Speaker Profile-Mary Stansfield

Friday, 2:30 p.m., F347, “Grandpa “Stole Chickens in the Nighttime:” What Penitentiary Records Can Tell About Your Family”

Did you ever wonder why no one talked about what Uncle Albert was doing during the Great Depression? Have you heard the phrase “pretty wild when he was younger, but a good guy” used to describe someone in your family? If so, you might want to take a look in penitentiary records. 

This session will focus on the Missouri State Penitentiary, but will give researchers an idea of common types of penitentiary records. Penitentiary records can offer a wealth of information on hard to find family members. You can discover big things like a date of death or parents’ names, or smaller details like what kind of tattoos great-great grandpa had.

A brief history of the Missouri State Penitentiary will be included, descriptions of what types of records have survived, the information you can learn about inmates, and practical tips for doing research. There will also be riots, gangsters, daring escapes, and stories about grandpa stealing chickens and grandma running a bawdy house.    

Mary Stansfield, MA, CA
Missouri State Archives
600 W. Main St.
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Speaker Profile-Mary Stansfield