About two years ago, I was researching a first cousin of my maternal grandmother Julie (Vanasse) Belair named Emma Vanasse. Emma and her husband Michael Bradley, a farmer, had four children. Michael, son of Irish immigrant Joseph Bradley and his wife Margaret Berrigan, was born on 2 December 1891 in Sheenboro, Pontiac County, Quebec.1
After finding Michael’s death registration and his burial record, I was curious to know why he died relatively young (he was only 43 years old). In my effort to find more about the circumstances of his death, I searched the online archived edition of the Ottawa Citizen. This newspaper often carries stories about people in nearby communities like Pembroke, Ontario (where a lot of Vanasse lived) and Chapeau, Quebec (where the Vanasse family settled in the 1850s).
I soon found the cause of Michael’s death, but also discovered a “cold blooded murder”.2
On a summer’s morning in July 1933, Michael killed his parents, his brother Thomas, his sister Johanna, and an uncle with his Winchester rifle at their farm in Demers Centre, on Ile des Allumettes in Pontiac County, Quebec.3
Within two years, he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. The Defense argued that Michael was provoked and that he was insane. The Crown argued that Michael’s actions were premeditated and that he was sane.4
The newspaper accounts suggested the motive for the family murder was due to possible ill-treatment Michael received from his father, who, after having an argument with his son, told Michael he would not inherit the family farm in spite of having worked on it and financially supported it.5
Justice was swift. The jury took 35 minutes to return a unanimous verdict of guilty of murder. Five minutes later, the judge pronounced the sentence.6
Michael was hanged on 5 April 1935 in the prison yard of the Common Goal in nearby Campbell’s Bay.7 He was buried in St. Alphonsus parish church cemetery in Chapeau. 8
Ottawa’s Evening Citizen reported his death that same day. The article stated that he "walked to the scaffold unassisted. The trap was sprung at [5:57 a.m.] and he was pronounced dead by Dr. Jerome Kelly at [6:04 a.m.]".9
Michael Bradley is the only criminal I’ve found while researching my family’s history and genealogy. I hope he’s the only one.
Sources:
1. St-Paul l’Ermite (Sheenboro, Quebec), parish register, 1873-1893, p. 161 verso, entry no. B. 27, Michael John Bradley baptism, 8 December 1891; St-Paul l’Ermite parish; digital images, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 12 July 2010).
2. “Michael Bradley Found Guilty, Sentenced to Hang April 5”, The Evening (Ottawa) Citizen, 11 January 1935, p. 4, col. 6, digital images, Google News (http://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 12 July 2010), News Archive Search.
3. “Maniac Slays 4 of Own Family Near Pembroke”, The Ottawa Evening Citizen, 21 July 1933, p. 1, cols. 1-2, digital images, Google News (http://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 12 July 2010), News Archive Search.
4. “Michael Bradley Found Guilty, Sentenced to Hang April 5”, The Evening (Ottawa) Citizen, 11 January 1935, p. 4, cols. 3-4, digital images, Google News (http://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 12 July 2010), News Archive Search.
5. "Michael Bradley Is Executed Today”, The Evening (Ottawa) Citizen, 5 April 1935, p. 4, col. 6, digital images, Google News (http://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 12 July 2010), News Archive Search.
6. "Michael Bradley Is Executed Today”, The Evening (Ottawa) Citizen, 5 April 1935, p. 4, col. 1, digital images, Google News (http://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 12 July 2010), News Archive Search.
7. “Persons Sentenced to Death in Canada, 1867-1976”, database, Criminal Records: Capital Case Files (RG 13 B 1), Library and Archives Canada (http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/p000001052.pdf : accessed 3 June 2011), entry for file number 0172 Michael Bradley.
8. St-Alphonse (Chapeau, Quebec), parish register, 1935, p. 10 recto, entry no. S. 2, Michael Bradley burial, 5 April 1935; St-Alphonse parish; digital images, “Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967”, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 12 July 2010).
9. "Michael Bradley Is Executed Today”, The Evening (Ottawa) Citizen, 5 April 1935, p. 4, col. 1, digital images, Google News (http://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 12 July 2010), News Archive Search.
Copyright © 2013, Yvonne Demoskoff.
Oh dear... how very sad Yvonne. Thanks for sharing. Catherine
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Catherine, very sad and shocking for the Bradley family, and Michael's widow and their four young children.
