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Oscar S “Oswald” Gray

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Oscar S “Oswald” Gray

Birth	:	30 Mar 1883 Page County, Virginia, USA
Death	:	8 Aug 1913 Marksville, Page County, Virginia, USA
Burial	:	Hopewell Cemetery, Morning Sun, Preble County, USA
Coordinate	:	39.6032486, -84.7606812
Inscription	:	Erected by Brother, Daniel W. Gray
Description	:	Son of Return Oliver and Mary A. [Weakley] Gray, Oscar S. "Oliver" Gray, age 30, was gruesomely murdered at the top of Tanner's Ridge. He lived for only a few hours thereafter. Accused of his murder were three brothers: Emanuel Lewis "Bug" Alger Jr, Thomas Wesley "Tom" Alger and Leon "Leo" Alger. The motive is said to be a dispute that incurred between Tom and Oscar. Emanuel was convicted of complicity on Fri, 31 Oct 1913, and was sentenced to 7 years in the State Penitentiary. He served his sentence without incident. Thomas plead guilty and provided testimony of... Read More	Son of Return Oliver and Mary A. [Weakley] Gray, Oscar S. "Oliver" Gray, age 30, was gruesomely murdered at the top of Tanner's Ridge. He lived for only a few hours thereafter. Accused of his murder were three brothers: Emanuel Lewis "Bug" Alger Jr, Thomas Wesley "Tom" Alger and Leon "Leo" Alger. The motive is said to be a dispute that incurred between Tom and Oscar. Emanuel was convicted of complicity on Fri, 31 Oct 1913, and was sentenced to 7 years in the State Penitentiary. He served his sentence without incident. Thomas plead guilty and provided testimony of the lurid details of the crime while on the stand on Thu, 6 Nov 1913. He accepted a plea deal of 12 years in the State Penitentiary, in lieu of a life sentence. His stint in the penal system was not so uneventful, for he was murdered there at some point between 1917-1920. It appears that the charges against Leon were dropped. Emanuel, Thomas and Leon Alger were all my 1st cousins, 3x removed. Their parents were Emanuel Lewis "Manuel" and Martha Jane [Dodson] Alger. My 2nd great grandfather, Elias Roy "LeRoy" Alger), was a brother to their father. This story is truly tragic. Though this happened long before I was born my heart still goes out to Oscar's family, especially to his father who grieved over the senseless murder of his son until the day he died. - Luana Dawn Alger, 12 Jul 2019 •.¸¸❤❤¸.••.¸¸❤❤¸.••.¸¸❤❤¸.• CRUDE WOODEN STATUE FOUND IN BLUE RIDGE Erected By Father In Memory of Slain Son Decade Ago In Lonely Spot LURAY, Va., Dec. 17.—Government examiners of topography and physical conditions in the Blue Ridge of this county—the area to be used for the Shenandoah National Park—have discovered on top of Tanner's Ridge, a spur of the Blue Ridge in Marksville District, ten miles southeast of Luray, a crude wooden, monument a number of years ago carried to the summit of the mountain by the late R. O. Gray, a 78-year-old citizen, to mark the spot where his son, Oswald G. Gray, was murdered by "Bug" and "Tom" Alger. Soon after placing the marker at the spot the aged father died. On the night of August 8. 1914, young Gray, accompanied by several young women, was on his way home from preaching, the path traveled being across the top of Tanner's Ridge. The Alger brothers were also in the party. On top of the mountain a difficulty arose between "Tom" Alger and Gray. Simultaneously the Algers drew long-bladed knives, making an onslaught upon Gray, literally disemboweling him and cutting his body almost in two. Early the next morning the Algers were arrested by Sheriff Sedwlck and were locked up in the Luray jail. They were tried before Judge Thomas W. Harrison, now a member of Congress from this district, who at that time was judge of the Page county court. They were given long terms in the State penitentiary, where "Tom" Alger died. The term of his brother expired several years ago. The father of the murdered youth is said to have carried the marker the entire distance from his home to the top of Tanner's Ridge, resting at least fifty times in covering the five miles. The marker is a six-foot locust post, six inches square, and bears the following epitaph inscribed by the untutored father: "To the memory of an honored son, Oswald Gary, who was murdered on this spot August 6, 1914 by "Tom" and "Bug" Alger, his former friends." Jealousy is said to have inspired the murder of young Gray. During a period of sleet on the ground in this county a few winters ago the elder Gray while ascending a steep mountain side, leading in the direction of the spot where his son was murdered, lost his foothold, descending to a small valley below on [illegible] high a rate of speed that [illegible] injuries that caused his death. - Danville Bee: Fri, 17 Dec 1926 •.¸¸❤❤¸.••.¸¸❤❤¸.••.¸¸❤❤¸.• DEATH OF R. O. GRAY Luray, Jan. 12 - R. O. Gray, one of the most prominent citizens of the Pine Grove section of this county, is dead at the age of 75 years. For a number of years he had been in feeble health due primarily to a fall he received five years ago. At that time there was a heavy sleet on the ground and Mr. Gray, losing his footing on a steep mountain side near his home, was carried a distance of several hundred yards down the mountain. In this accident he was badly injured. He is survived by his widow, four daughters and one son. •.¸¸❤❤¸.••.¸¸❤❤¸.••.¸¸❤❤¸.• Disclaimer: All pertinent information I have included here can be verified by U.S. Federal Census Records for the family in conjunction with various public records, including any documents I may upload to this memorial. Though I can not prove with 100% certainty that this family's composition and relation status is as I display it to be, I can say that the circumstantial evidence weighs very heavily in favor of the accuracy of these stated familial connections. •.¸¸❤❤¸.••.¸¸❤❤¸.••.¸¸❤❤¸.•

