Arbor Genealogy, Charlotte, NC (2026)

07/13/2025

🕯️ The Immigrant Murder – Part 7
Based on true events | March 1897 | Bay County, Michigan

For previous episodes, visit our Arbor Blog at:
https://arborgenealogy1.wixstudio.com/arbor-genealogy1/blog/categories/family-mysteries-unearthed

In Episode 6, a troubling inconsistency surfaced in Peter Peplinski’s account of his wife’s disappearance.

Peter claimed he got off the wagon with his wife at Midland Road. She then drove the carriage alone for the final half-mile home—including a bridge crossing over the Kawkawlin River.

But when he arrived home, Stanislawa was gone.
The carriage, however, stood quietly in the yard.

He told neighbors and his son, Joe, that she must have gone missing along the short route. A search party formed.

But the next day, the sheriff’s men heard something that didn’t add up.

There were no footprints from Midland Road.
Only wagon tracks.
Sheriff Gunterman ordered Peter Peplinski to be held in the Bay City jail. The suspicion had turned sharp.

🏫 March 27, 1897 – The Inquest at the Midland Schoolhouse
The tension was thick. Neighbors, officials, and reporters crowded into the room. The coroner’s jury assembled.

One strange detail—newspapers and the court began misreporting Peter’s surname as “Pelinski.” That error would spread and become permanent.

From the Bay City Times, March 28:

👤 First Witness: Thomas Clezlowlski

“I joined the search for Mrs. Pelinski around 9 a.m. Wednesday.
I was alone in a boat. Fred Cotton was on the bridge holding the rope.
Others were nearby—John Nichols, Joe Rider, Joe Kaczmarek, Ed Rider...
Around 10:30, I spotted a cap—on the left-hand shore, downstream on the west side.”
A navy-blue woman’s cap was held up in court. Clezlowlski identified it immediately.

He continued:

“I went home just before noon. Came back in the afternoon.
More men joined us: the Carrolls, the Kaczmareks, Ed and Joe Rider, Albert Gillman...
That’s when we found her.
Face-down in the water. We pulled the body to shore and waited for Justice Dunham.
Her hands were drawn tight to her chest. No hat. Hair loose around her neck.
Pelinski was there, watching the search—both in the morning and afternoon.
Around 3:30 we found her, 70 or 75 rods below the bridge.
One leg was bent, like she’d been kneeling. The other was straight.
Water was shallow—maybe two feet. No current. She wasn’t floating.
Her back was just beneath the surface... perfectly still.”
🛑 Peter Refuses to Testify
Peter Peplinski was called next.

But his attorney, Curtis E. Pierce, intervened:

“Given the serious charges and that this inquest holds no power to determine guilt... I invoke my client’s right to remain silent.”
Justice Dunham and Prosecutor Gilbert debated the point. In the end, the court allowed Peter to withhold testimony.

🧍 Jacob Droomers – Neighbor and Searcher
“At first, I didn’t think to look at the tracks by the bridge.
But later... I did.
The snow had been trampled. No clear prints left.
I did see one set of wagon tracks—right down the center.
Then they veered off slightly near the end.
But no footprints south of the bridge. That’s what raised my suspicion.
When Peter first came to me, he said he’d left the wagon at the stone road to ease the horse’s load.
But he didn’t seem in a rush to search that night.
From what we saw, we all figured she must be in the creek.”
👢 Edward Reder Testifies
“Didn’t see any tracks from the stone road.
I know that horse could’ve pulled them both. I’d seen it before.
Peter didn’t let anyone else drive his horse.
I never saw them fight, but... I heard rumors.
Horse and wagon tracks were clear.
When they rode together, Peter always sat on the right side—next to her.”
🧾 Phillip Kaczmarek
“No footprints from Midland Road to the bridge.
But wagon tracks? Clear as day.”
👦 Joseph Peplinski – Son, age 18 (with interpreter)
Joseph’s testimony matched his father’s on the sequence of events. Oddly, the reporter notes show no questions about the tracks.

