After a few months, she discovered that he was an alcoholic and had a criminal record for assault. Braggs was the only son of a single mother who insisted on continuing to live with him after he married. On July 7, 1945, Doss was taking care of Melvina's son, Robert, because Doss and Melvina had an argument over Doss's disapproval of Melvina's boyfriend. Youre glad you are. The next four wouldn't make it out alive. One newspaper went as far as calling her a self-made widow. Nannie Doss (Nancy Hazel) was born on November 4 th 1905 in Blue Mountain, Alabama. In exchange for a trashy romance magazine, Nannie admitted to murdering not just Samuel but many others. Well, after youd eaten about three large slices and downed a few glasses of milk, you lay down completely stuffed and unusually tired. Once in your nice, comfortable house, everything is peaceful. The couple married in October of 1952 and moved to Kansas, and Doss soon discovered that Morton owed large debts to many people. Your email address will not be published. Her parents were Louisa "Lou" (ne Holder) and James F. Hazel. 1895 December 29, 1895. The woman died in her sleep. Nannie Doss was born in Blue Mountain, Anniston, Alabama, Nannie Doss's nickNames is Giggling Granny, the Lonely Hearts Killer, the Black Widow, Nannie Doss's spouses is Arlie Lanning (m. ?1950), Richard L. Morton (m. 19521953), Robert Franklin Harrelson (m. 19291945), Nannie Doss's childrens is Melvina B. Braggs Leonard, Copy this code and place into your web pageView Nannie Doss stories, Copyright FamousBio 2020 All rights reserved This template was inspired with love by Colorlib, Giggling Granny, the Lonely Hearts Killer, the Black Widow, Arlie Lanning (m. ?1950), Richard L. Morton (m. 19521953), Robert Franklin Harrelson (m. 19291945). The grieving parents drifted apart and Melvina started dating a soldier. Nannie Doss: Lonely Hearts Lady Loved Her Man to Death Geringer, Joseph. Nannie was first married at age 16 to Charley Braggs, her co-worker at a linen factory. Braggs took his older daughter, Melvina, with him and left a newborn, Florine, with his ex-wife and mother. Nannie was promptly arrested. They lived in Jacksonville with Melvina and Florine. Her second husband was Robert Franklin Harrelson. Nannie Doss Alias Nancy Hazel (birth name) The Giggling Granny The Giggling Nanny The Lonely Hearts Killer The Jolly Black Widow Gender Female Birth Date November 4, 1905 Place of Birth Blue Mountain, Alabama, United States (now Anniston, Alabama) Date of Death June 2, 1965 (aged 59) Place of Death Her decades-long killing spree ended with the death of her fifth husband, Samuel Doss. The woman died suddenly and without warning a few months after Doss agreed to take care of her. Doss was never charged with the other deaths. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, and fun facts about her. Whenever she came back, she played the role of a doting wife perfectly. Reading romance magazines, especially the lonely hearts columns, took up much of the young ladys spare time. Before long, she confessed to killing not only her four husbands, but confessed to seven other murders as well. Unbelievably, she was successful yet again and found Arlie Lanning of North Carolina. She would later blame her mental instability on the accident. Nannie Doss, who is commonly referred to as "The Giggling Granny" or "The Jolly Widow," is suspected of killing at least 10 people between 1924 and 1954. She is now an anonymous grandmother who lives among us somewhere. One day, Melvina had a particularly unpleasant argument with her mother and went to her fathers house to stay for a while. Nannie was arrested immediately. Joyce Meyer is a Christian author and speaker. In her own words, Doss romance magazines had a profound effect on her psyche. The happy couple lived with Braggs' mother, but she had the same abusive type of behavior as Doss' father. Only three days after that, Morton perished after drinking from a thermos full of coffee that had been spiked by Doss with arsenic. Nannie Doss is one of the most prolific American female serial killers, thought to have killed 11 family members during a span of more than 20 years. In addition, Morton had another girlfriend who he met before Doss. Exhausted from labor and groggy from ether, Melvina thought she saw her visiting mother stick a hatpin into the baby's head. In 1945, after the end of the World War II, The United States of America was in a full celebratory mood. Doss soon began plotting to kill Morton, but, under unrelated circumstances, her father died and Doss mother came to stay with her. The Giggling Granny - ALABAMA HERITAGE Nannie Doss life of murder did not start with Arlie Lanning. It wasnt until 1945 when he came home drunk and became particularly violent that Nannie decided Franks time was up. They realized after exhuming her other past husbands that they all had doses of arsenic and rat poison in their systems. Jason Simpson is the son of former NFL running back, broadcaster and actor O. J. Simpson. She craved a non-existent thing the "Perfect Marriage", complete with a perfect romance-novel man to sweep her off her feet and make her dreams come true just like in the novels she . Doss was referred to as the "Giggling Granny," the "Lonely Hearts Killer," the "Black Widow," and "Lady Blue Beard." Take a look below for 25 more interesting and bizarre