[NA] Ancestry.com prison records

[TangoWhiskey]

Don't mean to be an "ad" for Ancestry.com, but I use them for my genealogical research, and they've outdone everybody on digitizing records and making them searchable and accessible.

I got an email that they just added mug shots and prison records from Alcatraz (1934-1963), Leavenworth (1895-1931), McNeil Island (1887-1939) and Atlanta Pen (1880-1922).

Found it funny how many people were in McNeil for "Liquor to an Indian". What's the back story on that law?

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Ah, love Google.

Apparently it was a violation of an Act of Congress dated Feb 13, 1862, which declares that if any person shall sell any spirituous liquors "to any Indian under the charge of any Indian superintendent or Indian agent appointed by the United States, he shall, on conviction thereof before the proper district court of the United States," be fined and imprisoned.

This act of 1862 was amendatory of an Act of June 30, 1834, declaring that if any person sold liquor to an Indian in the Indian country, he should forfeit five hundred dollars.

Looks like lots of people got in trouble for it:

http://books.google.com/books?id=yf...wAA#v=onepage&q="liquor to an indian"&f=false

 

[Richard]

My paternal grandpa put a lot of guys in prison. He was a US Marshall out of the Seattle office in the 20s and ealry 30s. He capped his career by being instrumental in a huge bust and entered a federal protection program.

My wife counts among her ancestors some scurrilous dogs, most notably Stuyveant who was a real mean SOB. That's putting it nicely.

Geneology is fun but requires a lot of research with a plethora of deadends.