William H. Wynkoop, otherwise known as "Squire" Wynkoop, was, according to testimony given on his behalf, the son of Matthew Wynkoop. Calculating from Federal Census records, he was 34-36 years old when this case made headlines all over the East Coast. His wife was Amanda Zeigler.

    Tracking down William's family has given me many a frustrating hour. I've attributed him to three different families prior to this, and I'm still not absolutely positive that I've got his ancestry right.

    Here's what I do know about the Wynkoops of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, so far:

    According to the Mortality Schedule for 1860, published by the National Archives, John Wiynkoop of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, passed away in the 12 months preceding the taking of the Federal Census for that year. This is the record:

    1860 Mortality
    Wiynkoop, John; Cumberland Co., Pa.
    76 m Jan Pa consumption 08 1860
    "08" is the code for "Shoemaker."

    Freely translated, this means: John Wynkoop, a 76 year old male, working as a shoemaker, died in January of 1860, of consumption. He was a resident of Cumberland County, Pa. and was born in Pennsylvania.

    The 1860 Federal Census also gives information about the family of Matthew Wynkoop, residing in Carlisle, Frankford Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania:

    Matthew Wyncoop, age 46, male, white, a farmer, whose personal estate was valued at $300.00.
    His wife, Susan, was 45 years old, female, and white.
    Their son, William N. Wyncoop, [sic], was 17 years old and attending school. All of the family had been born in Pennsylvania.

    John, at 76, was certainly old enough to have had a 46 year old son and a 17 year old grandson. I feel reasonably confident to say that this is their relationship to each other.

    With these facts in hand, there's only one family in Richard Wynkoop's 1904 edition of the Wynkoop Genealogy in the United States of America, that even comes close to filling the bill. Keeping in mind that Richard Wynkoop had conflicting reports about John Wynkoop and his children, the fact that both John Wynkoop's lived in Cumberland County, Pa. and both were shoemakers, leads me to believe that John Wynkoop, #1759, and his son Matthew are probably the ancestors of the William H. Wynkoop involved in this murder case. Here is what Richard wrote, from pages 209-210:

    1759. John Wynkoop, whose wife was Anne McLure. There is obscurity as to their children. One correspondent, Schuyler Colfax Wynkoop, grandson through David, wrote of six sons and two or three daughters, named David, Matthew, William, Jacob, Isaac, Katharine, and Mary; but did not indicate David as eldest. He subsequently named them as David; William, m. Jane Armagust; Matthew, m. Mellinger Keady or Heady; Margaret, m. John Davis; Elizabeth, m.-----Owens; Martha, m. -----Smith; and Isaac.
    An other correspondent, Cora May Hagaman, niece to Schuyler, mentions Matthew, Helen, William, David, Isaac, Hettie Ann, Margaret, Elizabeth, and Martha Jane.
    David [1760] mentioned his father and mother, himself and brothers Matthew and William, and his uncle Isaac, and wrote that he had five sons and two daughters, living (March, 1891).
    John was a shoemaker, and lived near Boiling Springs, Pa., where he died in 1840, because of a fracture of his leg.
    Children of John and Anne Wynkoop:
1760. David, b. Apl. 1821, in Kingston, Cumberland Co., Penn.: m. Jan. 5, 1847, Sarah Anne Hoover, b. May 8, 1826. He removed, about 1850, to La Porte, Ind., where he was engaged in the brick business, and in planting. He removed to Brenner, Doniphan County, Kansas, about 1869, and continued as a planter, and now lives at Atchison.
        Children of David and Sarah A. Wynkoop:
        1761. Mary Anna: b. Nov. 15, 1848, Kingston, Penn.: m., Feb. 16, 1868, George Van Hagaman, and was living in La Porte, Ind., in 1891. Child:
                1762. Cora May Hagaman: living in Kansas City, Mo., in 1895.
        1763. Susanna R.
        1764. John Hoover.
        1765. David McLure, Rev.: engaged in mission work, at Phoenix, Arizona, under the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions: b. Oct. 24, 1859: m. Mary Anna Dolly, b. Jan. 13, 1862: they have no child. He was born at La Porte, Ind.: lived at Brenner, Kansas : was in Park College: kept store in Arizona, 1889-93: then entered the ministry: was married Dec. 25, 1882, at Parkville, Mo.
        1766. Albert L.
        1767. Schuyler Colfax.
        1768. Samuel M.
1769. Matthew: m. Mellinger Keady or Heady.
1770. William: m. Jane Armagust.
1771. Isaac: lives at Loraine, Whitney Co., Ind., and has sons, William and Robert or Albert, and a daughter.
1772. Jacob (possibly.)
1773. Katharine  "
1774. Mary        "
1775. Helen       "
1776. Margaret: m. John Davis.
1777. Elizabeth: m. ----- Owens.
1778. Martha Jane: m. ----- Smith.
1779. Hettie Anne (possibly.)

