Episode 35: Murder Factory
Murder Factory
Amy Archer-Gilligan
Photo Credit: Unsplash Jessica Furtney @jessicamaephotographyga
In 1939, playwright Joseph Kesselring wrote a play, a dark comedy called Arsenic and Old Lace. The play would prove to be such a hit on Broadway that film director Frank Capra adapted it for the screen. In 1944, the movie Arsenic and Old Lace was released starring Cary Grant. What many didn’t know at the time was the movie was partially inspired by the real-life home of Amy Archer-Gilligan.
In this episode, listen as Zelda describes what happened at Amy’s home in Windsor, Connecticut. Next, Denise explores a family tree which led them to Ireland, the battlefield of Gettysburg, and to a hospital for the mentally insane. Joining them on this episode is Cathie Curtis from Haunting History Podcast.
Amy Archer-Gilligan (1868-1962)
Marriage between James Archer and Amy Duggan.
Source: Rutland (VT) Daily Herald, 24 Nov 1896
Obituary for James H. Archer
Source: Hartford Courant, 14 Feb 1910
Amy Archer-Gilligan obituary
Source: Hartford Courant, 24 Apr 1962
The Archer House in Windsor, Connecticut.
Photo Credit: Windsor Historical Society
Will of James Henry Archer
Mary Archer Eustace (1897-1968), daughter of Amy Archer-Gilligan and first husband James Henry Archer.
Source: Hartford Courant, 26 June 1919
Divorce papers from Robert E. Eustace. At the time he filed the papers, he had left Connecticut to live in Oregon. Mary never left Connecticut.
Obituary of Michael Gilligan
Source: Hartford Courant, 22 Feb 1914
An example of how the crimes were covered in the local paper.
Source: Hartford Courant, 9 May 1916
On this page, you find a list of all the people who died in the Archer Home.
Source: Hartford Courant, 9 May 1916
Grandnephew of Amy Archer-Gilligan, Bernard “Bud” Malahan, Jr. was temporarily a Postmaster
Source: Hartford Courant, 18 Nov 1953
Nancy Haegel, great-grandniece of Amy Archer-Gilligan, spoke at her commencement at the University of Notre Dame. The speaker to follow was President Ronald Reagan.
Source: The South Bend Tribune, 18 May 1981
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Recommended Reading
The Devil’s Rooming House by M. William Phelps
The Irish Potato Famine: The Immigration, Genocide, and Deaths of Ireland by Kelly Mass
The Great Irish Potato Famine by James S. Donnelly
History of the 14th Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Regiment by Charles D. Page
SOURCES
The Potato Famine and Irish Immigration to America, Constitutional Rights Foundation
Irish Potato Famine
The 14th Connecticut at Gettysburg by Chris Dehnal
State of Wisconsin v. Charles D. Morgan
North Carolina Sex Offender Database
Wikipedia
We use a multitude of resources when researching a family tree up to an including census records from 1800-1940, marriage records in various states, draft registration cards, newspaper articles, and more. If you would like more specific details on where information was obtained, please email us and we’ll respond in a timely manner.