Intrigue, betrayal, and chutzpah. This story has it all! Read on to see how I cracked this "impossible" case!
Thirty years before there was Frank Abagnale, who was made famous by the film, Catch Me If You Can, there was another Frank . . . Frank Greisse.
And just like Abagnale, this Frank was a character and a swindler.
He first appeared in Chicago about 1903, but under a different name . . . Frank Griffin.
Despite my best efforts, I just could NOT find hide or hair of him before then.
What's going on here? Where was he?
My first thought was that he was probably in Chicago, or nearby, but the census takers had missed him. Nor was he found in the city directories which don't necessarily show everyone. Missing people in the census, especially in a big city, was, and still is, a VERY common occurrence.
So, I focused next on what I did know. That was that he'd married in Chicago in 103, had a daughter the next year, but then suddenly abandoned his family.
To the records I went . . .
The Cook County marriage applications provided some vitally important new info for Frank. He was a bookkeeper that was born in New York and currently living in Binghamton. And most importantly, it provided his parents name . . . Frank Griffin, Sr. and Mary Korodi.
But then I hit yet another brick wall. I could find absolutely no evidence of any such couple, ANYWHERE.
So, I took a chance and I searched solely for his mother's name (most men, even the hardened ones, still love their mamas) and VOILA . . . I found them in Baltimore! But instead of his surname, Griffin, it was Greisse.
Now why would Frank Jr. change his name?
As it turns out, he'd gotten a girl pregnant in New York and had to skedaddle. That would certainly qualify as a reason to flee and change his name!
Keep in mind that this was long before there was an FBI, so if someone absconded from the State there was little they could do to bring them to justice. It was also long before IDs ever existed, so someone could change their name at will.
But the saga continues . . .
Shortly after he'd gotten married and had his daughter in Chicago, he got a very good paying position in a large company. But apparently the pay wasn't good enough, so he decided to get into check kiting and forging. And his victim was the very company he worked for!
His fraud was quickly discovered, but before the authorities could nab him, he and his ill-gotten gains fled to San Francisco . . . completely abandoning his new family.
But he wasn't there for long before another group had almost caught up to him. See, the company he had frauded hired none other than the world-famous Pinkerton Detective Agency.
And their motto was "We Never Sleep"!
They were the best and this was obviously long before the internet, which is quite the testament to their abilities.
Frank felt the heat bearing in on him in San Francisco. He even had a close call with one of Pinkerton's agents there, so he skedaddled again . . . to New York City.
There he'd befriended a wealthy widow, his "love".
But it was all a ruse. He kept a low profile while he nurtured this new relationship and even offered marriage to her, multiple times, to deflect any suspicions.
However, one day she noticed nearly 15,000 dollars worth of her jewels had gone missing and, afterwards, Frank was nowhere to be found. He'd completely disappeared!
Thankfully, Pinkerton's hadn't given up. They'd gotten wind of him in New York via their extensive, never sleeping network.
Several days later, whether from remorse or because he really cared for her, Frank called his "love" to apologize and to beg for his forgiveness and wondered if he could come over to talk. She said, "Yes!"
Just moments after she got off the phone with Frank, Pinkerton's called. She told them that Frank was on his way over and to hurry if they wanted to catch him.
And catch him they did! Frank got the shock of his life when they arrested him right there on the spot and in front of his "love".
He was later sentenced to two years in New York's notorious Sing Sing Prison.
Although I found no further criminal escapades by Frank after his release, he still managed to have one last laugh. On the 1910 census, in a hilarious stunt, he listed his occupation as "Secret Service Agent". That's some major chutzpah there!
Frank died, alone, in 1928 and is buried in the family plot in Maryland.
He never reunited with his wife and daughter in Chicago, who went on with their lives without him.
This was one of the most exciting cases I've ever worked! "Spicy" cases like this one NEVER get old or boring and it's such a joy to research them.
If you'd like me to help you search for YOUR elusive or "spicy" ancestors, I'd love to hear from you!
Drop me a line or give me a call and I'll get started on it as soon as I can.
danny@hallgen.com
(888) 444-3211
Photo Credit:
ID 199882007, Stefan Sutka, Stefans42, Dreamstime - Thank You!