DeleteIt's a sad story but those stories are the most interesting to us now that it's far removed. I found one about a distant cousin who was involved in an ax murder. Just a couple of weeks ago I found another distant cousin who deliberately shot and killed his uncle at the tender age of 14 yrs old. His father tried to cover it up as an accident. But the young man spent time in prison for the murder. It's far enough removed from us by time so it's interesting now. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt hard to believe that this sort of thing could happen in other families, Sharon, but it's probably more (or less) common than I realize.
DeleteA sad tale but one that you have handled well. Great bibliographical documentation, by the way. I have a similar story I've been debating about writing for awhile. They are hard to do, are they not?
ReplyDeleteI debated whether or not I should share my research about this story, but decided to do so by keeping to what was reported. (Doing it that way made it a little less harder to write.) Thank you for commenting, Eileen.
DeleteInteresting relative. It must indeed have been a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteI am also related to this same Michael Bradley and recently became acquainted with this story. My maternal great grandmother was a Bradley and Michael's father, Joseph, was her brother (therefore, Michael was her nephew). My family name is Fox and my great grandfather and great grandmother immigrated from Ireland to Sheenboro, Quebec in 1881. I spent a good deal of time on the family farm during my childhood so I know the place and the culture well. My dad was born in 1933. This scandal must have been very difficult for him and his family because of the relation. Apparently, my grandfather visited Michael Bradley in jail prior to execution. They would have been first cousins. In fact, my father (now passed) told my mother this story and it was never shared with us until now. I think that speaks to the "family shame" surrounding the event.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this information, Susan. I know very little about this tragic story, but was able to find some details online through archived editions of the Ottawa newspaper. My grandmother Julie talked about her cousin and Michael to her elder daughter, but she never spoke to me about it. (If I hadn't been so young when my grandmother died, it might have been discussed at some point.)
DeleteIt is said Susan, that Michael was a very soft spoken man. He most definitely did not personify the mind of a lunatic. He was liked by his peers,and had many friends. What was your grandfathers name, if you don't mind my asking?
DeleteIf you don't mind my asking what was her name, I only ask because Michael was my grandfather.
DeleteI'm sorry David, four years later, I'm answering your question. I stumbled upon this blog again, and saw your question. My grandfather was Thomas Fox, son of Michael Fox and Mary Bradley.
DeleteMy father has told us this story many times, when we used to visit my grandparents on Allumette Isle, as we passed by the old Bradley place. I was fascinated by it as a child myself. It is a hard thing for even an adult to comprehend. My dad was a small boy(7) when it happened and told me he remembers it was the first time he ever heard the word "murder". As to the cause , indeed it was perceived ill treatment from his father, apparently he would not give him any seed potatoes . Imagine it was depression times, and times were tough. Geneology is an interesting hobby, I guess we must be prepared for anything to turn up. We had just been talking about it, and i thought I would try and find some of the news of the time, to show my Dad now 88, and i found your blog. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for dropping by, Patricia, and for leaving a comment.
Deletei was born on allumette island and remember my mother telling this story( she would have been 18 years old when this happened, it was said that after the murders he went to chapeau and sat in the barber chair and got his hair cut , and waited to be arrested
ReplyDeleteIt is quite possible that he got himself a haircut in the parlour, upstairs at Gray's Hotel, in Chapleau, while waiting to be questioned by Detective J.F Dalpe.
DeleteMaybe in Chapeau, QC (not Chapleau?)
DeleteHello Shantyman, I noticed you also have known Wrangler, I sure could use his help right now, I was kinda hoping maybe you would know, on the island there was a man called Gros Yeux (big eyes) I'm trying to find what his real name is or was, I have asked many people but no one knows, and all of the older generation is gone, im 62 but i cannot remember the name, it does mean something to me if i can find out, hope you see this and ty for your time
DeleteBev
I heard that is was my grandfather that gave him a lift and was a witness at the trial.
DeleteMy name is David Michael Bradley, hence the last name. Michael was my great grandfather. I think the most heart wrenching part of this story is that Michael was married ,and had 4 children, 2 boys, and 2 girls. My grandfather's name was Ed Bradley, he has been deceased for some time now, but I remember him telling me, that he was the only one old enough to witness his father's execution, he was 8 years old. On the morning of the murders, there was an early morning confrontation in the barn between him, his father Joseph, and his uncle John, involving a pitch fork. Michael just started shooting. He had been previously put off the farm, and told that he would stand to inherit nothing, despite the fact that Michael had invested all of his time and money into it. I gave a rather lengthy presentation of the facts at Loyalist College last year, and based on my findings, it is my opinion that mental health issues played a significant role in this series of murders. Mental health awareness in the thirties was not what it is today. I can also tell you this, my grandfather named my father Michael, after his father. You can imagine what a burden that name was for him when he heard of these atrocities. My brother and I are the last Bradley males from this bloodline.
