The Mysteries of Family Histories

In 1912, one of the biggest stories in Mississippi history made national headlines: the alleged kidnapping of 4-year-old Bobby Dunbar. Months after the boy had gone missing, the reward money grew so high that even law enforcement was stopping anyone with a little boy to see if he was Bobby. A well-known tinker by trade, Cantwell Walters was traveling from North Carolina with his 4year old nephew, Bruce Anderson; they were following a route he'd taken many times before to see famiies that knew him well, from Marion County to Pearl River County, Mississippi. In a series of terrible events, Bruce was taken away by the Dunbars, who swore that was their son. Walters was charged with kidnapping and faced a public hanging. It's wild true story and we have the author of Mizpah: The Bobby Dunbar Kidnapping Legend, Allison Rawls Bullock, here with part 2 of the story.

In 1912, one of the biggest stories in Mississippi history made national headlines: the alleged kidnapping of 4-year-old Bobby Dunbar. Months after the boy had gone missing, the reward money grew so high that even law enforcement was stopping anyone with a little boy to see if he was Bobby. A well-known tinker by trade, Cantwell Walters was traveling from North Carolina with his 4year old nephew, Bruce Anderson; they were following a route he'd taken many times before to see famiies that knew him well, from Marion County to Pearl River County, Mississippi. In a series of terrible events, Bruce was taken away by the Dunbars, who swore that was their son. Walters was charged with kidnapping and faced a public hanging. It's wild true story and we have the author of Mizpah: The Bobby Dunbar Kidnapping Legend on the show with proof.

What happens when you have a gut feeling that somewhere, there's a brother you didn't know you had? Sherri Marengo and Vicki Baylis invite artist Kym Garraway to the table to explain her search for a missing brother. But in the middle of that decades-long journey, a wonderful surprise happened! It's a great conversation about life, love, acceptance, forgiveness and, of course, the God-given talents we all have.

Sometimes the memory of a family mystery can stir up other memories- like when you realize you have a connection to a murder or a major crime in your hometown. Sherri Marengo and Vicki Baylis discuss the headlines that they had a direct link to- in the latest episode of The Mysteries of Family Histories. Disclaimer: neither of the hosts had real true accrate details about the crimes discussed.

A teenage bride, a widow at age 15, her escape from the oppressive heat of summer in the Mississippi delta to the beautiful white sands of the Gulf coast. Sherri and Vicki get to the truth of Myrtle Scribner's stories- was she a witness to her husband's murder and who was in the passenger seat of the truck that drove off a bridge in Tallahatchie county, a wreck that left her mother dead and a sister emotionally crippled? It's another chapter in the Mysteries of Family Histories that you have to hear to believe.

The year was 1910. It was high cotton season in Red Oak. Texas when Willis Cobb left home for the mill. He was driving a mule-drawn wagon of his best crop but then- he disappeared. The family rumors swirled between generations until a phone call claiming a 'death-bed confession' of murder. Sherri and Vicki delve into this mystery that began in a tiny community in North Mississippi but stretched across Texas and even to California.

In the year 1777, a 12 year old white girl was abducted by a band of Creek Indians and her story was recorded by an Indian Affairs Agent. Could she be the link my family has been looking for the past 6 generations? We wrap up the case of the missing great grandfather and gain a cousin from the Northwest in the process.

We all got sent to our rooms for alost a year- and that's why the podcast was quiet! But Sherri and Vicki will get you caught up on how life has been the past year, the good (grandbabies!) the bad (laid off!) and the funny (I've lost track.). This is the recap to the first season of the Mysteries of Family Histories.

How would you feel if you found out the father you never knew had been living in the same town, less than 5 miles from you, for a couple of years? That's what happened to Sherri- and how she gained a baby brother she didn't know she had. Plus- Vicki has a surprise announcement!

Imagine finding out that your dad isn't your real father- it's hard on a kid, but really hard as an adult. However, thanks to a DNA test, one man found the part of his family he didn't even know he was missing!

Vicki thinks she may have found the link from herself to the Queen of England, Sherri talks to a Scottish woman about the Viking influence in her family and the importance of journaling for future generations.

We learned that your body does weird things after you die and how some families held wakes in the living room! And did you know that when you moved to America from another country, you had to renounce your king?

We start to get some answers about the missing great grandfather- and we also get a lesson in growing up Southern and the things we did for fun that seem kind of dangerous now.

Once upon a time a man named Henry had 9 great kids, then walked down the dirt road and disappeared. Rumors flew among the generations, and the cousins all heard a different tall tale about the missing man. Listen in to hear how the mystery began and stay with us as we try our best to figure it all out... and you'll find out the reason fried chicken is a family thing!