But what he said next was chilling:

“They argued. A few times.
Once, I heard my father say,
‘From this day forward, I will not be afraid of you.’
Another time he said,
‘If you’re going to kill someone tonight—kill me right away.’”
👩 Mrs. John Kaczmarek – The Neighbor
“Stanislawa came over sometimes. She was worried.
Told me Peter might be poisoning her.
Said the food and tea he gave her tasted bitter... and made her feel worse.”
The inquest ended late that evening. The room was silent, grim.

Two days later, the Bay City Times reported:

Peter Peplinski was arraigned on murder charges. No bail.
The trial would begin on Thursday, April 1st.
🔍 To be continued...
👉 Follow for Part 8 soon.

🔖 Hashtags

06/28/2025

When we research your family history, we focus on real primary source records. Many “hints” or auto-fills on ancestry and other sites come from information without a valid, attached source. We find the real census records, marriage documents, draft registrations and more to uncover the true, accurate story of your ancestors.

06/27/2025

Get in touch today!

06/23/2025

Discover and preserve your family history with Arbor Genealogy 🌳

06/20/2025

The National Monument to Freedom engraves the names of more than 100,000 people who won their freedom after the Civil War. Many people visit and search for their surnames. It feels gratifying to know their names, but what about their stories? We can help you uncover how you’re related and what your ancestors’ lives were like. Get in touch with us today!

06/16/2025

Were your relatives involved in the U.S. Civil Rights movement? Were they arrested or attacked while fighting for the end of segregation? Were they among the first to attend integrated schools, or to break the boundaries of redlined neighborhoods? Let’s find out. DM us today.

06/09/2025

Check out this featured story, telling the tale of our client’s great-great-great grandfather, Robert Lafayette.
Robert was born on 1 April 1849 in Jackson, Alabama to Eli Jasper and Margaret Frances.
The town of Jackson was named for President Jackson, who cleared the Cherokee tribe from the area to clear the land for White settlers.
It was a small farming town. Due to its location near the Appalachian Mountains, relied more on small-scale family farms in the tiny fertile areas, rather than big plantations.
Robert likely grew up knowing several families who used enslaved labor, although there is not evidence that his own family did.
In DeKalb County, Robert met and married his wife, Ellen Elda when he was 22.
They welcomed their first daughter the following year, and Robert followed in his father’s footsteps as a farmer.
Robnert’s mother, Margaret, only had a chance to meet his eldest daughter before her death. Robert and Ellen would go on to have 9 total children.
Just before his youngest was born, Robert moved the whole family to Texas.
They settled in Spanish Fort, Montague County, Texas by the time Robert was 61 years old.
Their town was originally a settlement of the Taovaya tribe, who moved away as their area became a stop on the cattle trails as White settlers moved out West.
The population of Spanish Fort was under 250 people and now stands as a ghost town. Robert continued his work as a farmer through his 70’s. He had to endure the deaths of his father Eli, his youngest daughter Caldonia, and his wife Ellen before he passed away at age 78.

05/25/2025

🕯️ The Immigrant Murder – Part 6
“Where Were the Footprints?”
In the last episode, the chilling discovery of Stanislawa Peplinski’s lifeless body in the icy Kawkawlin River cast a shadow of suspicion over her husband, Peter. The community, once simply mourning, now whispered of something darker. Something criminal.
The authorities turned their attention once again to Peter Peplinski.
Sheriff Guntermann, Chief Murphy, and Detective Benson returned to the Peplinski farmstead—this time with sharper questions. Peter repeated his version of events: that he had stepped off the buggy to walk the final mile home, giving Stanislawa the reins. But a glaring contradiction had surfaced.
There were no footprints in the fresh snow.
Investigators scoured the path from Midland Road to the Peplinski home. They saw the wagon tracks veer dangerously near the riverbank, where Stanislawa’s broken umbrella had been discovered—but no human tracks leading away. When confronted, Peter insisted that the snow must have covered his prints.
It might have ended there—an unfortunate accident in a snowstorm—were it not for the rumors that had already been festering in the town. Whispers of shouting matches. Witnesses to a strained and volatile marriage. Stanislawa’s own sister had previously spoken of her mistreatment.
Then came a pivotal moment.
According to a March 25, 1887 article in the Bay City Times, local Justice of the Peace Fred Dunham arrived at the Peplinski home. He assembled a six-man jury for a coroner’s inquiry. Stanislawa's body lay in the parlor—cold, still, and surrounded by the evidence of a life cut short.
The jurors examined her body. Two bruises on her leg. A contusion to the head.
Could these injuries be explained by a fall from the wagon… or did they suggest something far worse?
The jury, unconvinced, ordered a full autopsy the following day.
Emotions boiled over when Stanislawa’s sister, Mrs. Nowak, arrived at the farmhouse. In full view of neighbors and jurors, she collapsed into sobs, screaming that Peter had killed her. Her cries ignited the smoldering suspicions into an open flame.
Sheriff Guntermann gave the order: Peter Peplinski was to be taken into custody.
He was transported to the city jail while maintaining his innocence. His attorney, Curtis E. Pierce, was summoned. But the tide had turned. The community was watching. The newspapers were circling. And the first stage of justice—or judgment—was about to begin.
🔍 In the next installment of The Immigrant Murder, we will cover the autopsy, the explosive findings, and the formal charges filed against Peter.

