Labonte18
01-25-2024, 02:19 PM
So.. I mentioned that I had kinda gotten the wild hair to find Madeline Underwood's grave since she died here local to me back in 1978. Going to repeat some info and share some new that I have found.
Knew she was at Greenville Memorial Gardens, but I have fully documented that cemetery for findagrave and never came across her grave.. So.. Either she wasn't there or was unmarked. Contacted the cemetery and she is, indeed, there.. got her plot.. As I mentioned in the other topic, she's in Section F - The Garden of the Well of Somaria. Something of a 'clover' design on that part of the cemetery.. Here's a satellite view of the area where she is..
https://maps.app.goo.gl/fmEWvpBawtMb6Wwo9
I found that Ada passed from Lung Cancer in 1997 in Indiana and was cremated.
But.. Researching them more.. Has turned up some wild things..
So, I found both Ada and Madeline living next door to each other, it appears, in Chicago on the 1950 census. At that time, Madeline was married to Bobby Fentress while Ada was listed as 18 years old and divorced. Which.. Is rather interesting/odd. That would have had to have been a quick marriage and divorce.. Or just a mistake on the census.
I started digging into Fentress and his family. And that's where things started going sideways.
So, Bobby Fentress had multiple brothers.. one of whom was Lowell Fentress.
In 1949.. Lowell was sentenced to 398 years in prison.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/139537007/
He was part of the "Mad Dog Killings" in Chicago. From what I can tell, if i've managed to track properly.. Lowell was eventually released and died a free man in 1996. I found articles in the paper where he was a part of something called the Safer Foundation in the 80's which connected people with ex-offenders to try to help them stay out of jail.
Another of Bobby's brothers.. Was put on 3 years probation for killing his wife.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pantagraph/139537136/
He was later charged for passing bad checks.
Madeline's mother in law.. Christine Fentress, apparently owned a jewelry store and called on the cops who arrested her son after it was robbed.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-the-exploits-of-frank-pa/29728636/
But.. BEFORE THAT.. apparently her ex husband kidnapped one of their kids.. Irvin.. https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/139537940/
In front of Bobby and Lowell.
the rabbit holes that you can fall down when doing something as simple as trying to find the plot of where someone is buried.
Not saying any of this reflects on Madeline or Ada.. Just.. Madeline married into a crazy family it would seem.
Someone sent me information that their sister, Louise, who was taken in by an Aunt during the time that Madeline and Ada were with the Best family, passed in 1979, nearly 2 years after Madeline, in Chicago.
oh.. Things might get weirder.. I'm still tracking this.. but Louise.. Might have married BACK into the Fentress family. She might have married one of the brothers.. I can't confirm this yet, but she was listed as Louise Underwood Fentress in the mid 70's.
Knew she was at Greenville Memorial Gardens, but I have fully documented that cemetery for findagrave and never came across her grave.. So.. Either she wasn't there or was unmarked. Contacted the cemetery and she is, indeed, there.. got her plot.. As I mentioned in the other topic, she's in Section F - The Garden of the Well of Somaria. Something of a 'clover' design on that part of the cemetery.. Here's a satellite view of the area where she is..
https://maps.app.goo.gl/fmEWvpBawtMb6Wwo9
I found that Ada passed from Lung Cancer in 1997 in Indiana and was cremated.
But.. Researching them more.. Has turned up some wild things..
So, I found both Ada and Madeline living next door to each other, it appears, in Chicago on the 1950 census. At that time, Madeline was married to Bobby Fentress while Ada was listed as 18 years old and divorced. Which.. Is rather interesting/odd. That would have had to have been a quick marriage and divorce.. Or just a mistake on the census.
I started digging into Fentress and his family. And that's where things started going sideways.
So, Bobby Fentress had multiple brothers.. one of whom was Lowell Fentress.
In 1949.. Lowell was sentenced to 398 years in prison.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/139537007/
He was part of the "Mad Dog Killings" in Chicago. From what I can tell, if i've managed to track properly.. Lowell was eventually released and died a free man in 1996. I found articles in the paper where he was a part of something called the Safer Foundation in the 80's which connected people with ex-offenders to try to help them stay out of jail.
Another of Bobby's brothers.. Was put on 3 years probation for killing his wife.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pantagraph/139537136/
He was later charged for passing bad checks.
Madeline's mother in law.. Christine Fentress, apparently owned a jewelry store and called on the cops who arrested her son after it was robbed.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-the-exploits-of-frank-pa/29728636/
But.. BEFORE THAT.. apparently her ex husband kidnapped one of their kids.. Irvin.. https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/139537940/
In front of Bobby and Lowell.
the rabbit holes that you can fall down when doing something as simple as trying to find the plot of where someone is buried.
Not saying any of this reflects on Madeline or Ada.. Just.. Madeline married into a crazy family it would seem.
Someone sent me information that their sister, Louise, who was taken in by an Aunt during the time that Madeline and Ada were with the Best family, passed in 1979, nearly 2 years after Madeline, in Chicago.
oh.. Things might get weirder.. I'm still tracking this.. but Louise.. Might have married BACK into the Fentress family. She might have married one of the brothers.. I can't confirm this yet, but she was listed as Louise Underwood Fentress in the mid 70's.