    This is what William's family looked like at the time of the 1880 Federal Census for North Middleton Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. A careful search of the Valley Sentinel for the next year revealed no further mention of William or his family, so they managed to keep out of trouble for a while at least.

    One other thing. After the trial and the verdict, William apparently was reduced to finding work as a laborer and not an investment councilor or lawyer, for that's how he's listed in the 1880 Census record.

1. WILLIAM H.⁸ WYNKOOP (MATTHEW⁷, JOHN⁶, JACOB⁵, CORNELIUS⁴, GARRET³, CORNELIUS EVERTSZ², EVERT¹) was born October 09, 1842 in Plainsfield, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. He married AMANDA ZEIGLER, daughter of ANDREW ZEIGLER and MARY GUTSHALL. She was born Abt. 1851 in Middlesex Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.

Children of WILLIAM WYNKOOP and AMANDA ZEIGLER are:
        i. LAURA⁹ WYNKOOP, b. Abt. 1872, Pennsylvania.
        ii. BERTHA WYNKOOP, b. Abt. 1878, Pennsylvania; d. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

2. LAURA⁹ WYNKOOP (WILLIAM H.⁸, MATTHEW⁷, JOHN⁶, JACOB⁵, CORNELIUS⁴, GARRET³, CORNELIUS EVERTSZ², EVERT¹) was born Abt. 1872 in Pennsylvania. She married DAVID COULTER. He was born in Camp Hill, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and died Bef. April 18, 1910 in Pennsylvania.

Children of LAURA WYNKOOP and DAVID COULTER are:
        i. BELLE¹⁰ COULTER, b. October 1890, Pennsylvania.
        ii. WILLIAM COULTER, b. Abt. 1895, Pennsylvania.

    I have to admit that I have mixed emotions about this case. I don't believe that justice was served by the eventual acquittal of either William H. Wynkoop or Mrs. Catharine Zell. Read the newspaper reports for yourself, and see if you don't have strong doubts about it too.

    I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has more information about William and his family, or additional information about this case.. I can be contacted at [email protected].

    Thanks,

    Chris

Died, Mary Kiehl.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 6 June, 1879, page 8.

The Kiehl Case.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 25 July, 1879, page 5.

Serious Charges.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 19 September, 1879, page 5.

Crime and Criminals.
     From the New York Times, Friday, 19 September, 1879.

Alleged Poisoning.
     From the Quincy Daily Herald, Quincy, Illinois, Friday, 19 September, 1879.

W. H. Wynkoop Accused of Murder.
     From the New York Times, Sunday, 21 September, 1879, p. 2.

The Kiehl Poisoning Case.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 26 September, 1879, page 5.

Commonwealth vs. W. H. Wynkoop.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 14 November, 1879, page 5.

Murder In the First Degree.
     From the Washington Post, Washington, D.C., Thursday, 20 November, 1879, p. 1.

Found Guilty, The Kiehl Murder Case.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 21 November, 1879, page 5.

Home News Department, What Not?
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 28 November, 1879, page 5.

Arguments For A New Trial.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 5 December, 1879, page 5.

Argument in Mrs. Zell's Case.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 12 December, 1879, page 5.

A New Trial Refused, Mrs. Zell Sentenced for the Murder of Mrs. Kiehl.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 19 December, 1879, page 5.

Home News Department, What Not?
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 2 January, 1880, page 5.

The Kiehl Case.
     From the Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Friday, 16 January, 1880.

The Zell Murder Case.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 9 January, 1880, page 4.

The Wynkoop Case, A Trial of Great Interest, Found Not Guilty, The Judge's Charge.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 23 January, 1880, page 8.

The Wynkoop Trial.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 30 January, 1880, page 4.

The Kiehl Poisoning Case.
     From the Washington Post, Washington, D.C., Tuesday, 10 February, 1880, p. 1.

Mrs. Catharine Zell Saved From the Gallows.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 27 February, 1880, page 6.

Arrested.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 19 March, 1880, page 5.

Another Arrest.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 26 March, 1880, page 5.

Current Events, The Wynkoop-Zell Murder Case.
     From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Friday, 16 April, 1880, p. 2.

Court Proceedings.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 23 April, 1880, page 5.

Mrs. Zell Acquitted.
     From the Valley Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa., Friday, 30 April, 1880, page 5.