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Oscar S “Oswald” Gray's memorial?
Oscar S “Oswald” Gray's memorial is located at: Hopewell Cemetery, Morning Sun, Preble County, USA.
When did Oscar S “Oswald” Gray death?
Oscar S “Oswald” Gray death on 8 Aug 1913 in Marksville, Page County, Virginia, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Oscar S “Oswald” Gray's memorial?
Latitude: 39.6032486
Longitude: -84.7606812

Family Members:

Parent

Return Oliver Gray

(1849 - 1923)

Mary A Weakley Gray

(1856 - 1936)

Siblings

Oscar S “Oswald” Gray

(unknow - 1914)

Lena Belle Gray Gray

(1868 - 1949)

Maude B Gray Bailey

(1890 - 1973)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Hopewell Cemetery
Morning Sun, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6032486, -84.7606812

2. Jenneta Brown Grave
Morning Sun, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5981250, -84.7281430

3. McQuiston Cemetery
Morning Sun, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5983370, -84.7194820

4. Caldwell Burying Ground
Fairhaven, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6365670, -84.7705940

5. Kingery Cemetery
College Corner, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5805500, -84.7966700

6. Beechwood Cemetery
Morning Sun, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5847015, -84.7208023

7. Ramsey Graveyard
Morning Sun, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6043750, -84.7134900

8. Fairhaven Cemetery
Fairhaven, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6433334, -84.7699966

9. Steele Cemetery
Fairhaven, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6425018, -84.7425003

10. Oxford Township Cemetery
Oxford, Butler County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5577590, -84.7585410

11. Witter Cemetery
Liberty, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6163820, -84.8289660

12. Adams Cemetery
Oxford, Butler County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5508750, -84.7417610

13. Ailes Cemetery
Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6545760, -84.7317920

14. Westfield Cemetery
Camden, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6393030, -84.7038290

15. College Corner Cemetery
West College Corner, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5616989, -84.8161011

16. Lows Cemetery
Camden, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6261440, -84.6881080

17. Harter Cemetery
West College Corner, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5612183, -84.8185730

18. Young Cemetery
Cottage Grove, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5665260, -84.8269710

19. Teague Cemetery
Camden, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5699040, -84.6845910

20. Pentecost Cemetery
Center Township, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6513840, -84.8240930

21. Horner Cemetery
Oxford, Butler County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5374150, -84.7288890

22. Keiffer Cemetery
Cottage Grove, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 39.5816994, -84.8525009

23. Railsback Cemetery
Goodwins Corner, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6624985, -84.8199997

24. Backbone Cemetery
Camden, Preble County, USA
Coordinate: 39.6275000, -84.6680560