Hamilton families, ~Mayfield, KY–11

lornajarrettblanchard June 25, 1921

–11 Daily Times, Mayfield, KY. “Most Shocking Tragedy in History of Graves County…” 6-27-1921.
–11 Fallon County Times, Baker, MT. “The World.” 7-7-1921, p. 5.
–11 Find A Grave. Drew and Lawrence Family mass burial site. Memorial 19478, 1-13-2001.
–11 Graves County Kentucky. Kentucky Genealogy Trails. “Insane Farmer. June 26, 1921.”
–11 Palo Alto Reporter, CA. “Eleven Persons Meet Death When Home Burns.”7-7-1921, p. 2.

Narrative Information

Find A Grave: “This is Mayfield, Kentucky’s oldest unsolved mystery. In 1921, there was a fire at the Drew family house where a party was going on. The visiting family was the Lawrence family. It was later testified in court that gunshots were heard just before the fire, and it immediately turned into a murder mystery. Both the Lawrence family and the Drew family died in the fire(11 people all together.) The bodies were so badly burned that they were all piled into one casket and buried in the same grave.” (Find A Grave. Drew and Lawrence Family mass burial site. Memorial 19478, 1-13-2001.)

Newspaper

June 26: “Mayfield, Ky., June 26. – The charred bodies of eleven persons, believed to have been mysteriously murdered, were found early today in the smoking ruins of a farmhouse six miles north of Mayfield. Every member of two families had perished.

“Officials, while groping for a motive and for the methods employed in the murder, are confident that the victims first were slain and then the house set afire. The dead are:

Ernest Lawrence, 35 years old.
Mrs. Lora Lawrence, 33, his wife.
Fred Lawrence, 5, son.
Ethly Lawrence, 4 daughter.
Ralph Lawrence, 11 months, son.
Otis Drew, 26.
Mrs. Ola Drew, 25, his wife, and sister of Mrs. Lawrence.
Harry Drew, 5, son.
Otis Drew, Jr. 4, son.
Four-months-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Drew.
Delmer Drew, 25, brother of Otis Crew.

“Shortly after midnight neighbors discovered that the three-room Lawrence house, located on top of a hill in the Hickory Grove section, was enveloped in flames. Screams of women and children and shots were heard.

“Reaching the house, neighbors found it a mass of flames and they were unable to enter it. One climbed a tree and, peering through the caved-in roof, saw the bodies of the victims.

Axes and Pistol Found.

“It was several hours before the fire had died down sufficiently to allow removal of the bodies, all of which were found in one room. On what had been a bed, in one corner, were found the bodies of a woman and two children.

“In another corner, were the bodies of another woman and two more children. An axe was found in the bed.

“The body of one of the men was lying in front of the fireplace, that of another in a corner, while the third man’s body was close to the door. Near the latter’s body, believed to have been that of Lawrence, was another axe. Beside the body of another ax and a revolver. Beside the body of another of the men was a rifle. They body of a boy, in a crouching position, was picked up near the door, while that of another boy was found in the center of the room.

Bodies Burned to Crisp

All of the bodies, except that of a girl whose dress was blood-drenched, were burned virtually to a crisp and beyond identification. So badly were they burned that physicians were unable successfully to examine them to establish the means by which they were slain.

“However, marks having the appearance of having been made by a blunt instrument, were found on the stomach of one of the women.

“The revolver, found by the body of one of the men, was found to have four empty cartridges which had been discharged by contact of the hammer. Two other cartridges had been exploded by the heat.

“A large oil can, usually kept in the kitchen, was found just inside the door of the sleeping chamber.

Verdict of Coroner’s Jury.

“Sheriff Marion McCain and Coroner O. M. Merritt made a thorough investigation. The Coroner’s jury rendered the following verdict:

We find that Ernest Lawrence and family and Otis Drew and family came to their death by some cause unknown to the jury and the evidence; burned in Ernest Lawrence’s home. We believe there was foul play, but we do not know the cause.

“….there is one thing of which the Sheriff is confident. That is that the victims were murdered. ‘I don’t know how it was done or who did it,’ he said. ‘But I do know that eleven persons, sleeping in a small house, with all windows and doors open, could not all have been burned to death as these two families were…’” (Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY. “Two Families Blotted Out in Farmhouse.” 6-27-1921, p. 1.

