Ulysses Grant Attebury (1858 - 1896)

Born 1858 in Moweaqua, Shelby, Illinois, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Annice (Stoltz) Elliott — married 3 Feb 1881 in Decatur, Macon, Illinois, United States

Died 12 Feb 1896 at about age 38 in Sullivan, Moultrie, Illinois, United States

Biography

Grant was born in 1858. He died in 1896 at the age of 37 - 38. He was hung by a mob. More below.

Parents: David James Atteberry 1830 - 1891 and Cynthia Jane "Syntha" (Wilson) Atteberry 1830 - 1891.

Spouse: Annice (Stoltz) Attebury 1863 - 1951. Findagrave #97688945

Note: He seems to have used the spelling Attebury instead of Atteberry like his Father.

Information about his parents and Newspaper articles about Grant and his brother trying to kill their father:

David was a farmer and he served in Company H, 62nd Illinois Infantry. He was married to Cynthia Jane "Syntha" Wilson on 9/12/1852 in Shelby County, Illinois. Her obituary says she was buried in Locust Grove; another record says Long Grove. I haven't found her in either cemetery. She was paralyzed for many years before she died.

David was murdered by his sons, Grant and Ed. The David J Atteberry Murder Case from the Moweaqua Call-Mail, 11/2/1893.

The case was called for trial last week and is now progressing fairly well, considering the large number of witnesses to be examined. A vast amount of evidence of a very damaging character was elicited by the prosecution. As we go to press, the defense are pleading their cause. It is impossible at this time to give even a summary of the evidence as testified thus far, for the final result of the trial is yet many days distant.

On Monday afternoon, 11/29/1891, David J. Atteberry was shot and instantly killed while on his way home, in a road cart, from Moweaqua. When returning home from town, he went somewhat out of his way to visit a lady, Mrs. Nancy Denton, to whom, it is said, he was engaged to be married, and the wedding was to take place within a week or so.

It was while driving south on the lane about a mile south of his house that he was killed. Of course, definite sad irrefutable evidence as to the guiilty parties not known, but sufficient evidence of a circumstantial nature was obtained at the time, to cause the arrest of his two sons, Grant and Edward, as guilty parties.

The body was first discovered by George McClelland who resided near. He heard the gun shot, but paid no particular attention to it, until he noticed a road cart dashing furiously up the road without a driver. He started toward the vicinity from whence the shot came, and found the body of the murdered man. His brains were oozing out of a ghastly wound at the top of his head, showing that the gun had evidently been held within a foot of his head, as the skull was cracked and broken into small pieces.

Hurriedly, calling assistance, the proper authorities were notified, a coroner's jury empanelled, and the verdict was "killed by unknown parties." The States Attorney and the Sheriff were notified, came over from Shelbyville, and took charge of the case. Upon investigation they instituted the arrest of Grand and Ed Atteberry as the murderers of their father. While the evidence is wholly circumstantial, it is undoubtedly very strong.

The Atteberry boys were seen just before the murder in a narrow tread wagon. It was the only narrow tread wagon in that section of the country. Mr. G.B. McClelland, the principal witness, saw the boys in the wagon, heard the shot, and found the corpse. It had rained during the day, and the traces of the road cart and the narrow tread were within 20 inches of each other, and freshly made. The track of the narrow tread wagon was followed to a round-a-bout way to Ed Atteberry's residence.

Acting upon the evidence produced, the Atteberry boys were bound over to await the action of the grand jury on the charge of murder. A fact that will place the accused in a bad light is that there was a bad feeling between the old man and the boys. They were not pleased with their father's intention of getting married again, and they had many quarrels over the matter and many threats were made. The feeling is in that locality at the time of the murder that the guilty party had been captured. Shortly after the boys were put to jail, Ed became violently insane and was placed in the Asylum at Kankakee, while for two years Grant has languished in jail at Shelbyville, the trial from term to term being continued.

MOWEAQUA CALL-MAIL EXTRA! Moweaqua, Illinois, 10/27/1893. "NOT GUILTY' Shelbyville, Illinois, 10/27/1893, Publisher Call-Mail: The jury in the Atterberry murder trial brought in a verdict of NOT GUILTY at 9:10 o'clock this morning. Verdict was a great surprise

Dan Krogh sent me the end of the story, found in the DECATUR HERALD, 3/17/1903: Escaped From Asylum.

"Deputy Sheriff E. W. Livingstone of Popular Bluff, Missouri, has written to Sheriff Wright for information concerning an insane man he has in custody. The man is going under the name of Chas. Haverstack and other aliases and according to the Missouri officer is unable to give an intelligible account of himself. Enough was learned, however, to give Sheriff Wright a pointer as to his identity, which is that of Ed Atterberry.

"Ed and Grant Atterberry were suspected of murdering their father in Shelby County about 20 years ago. They were acquitted, but later Ed became insane and was confined in the asylum at Anna, IL. Grant located in Sullivan and was lynched about six years ago by a mob. At the time of the lynching Grant Atteberry was under arrest charged with attempting to rape his sister-in-law, Mrs. Ed Atterberry.

"It is supposed that Ed has escaped from the asylum and has wandered into Missouri". Lovington Reporter.

Sources

• Grant's Findagrave page lists and has links to his father, siblings, spouse, 3 children. There is newspaper articles about him and this note that sums it up, Grant Attebury was accused of raping his sister-in-law, Mrs. Edward (Roxy) Attebury. A mob formed and removed him from the Moultrie County jail and hung him in a tree on the courthouse grounds. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181631951/ulysses-grant-attebury#add-to-vc

• Grant: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/9HSL-HDD Lists his parents, 11 siblings, spouse, 3 children, 11 sources/notes.