Most of us have a relative somewhere in our family tree that we would prefer not to have, and, no doubt, we also have relatives that would prefer that we not mention those same relatives. The bottom line, to my way of thinking, though, is that those not-so-desirable additions to the family tree have as much right to be mentioned as the more illustrious members. We all have the responsibility of our own destinies, but none for our relatives, so why not include as much family history as possible? If nothing else, such inclusions make for much more interesting reading when it comes to family histories!

In the early 1870’s, Chester County was rocked by a rather bizarre case, known as the Goss-Udderzook case, that started with an attempt to defraud some insurance companies and ended with a murder. Though there is a lot of information available about the case, there is very little background information to be found about the people involved. This is an attempt to provide some of that missing information.

The basics of the case are very simple. William Eachus Udderzook conspired with his brother-in-law, Winfield Scott Goss, to defraud four insurance companies by faking Goss’s death in a fiery blaze in Baltimore, to the benefit of his wife, Eliza Goss. Due to a number of irregularities in the case, the insurance companies balked and instigated full investigations into the case. It was determined that the body that was burned in the fire was not that of Mr. Goss and the search was on. Disturbed by the idea that the true Mr. Goss would reveal the reality of the situation, Udderzook murdered him and deposited the body in Chester County, not far from where Udderzook had grown up. Once the real body was found, the case was quickly finalized and Udderzook was executed in November of 1874.

Udderzook and Goss were married to sisters, Clara and Eliza, respectively, daughters of David and Sarah Arden. Articles about the case also mention William Udderzook’s brother-in-law, Samuel Rhoades, husband of William’s sister Annie.

William Udderzook was one of six childen born to Henry Udderzook and his wife, Jane Yarnall, four sons and two daughters. Henry and Jane were married in 1831 and lived together for 12 years, after which they lived separately, their marital status becoming a matter for legal minds to consider when Jane later sought to sell the family property without involving Henry. Jane Yarnall was the daughter of Amos Yarnall and Larcy DeGrace Beaumont. She died in 1881 and is buried at Morris Cemetery in Phoenixville; Henry is buried at Willistown Friends. More information about Jane yarnall Udderzook’s family may be found in our family Files section.