Lester N. Straw Jr

   Cause of his death was suicide by poison.

  General Notes:

1870 census Marshalltown, Marshall County, Iowa
Joseph Straw age 35 [c1835] born NY; clerk in store
living in HH of Jerry Fourney born IL and Ellen Fourney born PA

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Name: L. N. Straw Bride's Name: Diantha Ayer Marriage Date: 30 Jan 1880 Marriage Place: Marshall, Iowa, United States Groom's Father's Name: Groom's Mother's Name: Bride's Father's Name: Bride's Mother's Name: Groom's Race: Groom's Marital Status: Groom's Previous Wife's Name: Bride's Race: Bride's Marital Status: Bride's Previous Husband's Name: Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I00417-7 System Origin: Iowa-EASy Source Film Number: 956746

census 1880 Marietta, Marshall Co, IA
Jonathan Humphrys 1816 OH; father born VA
Narssa (wife) born 1816 OH; father b. VA
Evan (son) 1858 IN; single
John W. (son) 1853 OH; single
May Straw (grand daughter)1874 IA; father born VT; mother b. OH
Maud Straw (grand daughter) 1876 IA ; father born VT; mother born OH

census 1880 4th ward, Marshalltown, Marshall County, IA
Name: Lester STRAW Age: 35 Estimated birth year: <1845> Birthplace: New York Occupation: Clerk In Grocery Relation: Self Home in 1880: Marshalltown, Marshall, Iowa Marital status: Married Race: White Gender: Male Head of household: Lester STRAW Father's birthplace: NH Mother's birthplace: NY
also
Liantha wife age 26; born VT c 1854. father born VT; mother born NH


married c1882 in Melbourne, Marshall County, Iowa to Mary Kracht - www.familysearch.com - IGI files
Name L. N., Jr. Straw Groom's Birth Date Groom's Birthplace Groom's Age Bride's Name Mary Kracht Bride's Birth Date Bride's Birthplace Bride's Age Marriage Date 11 Aug 1883 Marriage Place Jasper, Iowa

1889 - 1890 St. Louis, MO City Directory
Lester N. Straw Jr - Mining stocks, real estate, Bonds and mortgages


St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) 24 Oct 1891, SaPage 6
Inquest on Lester Straw
Deputy Coroner____ held an inquest this morning on the body of Lester N. Straw who committed suicide yesterday. Mrs Mary Straw was the only witness examinded and she gave the coroner very few facts about her husband which have not alreday been published. She said her husband was 44 years old at the time of his death, was born in New York and lived in St. Louis for four years. She had been away from the house two weeks and returned yesterday to find him dead. The causes which led up to his suicide she said were of his own making. He was a poor manager and could not support his family as he had been addicted to drink. The note written on a card of Daniel Brady was misleading she claimed as her husband meant by it that he thought Brady was poisoning her mind against him and said so. Two weeks ago she went away and wrote a letter saying she would return as soon as he could support her. He did not reply to this letter so she wrote again, saying she would go to Iowa where she has friends and take care of herself and children as best as she could. This is the cruel letter he referred to. His greatest fault she said was that his heart was bigger than his purse. She will bury her husband's remains though she is without means and was left no money by him.


The Wichita Daily Eagle (Wichita, Kansas)
24 Nov 1891, Tue
Page 3...Lester N. Straw lived at St. Louis.He had been married for eight years and was the father of two children. After serving for some time as a Pinkerton Detective he entered the employment of the Associated Charities as an investigator and in fact held that position at the time of his death. His superiors knew that his home life was not a happy one, and sympathized with him, for he ws faithful, industrious and sober. The other day he failed to report for duty and later it was learned that he had committed suicide. Before taking the fatal dose of poison he mailed a letter to the Globe-Democrat which contained a long screed addressed to his wife. No bitterer legacy of hate was ever left by a self doomed man.He cursed her for the cruel treatment, for heartlessness and for faults even more grave. He prayed that his spirit might return to haunt and torment her until she met a miserable end.
The iron purpose of the man is shown by the circumstance that on swallowing poison he sought the apartments where he lived alone after his wife left him and although suffering frightful agony never uttered a cry for help. He was heard walking the floor for hours. Then all was silent. They found him lying with his face towards the portraits of his pretty fairhaired girls.

Independence Daily Reporter (Independence, Kansas 27 Oct 1891, Tue Page 4
Lester N. Straw of St. Louis committed suicide, leaving behind him several strange notes which were evidently the transcript of his thoughts immediately before death.


daughter's marriage records:
Name Leonard Winter Groom's Birth Date 1868 Groom's Birthplace Wisconsin Groom's Age 27 Bride's Name May Straw Bride's Birth Date 1874 Bride's Birthplace Marshall County, Iowa Bride's Age 21 Marriage Date 13 May 1895 Marriage Place Primghar, O'Brien, Iowa Groom's Father's Name H.H. Winter Groom's Mother's Name P. Brickholder Bride's Father's Name LESTER STRAW; Bride's Mother's Name Anna Humphrey

research notes:
Matilda (Straw) Hopkins (born 1844; d/o Enoch Straw and Betsey Welch) had a son Dallas Hopkins born 1872 in Nevada, Iowa, (about 20 miles away from Marshalltown) who was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Marshalltown, Iowa. Could Lester be related to this branch of the Straws? Could he be a s/o Enoch Straw and Betsey Welch...a son born between daughter Matilda and son Wm? He is not in the HH in 1860...would have been about 15..perhaps remained in NY where he was born? Also found Mallie Straw born c1855 NY who is living in Marshall County, Iowa with a father born NH and a mother born NY
also:
Marshall, Marshall County, Iowa census of 1856 there is a Joseph Straw born 1833 VT living with Charles and Rebecca Smith (c1825) who were both born in NY.

Lester married Anna E. Humphreys, daughter of Jonathan Humphreys and Narcissa Hole, before 1875. (Anna E. Humphreys was born in 1840 in Ohio, died in 1879 and was buried in Marietta Cemetery in Marshall County, Iowa.)

  Marriage Notes:

based on birth of daughter

Lester next married Diantha Ayers, daughter of Daniel L. Ayers and Mary Jane Booth, on 30 Jan 1880 in Marshall, Marshall County, Iowa. (Diantha Ayers was born about 1854 in Maidstone, Essex County, Vermont.)

  Marriage Notes:

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Lester next married Mary Kracht, daughter of Conrad Kracht and Anna Marie "Mary" Luise Kosenkoetter, on 11 Aug 1883 in Jasper County, Iowa. (Mary Kracht was born circa 1861 in Wisconsin.)

  Marriage Notes:

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