Who Would Have Guessed....

Intake photo for Henry Priest

Who would have guessed that finding our great great grandfather, Henry David Priest, in the 1900 census would lead to a dark family secret that none of us were aware of.

Henry Priest is listed in the 1900 Federal census residing at the Colorado Penitentiary in Canyon City, Colorado. While this discovery was not entirely unexpected given aspects of our family history, the reason for his incarceration was. We were expecting larceny, cattle rustling, even murder. But when Anna found an article in the Colorado Historic Newspaper Archives, it was the ultimate "Holy $H*T" moment! It would eventually come to light that he had served 11 years of a 20 year sentence for incest! While he was charged with incest with both his eldest daughter, Rosetta, and Laurena (our great grandmother), it was charges from Laurena's case that landed him in prison.

For all of the intriguing details, (including did he, or didn't he?) watch for the next installment of our family history!

Who Would Have Guessed....

Intake photo for Henry Priest

Who would have guessed that finding our great great grandfather, Henry David Priest, in the 1900 census would lead to a dark family secret that none of us were aware of.

Henry Priest is listed in the 1900 Federal census residing at the Colorado Penitentiary in Canyon City, Colorado. While this discovery was not entirely unexpected given aspects of our family history, the reason for his incarceration was. We were expecting larceny, cattle rustling, even murder. But when Anna found an article in the Colorado Historic Newspaper Archives, it was the ultimate "Holy $H*T" moment! It would eventually come to light that he had served 11 years of a 20 year sentence for incest! While he was charged with incest with both his eldest daughter, Rosetta, and Laurena (our great grandmother), it was charges from Laurena's case that landed him in prison.

For all of the intriguing details, (including did he, or didn't he?) watch for the next installment of our family history!