LENA RATIGAN OBITUARY, MONROE COUNTY, NEW YORK Copyright (c) 2002 by Marcena Thompson(Marcenath@aol.com). ************************************************************************ USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submittor has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. ************************************************************************ Rochester, Monroe, NY Democrat & Chronicle Nov. 10, 1917 DROWNS SELF AND CHILDREN Throws Girls in Cistern Before Suicide Was Probably Insane Husband comes home for dinner to find note telling him to look in cistern for bodies and in bank for money-Coroner Investigates. Churchville, Nov. 9 - Mrs. Eleanor RATIGAN, 43 years old of John T. RATIGAN, drowned herself this afternoon in the cistern beneath the kitchen of her home, about a mile east of this village, in Savage road. Before destroying her own life, she prepared the same fate for her three small daughters, Eleanor M., 7 years, Mary H., 6 years, and Martha C., an infant of three months. Violent insanity is believed to have been the cause. It had been customary for Mrs. RATIGAN to carry dinner to her husband, who is flagman at the Savage road crossing of the New York Central, about a half mile from the home. When RATIGAN, after waiting beyond the usual time, came home to inquire for his dinner, he found a note in the kitchen which read: "Good by everybody, Our bodies are in the cistern. You will find plenty of money in the Monroe County Savings Bank with which to bury us." RATIGAN quickly summoned Frank Kalaher and Edward Ehrmentraut, his neighbors. Looking through a small trap door in the floor of the kitchen over the cistern, they found the body of the woman and her 3 children in four feet of water. Dr. E. H. Vail, of Churchville, was summoned, and later Coroner Frederick R. Smith came from Rochester to investigate. The mother leaves her husband, John RATIGAN, her mother, Mrs. Elnora Lockmier; five brothers, John, George, Marvin (?) Reinhart and Charles Lockmeir, and a sister, Mrs. Mary Reynolds, of Greece.