No body, grave or probate.

Question

My second grandfather John B Rice 1832 born in Vermont has no grave, no will or probate. He and family ended up in Watrous, New Mexico. Census shows him as head of household 1880, 1885, and wife widow in 1890. Family story goes as follows" grandpa went to town( 15 mins. away) in horse and wagon and never came home. Perhaps Indians or bandits got him". The John B. Rice who died in Lake, Co. 1888 is not my grandfather( been in e-mail contact with that family). No probate or will can be found in Medford, Oregon for wife Lois Rice who died in 1904. Does anyone know what the law are back during that time? Any incites?

Comments

I think the profile you are asking about is https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Rice-10990 -- not your own profile, which is the one linked in your question.   :-)

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There was a John B Rice who died in 1886 in Minnesota.

John B Rice

Find A Grave Index

Name	John B Rice
Event Type	Burial
Event Date	1886
Event Place	Winona, Winona, Minnesota, United States of America
Photograph Included	N
Death Date	09 Aug 1886
Affiliate Record Identifier	130964203
Cemetery	Saint Marys Cemetery

Citing this Record

"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGB-FYTB : 13 December 2015), John B Rice, 1886; Burial, Winona, Winona, Minnesota, United States of America, Saint Marys Cemetery; citing record ID 130964203, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

The image is viewable at findagrave.com. By clicking here you will be leaving FamilySearch.org. (fees and other terms may apply)

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I have found about five different men with the name of John B. Rice living and dying during this time.

There is a story that goes along with John B. Rice. I have thought perhaps he ran away, had other wives, anything is possible.

It was not the John B. Rice who died in Lake C. , Colorado in 1888. I have talked with the family. They have several newspaper articles about this man and his death, preparation of body, body home to Ohio, and burial.

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Thank you

Answer 1

Could his wife have been Louise or is it Lois?

John B Rice

United States Census, 1870

Name	John B Rice
Event Type	Census
Event Year	1870
Event Place	Colorado, United States
Gender	Male
Age	38
Race	White
Race (Original)	W
Birth Year (Estimated)	1831-1832
Birthplace	Vermont
Page Number	35

Household	Role	Sex	Age	Birthplace
John B Rice		M	38	Vermont
Louise Rice		F	37	Vermont
James Rice		M	15	Iowa
John B Rice		M	4	Colorado
Rosa Rice		F	6	Colorado
Harry Rice		M	1	Colorado
Jose Maren		M	35	New Mexico

Citing this Record

"United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4LK-XXW : 12 April 2016), John B Rice, Colorado, United States; citing p. 35, family 290, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 545,594.

Comments

Sorry, I put the wrong wiki ID#....mine is 10941.

Yes, the above is the correct family. Later moved to Watrous, Moro county, New Mexico.

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Quite a puzzle. Not sure where to look at this point, unless there could be some information in the town he was headed for.

Answer 2

Pamela,

I found an interesting newspaper archive site. It has a lot of gossipy mentions of the various "doings" in the local parts of New Mexico.  (I'll add a sample of the type of items I'm referring to -- but I'll leave it to you whether you'd like to delve more deeply into this)  

https://newspaperarchive.com/tags/john-rice/?pr=10&psi=66&pci=7&ndt=by&py=1890,1880&pey=1899,1889/

There is a link near the newspaper descriptions that say "Subscribe to View this Image" -- but I was able to click directly onto the image and it took me to the newspaper and the article, so I'm not sure why it says that.

I do have the impression that there might be more than one person in the area named John Rice, so it's hard to know if  any particular mention is about YOUR John B. Rice.  At least one snippet about MRS. John Rice mentions Watrous, and another about John Rice mentions Socorro (which is very close to Magdalena, where your widow Lois may have lived at one time). Incidentally, Las Vegas (where some of the articles are from) is a town in New Mexico, not the famous city n Nevada, and it's not too distant from Watrous, New Mexico.

https://newspaperarchive.com/tags/john-rice/?pr=10&psi=66&pci=7&ndt=by&py=1890,1880&pey=1899,1889/
THE DAILY OPTIC by R. A. Kistler  December 24, 1891  (Las Vegas Daily Optic)
Up Country Notes
"Mrs. John Rice has been quite sick at Watrous, is now recovering."

(Saturday, March 7, 1891, Las Vegas Daily Optic)
THE DAILY OPTIC
-ON THE STREET-
"A birthday party, with which John Rice had something to do, took place at Watrous, last evening."  (That's literally the entire thing.)

This next article was interesting, and was printed in the Las Vegas New Mexico Optic, but was about an event in Little Rock Arkansas, and was likely not about the John Rice you're looking for.

Las Vegas Daily Optic  April 4, 1888, Las Vegas, New Mexico
He Loved Another's Wife.  Little Rock, Ark., April 3
"Yesterday near Wittsburg, Amos Sharp shot and killed John Rice, who had become infatuated with Mrs. Sharp, and had been annoying her with his attentions. Rice's wife was a witness of the killing, Sharp suddenly entering the house and shooting Rice without a word.  Sharp made his escape."

There were pages of newspaper links, and I only looked at a few of them, but maybe one will have a clue for you.  I searched for the words "John Rice" and focused the search to the years from 1880-1900.

Reba

Comments

Thank you for your time in looking up newspaper articles. I have also checked the same Las Vegas Optic.

Yes, 1890 Lois is living with son in Magdellena, New Mexico.

John B. Rice was a hotel owner, bar keeper, post office and sold corn to the cattleman. When he disappeared " The Billy the Kid" stuff was happening.

Samuel Watrous and his son were both shot with a gun. Samuel was married to John B. Rice's wife Lois Chapin sisters....one at a time of course. John B. Rice owned Samuel $5,000.

I have a copy of a 1888 Catholic baptism for John B. Rice. So unless you can baptize without a body, John B. Rice was still there.

So, question remains....besides others of course.......during 1880's where is the will and probate? Did they "declare someone dead after 10 years". I have gone though hours of info on Lois Chapin Rice to see any court, etc info without success.