The Mystery of Callie McGowin

One of my biggest inspirations to do research was the murder of my great grandmother, Callie McGowin Mancil. When I started out I only knew family stories of what had happened. I had been told that Callie was stabbed in her barn with a pitchfork by her son-in-law Ruby's husband, Angus Graham. That was all I knew other than that my grandfather had been quite young at the time. He never went to school after that. Pops also told me that her real name was Carolyn McGowin but her nickname was Callie. I met his older sisters Callie, Ella and Blanche. Ruby was dead before I was born. When Pops died of lung cancer I was so sorry I hadn't asked him more questions. It seems there was a lot of things he couldn't remember but he was about eighty then. He told me that she was of Scotch Irish descent and a tiny woman. Shortly after her death his father married a very young woman (although he was in his 50s) and they had more children. My grandfather and his younger brother George were sent to live with other family. To this day I do not understand why. I spoke with his half brother Bill's wife and she told me that her husband never talked about it. What I have learned since researching is that Callie was part of a prominent family, the McGowins. She was one of the children from her father, James McGowin II's second marriage to Virginia Sanks. Many of James' children from his first marriage do not list his second wife or her children on their family trees but there is a book, Geneology and Related Papers of the McGowin Family and on page 48 it lists his second wife and their children, including Callie. My grandfather's younger brother was 5 when his mother was killed. He told his family he witnessed it. Uncle George said that Angus, his sister Ruby's husband, came to the house angry and argued with his mother. He pulled out a pistol and shot her. He was arrested and acquitted some few months later on the grounds of insanity. A census a few years later shows him in Pensacola and Ruby is still with him. I believe shortly after that they divorced and rumor was she had several husbands. I have only recently learned that Callie, wife of many years to her husband James Bryant "Tobe", mother of eight children, was not buried in the local family cemeteries. There were two Mancil cemeteries and cemeteries her McGowin family members were buried in. She was buried it seems in Century, Florida in a cemetery unrelated to her or her husband's family. I have to wonder why. She was only 48 years old when she died. I have been told that her family disliked her husband very much and felt she was lowering herself to marry him. I can understand that but certainly I would like to think that she received a proper burial. I can find no record of an obituary for her. I have searched find a grave and there is no grave listed in the cemetery she is supposed to be at. I have been in touch with some wonderful people who have said they will go and check out the cemetery for me and see if they can find a stone. If not and we can determine which grave is hers I plan to get her a marker. It breaks my heart to think of all she went through and I wonder as she lay there dying if she understood what was going on. I wonder if she saw her young son standing there and was scared for him. Little might you have guessed Miss Callie that your great granddaughter, your son Jake's granddaughter would be on the internet and sharing your story with the world. Although we never met, I am a part of you. I feel connected to you and one day I want to visit your grave. You are not forgotten. (Callie's picture is at the top on the header. I believe it is the only picture of her that exists. I have it framed and hanging on my wall.)