June 27: “Murder, insanity, or destiny, or one, two, perhaps all wiped out two families early Sunday morning [June 26] when the home of Ernest Lawrence was burned to the ground and eleven charred bodies picked up from the glowing embers of a log and box cabin.

“The dead are: Ernest Lawrence, aged 35 years; his wife Lora; Fred Lawrence, a son aged 5 years; Ethlyn Lawrence, aged 4 years; Ralph Lawrence, aged 11 months; Otis Drew, aged 26 years; Ola Drew, his wife, aged 23 years; Harry Drew, four year old son; Otis Jr., 5 year old son; a three month old baby and Delma Drew, nephew of Otis Drew….”

(Daily Times, Mayfield, KY. “Most Shocking Tragedy in History of Graves County Occurred Late Saturday Night [June 25].” 6-27-1921. Transcription by Carol M. Bonds for ancestry.ca, titled “Ernest Lawrence who died with 10 others on 26 June 1921,” and posted 6-1-2006.

July 7: “Mayfield, Ky. – The bodies of five adults and six children were found in the ruins of the home of Ernest Lawrence, a farmer, living about seven miles from here, which was destroyed by fire. There were indications that the dead may have been the victims of foul play.” (Fallon County Times, Baker, MT. “The World.” 7-7-1921, p. 5.)

July 7: “Mayfield, Ky – Charred beyond recognition and with only parts of limbs, trunks and skull recovered, the bodies of eleven persons, representing two families, were found burned to death at the home of Ernest Lawrence, six miles north of this city, near Hickory Grove.

“The fire, which destroyed the log and frame three-room farm house, started about midnight and lasted until nearly 4 o’clock in the morning. When the fire had subsided enough for neighbors to reach the victims, there was hardly enough flesh and bones to identify the dead.

“Neighbors residing north of the almost isolated little farm home stated under oath at the coroner’s inquiry that they heard the screams of women and children and heard six or seven shots. The discovery of a .32 caliber rifle, a pistol, a shot gun, ax and an oil can all in the front room where the families were sleeping hints of foul play or the work of some maddened maniac. After searching far and near not the remotest motive for the action could be gleaned. Neith43r family, so far as is known, had a single enemy and scores of people attested to their genteel relations.

“Sheriff Marion McCain said after spending the day working on the case: ‘There is no doubt every person in the house was murdered. A dress of one of the bodies was drenched in blood which prevented the clothing from burning. An ax was found in a bed with one of the women. A five-gallon coal oil can, usually kept in the kitchen, was found just inside the room where the eleven were sleeping. The only plausible theory I have is that Lawrence, who was struck a blow on the head several years ago and since has been addicted to occasional spells, became insane. He never had shown violence when he was delirious before, however.’” (Palo Alto Reporter, CA. “Eleven Persons Meet Death When Home Burns.”7-7-1921, p. 2.)

Sources

Daily Times, Mayfield, KY. “Most Shocking Tragedy in History of Graves County Occurred Late Saturday Night [June 25].” 6-27-1921. Transcription by Carol M. Bonds for ancestry.ca, titled “Ernest Lawrence who died with 10 others on 26 June 1921,” and posted 6-1-2006. Accessed 6-23-2020 at: https://www.ancestry.ca/boards/localities.northam.usa.states.kentucky.counties.graves/2261

Fallon County Times, Baker, MT. “The World.” 7-7-1921, p. 5. Accessed 6-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/baker-fallon-county-times-jul-07-1921-p-5/

Find A Grave. Drew and Lawrence Family mass burial site. Memorial 19478, 1-13-2001. Accessed 6-23-2020 at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19478/drew_and_lawrence_family_mass_burial_site

Graves County Kentucky. Kentucky Genealogy Trails. “Insane Farmer. June 26, 1921.” Accessed 6-23-2020 at: http://genealogytrails.com/ken/graves/insane.html

Lexington Herald, KY. “Insane Farmer Slew Mayfield Victims, Belief. Fragments of Eleven Bodies, Recovered.” 6-28-1921. Transcription accessed 6-23-2020 at: http://genealogytrails.com/ken/graves/insane.html

Palo Alto Reporter, CA. “Eleven Persons Meet Death When Home Burns.”7-7-1921, p. 2. Accessed 6-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/palo-alto-reporter-jul-07-1921-p-2/