascinating that my MIL traveled between Boston and the Burlington region regularly as a child and later as a teen, even though it wasn't an easy trip. Roads here were dirt, even in Burlington, Shelburne, and Middlebury. For her, it was an exciting train trip from Boston to Burlington and then a long drive to Grandma's house (sometimes by carriage, sometimes by car).

An interesting note: her Boston family was friendly with bootleggers and her Vermont family owned a general store. Interesting times.

I wish she was still alive so I could ask her if she ever heard about this woman and her children. I truly wonder if her family may have crossed paths with them.

 

[moonglow123]

@moonglow123 please forgive me if you thought I was discounting your theory! That was not my intention at all!

As someone who was "just a tourist" before moving here 30 years ago, I've discovered many things about Vermont. I always knew this was "vacationland" for people who lived elsewhere, especially residents of New England and New York, back to the 1800s. It was only after marrying someone who's mom is from here that I realized some folks in the 1920s and '30s married locals while others remained separate as simply vacationers at grand hotels or vacation homeowners. I found it fascinating that my MIL traveled between Boston and the Burlington region regularly as a child and later as a teen, even though it wasn't an easy trip. Roads here were dirt, even in Burlington, Shelburne, and Middlebury. For her, it was an exciting train trip from Boston to Burlington and then a long drive to Grandma's house (sometimes by carriage, sometimes by car).

An interesting note: her Boston family was friendly with bootleggers and her Vermont family owned a general store. Interesting times.

I wish she was still alive so I could ask her if she ever heard about this woman and her children. I truly wonder if her family may have crossed paths with them.

No, not at all! I was just interested in your insight since you're actually a Vermonter! And that's very interesting. I would've loved to hear if your MIL had heard of them. I wonder how many people at the time did.

If this wasn't a family annihilator situation, I do wonder if it could've been a criminal or debt matter (as others have speculated too) - bootlegging was big back then as you mentioned. And maybe dad could've been killed himself but dumped elsewhere. I hope we know what happened one day... it's just so sad and inexplicable that a whole family could be killed and no one reported them missing, at least as far as we know.