💬 What do you think happened that snowy night in 1887?
Do you believe Peter's story... or do you think justice was served too late?
👇 Comment below and follow for Part 7 and more historic true crime cases brought back to life from the archives.

For access to the complete backlog of the Immigrant Murderer, visit our blog: https://arborgenealogy1.wixstudio.com/arbor-genealogy1/blog

05/18/2025

🕯️ Immigrant Murder – Part 5: The Night in the Snow
It was the kind of night that clung to your bones.
Cold. Wet. Ominous.
March 9, 1887 — winter was refusing to release its grip on Bay City, Michigan.
Peter and his second wife of just a year, Stanislawa, had spent the evening visiting her sister and brother-in-law near the old St. James school.
According to Valentinus Nowak, tensions between the couple were obvious. Stanislawa wanted to leave before the storm worsened, but Peter insisted on staying. Then, in an act that seemed more command than request, he ordered Stanislawa to walk alone to a nearby tavern for beer. She went — and returned quickly with a pale of it.
Only after the beer was gone and darkness fell did Peter agree to head home.
The couple set off in their wagon, traveling west down Midland Street — the main artery to Williams Township. Snow pelted the horse and wagon, thickening with every mile. Stanislawa complained about the late departure and worsening storm, but Peter offered no sympathy.
As they reached the narrow dirt path leading north to their farm, the snow had grown so deep that the horse began to struggle. Then, Peter made a decision that would change everything.
He told investigators later that he got down from the wagon and walked the final mile home, lightening the load — but left Stanislawa to guide the horse and wagon alone in the blizzard, even though she was inexperienced with the reins.
When Peter arrived home, he found the wagon outside — unsheltered. But Stanislawa was nowhere to be found.
He woke his son, Joseph. Together, they searched the barn, the yard, and then the road. Neighbors joined them, and eventually, one man found Stanislawa’s broken umbrella near the bridge over the Kawkawlin River.
Still, there was no sign of her.
The next morning, Peter reported her missing.
Sheriff Guntermann, Chief of Police Murphy, and Detective Benson launched a search of the river. As news spread, the community buzzed with suspicion and speculation. Hours later, a small rowboat drifting downstream made a discovery:
Stanislawa’s body, found in the river, with trauma to her head.
The investigation that followed would uncover inconsistencies in Peter’s story — and ignite a legal drama that played out for years in public view.
In the next installment of Immigrant Murder, we’ll walk through the initial inquiry, the evidence that surfaced, and the moment the sheriff returned to the homestead… with a warrant for Peter’s arrest.

📢 Like true stories with real twists?
👍 Like this post
💬 Comment below: What do you think happened that night?
🔁 Share with a friend who loves true crime or family history
🌳 Interested in your roots? Visit [Arbor Genealogy] (https://arborgenealogy1.wixstudio.com/arbor-genealogy1/post/immigrant-murder-part-5-the-night-in-the-snow)

05/12/2025

Can anyone help translate this last name? Frances ?ardyn??

Arbor Genealogy

07/13/2025

06/28/2025

06/27/2025

06/23/2025

06/20/2025

06/16/2025

06/09/2025

05/25/2025

05/18/2025

05/12/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category