ReplyDeleteHi All, My name is Girard Collins. My Mother is Loretta (Vanesse) Collins, sister of Michael's wife Emma. I wondered what happened to the family after Michaels death. A widow with 4 children, would have had a tough time , back then.
ReplyDeleteMy Mother passed away back in 2000, here in Grass Valley. Ca.
She was very secretive about her side of the family. I now know why.
Gerard M Collins, Emma remarried rather quickly after Michael, she married a Mr. Oscar Dupont. Here is an obituary link to her son, who was the last living child of Michael and Emma's. John, or Jack Bradley, who was my great uncle, my grandfather's brother. Unfortunately I am unable to copy the url from my phone, so check out www.nevillefuneralhome.ca, in the book of memories you will find some info under John Patrick Bradley. Cheers, David Bradley.
DeleteHello Anonymous, Jack was my father he always held his head up high despite the stigma attached to his name. He never talked about his father, however he did purchase a headstone to place at his grave. After my father passed away we enlisted the help of the now late Wrangler to help us locate the grave site and place the stone.
DeleteThat would be Wrangler (Linus) Hearty.
DeleteMicheal's headstone is in the Chapeau graveyard. At the time of his death, the catholic church would not allow Micheal to be buried in the graveyard so he was buried just outside. They later had to expand the graveyard and Micheal is now INSIDE the graveyard. So he got there eventually...
Emma then married my grandfather Oscar Dupont and had 4 more boys. Ivan, Frank, Glen and Ronnie. Then she moved to Toronto and married a John Devine. Emma passed away December 5th, 1994.
DeleteMy name is Frank Dupont, last living child of Emma and Oscar Dupont. Gerard Collins I guess we are first cousins. My mother Emma often spoke of your mother Loretta who left home at a young age, and never looked back. I often heard my mother and grandmother, Celestine Vanesse speak of her questioning Loretta’s where about. They got word she was in Detroit and wrote letters to the last known address but received no answer.
DeleteI guess with a family of 16 it was hard to keep track of everyone, especially if they didn’t want to be kept track of lol. My mother died In 1994 Emma Devine.
God rest their souls.
Gerard M Collins: Emma remarried rather quickly after Michael, she married a Mr. Oscar Dupont. There is an obituary link to her son, who was the last remaining child of Michael and Emma's. John, or Jack Bradley who was my great uncle, my grandfather's brother. Check out www.nevillefuneralhome.ca. In the book of memories you will find some info. Look under John Patrick Bradley. Cheers: David Bradley
ReplyDeleteThis happened 33 yrs before I was born, and today at work, a 95 yr old gentleman told me about this story, so of course I researched it online. Quite fascinated by it all.
ReplyDeleteThe Canadian history surrounding these events is astounding. To uncover newspaper articles of old, beside headlines as famous as the kidnapping of little Lindy is indeed tragic, but fascinating.To realize that the streets are named by figures such as Marcel Gaboury, who defended Michael in his very first murder trial, and later went on to prosecute hardlined members of the Gambino crime family is pretty remarkable.It might also interest some to know that Michael was for a time incarcerated inside Bordeaux Prison in Montreal, prior to his untimely execution in the courtyard at Campbells Bay,Quebec.
ReplyDeleteHello David,
DeleteI just sent you an email (today) to a Yahoo address I found on a blog post from 2010. Unfortunately, I had not seen these replies to my 2014 post until now. I have been researching my family tree for some 15 years now.
My grandfather was Thomas Fox, son of Michael Fox and Mary Bradley. Thomas married Grace Waker and their farm was in Chichester. Michael and Mary lived off the Sullivan Road in Sheen. My brother and my cousin purchased that land a few years back. I was just there this past summer doing a very non-scientific dig of the remnants of the original farmhouse which burned in the 1960's. :)
Michael Fox died in 1906 and Mary in 1916, so neither were alive at the time. I have found the Bradley's in County Wexford and they are part of my Ancestry.ca family tree. I'd be happy to share it with you. I only need an email address.
Who is Mary Bradley. None of us have ever heard of her, what was her connection.
DeleteMy grandmother was one of those children. Emma was my great grandmother. I have known the story for years.
ReplyDeleteSusan, my current email address is luv2live1977@gmail.com. David Bradley. :-)
ReplyDelete