facts about Nannie Doss. Unfortunately, she was able to kill multiple innocent victims before she was finally snatched by the police. Doss was a Nazarene minister who had lost his family to a tornado in Carroll County, Arkansas. The Story Of Nannie Doss, The 'Giggling Granny' Serial Killer Nannie Doss died in prison in 1964 while serving a life sentence for the murder of her last husband. He would not let his children attend school but forced them to serve as farm-hands. He also forbade them to go to dances and other social events. Though Lanning also was an alcoholic, unlike second husband Frank Harrelson, Lanning was not violent. Despite this, the marriage lasted 16 years. Harrelson was no different. Arlies mother, who they had been living with, also died one night in her sleep. The final murder ended up revealing her for what she was. Nannie Doss breaks into a smile after signing a statement for Tulsa officers admitting she killed four of her five husbands with rat poison. Then came the police. During her marriage to Morton, Doss already had began to correspond with new men. Despite the abuse, the marriage lasted 16 years until 1945. She attacked one with a hairpin while just a newborn and suffocated another two-year-old grandchild. The Crimes Of Nannie Doss, The Sweet Old Lady Who Poisoned Her - Ranker Nannie Doss was an American serial killer who killed 11 people. Since most of her husbands had other underlying health issues such as alcoholism or heart conditions, doctors and authorities never suspected a thing. And this one hardly seemed serious. This head trauma caused Nannie to suffer from severe headaches, blackouts and depression for many years. She left Robert in her mothers care. Doss could not provide any reasonable explanation. He died under mysterious circumstances. Nannie Doss, otherwise known as the Giggling Granny, or Lady Bluebeard, was an elderly woman who poisoned and killed up to 11 members of her family, including four husbands.She blamed early head trauma and an unrealized dream of a romance novel-style marriage as the impetus behind her coldhearted murders, the crimes of Nannie Doss will shock even the most hardened true crime lovers. Doss, 24, and Harrelson, 23, got married soon after meeting and after sixteen years, Harrelson died. Doss grew up reading her mothers romance magazines and wished for a fairytale future. It was just 10 years after she had first been jailed that she passed away from leukemia. Mae Carol Jemison is a famous American astronaut who became the first African American astronaut to travel to space. She left Robert in her mothers care. She soon realised, however, that Lanning was an alcoholic womaniser like Harrelson. Birth . The doctor found huge amounts of arsenic in Samuel Dosss body and alerted police. Nannie Doss is credited with killing at least 11 people. Bettmann/Getty ImagesAuthorities question Nannie Doss about her crimes. Irma Grese was a notorious German Nazi concentration camp guard during the Second World War. Skai Jackson is an American child actress with huge fan following. Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother in 1892. It would be an understatement to say that he messed with the wrong person. Nannie Doss was promptly arrested. What did you do right before you started feeling sick? is one he asks more than once. She laced some cake and coffee with poison and served it to her fifth husband. Background and First Two Husbands of Nannie Doss. It is quite possible that she had poisoned those girls. The second child, however, died shortly after of unknown causes. Though she was acquitted, many people believe Lizzie Borden killed her father and stepmother back in 1892. confessed to killing four of her five ex-husbands. The doctor seems to notice. He did not have a drinking problem, but he was adulterous. The doctors, however, could not give a positive explanation. Melvina vaguely remembered watching her mother stick a hatpin in the head of the infant as Melvina faded in and out of conciousness. At the age of seven, Nannie Doss fell forward while on a train and her head collided with the floor. Looking for yet another husband, Nannie joined a dating service called the Diamond Circle Club and soon met Richard L. Morton of Jamestown, North Carolina. Nannie Doss was arrested in 1954. The marriage fell apart at that point. As a result, Nannies education suffered. Samuel was neither an alcoholic nor abusive nor a womaniser. Then, read about Elisabeth Fritzl, who spent 24 years held captive by her father. Three months later Morton died of similar symptoms. A few months after the granddaughters death, her two-year-old grandson, Robert, died of asphyxiation while in Doss care. She then lived with her sister, Dovie Frances Hazel Weaver, who was bedridden at the time. Both Nannie and her mother despised James because of his controlling behaviour towards every member of the family. He thanks you for reading his content. No one else was ever charged. Nannies father died and so her mother came to live with the couple, which brought its own series of problems. [2] But after she took care of her mother and sister, she turned her full attention to her cheating husband. She and Braggs worked together at the Linen Thread Company in nearby Anniston. He would not let his children attend school but forced them to serve as farm-hands. Despite James forbidding Doss and her sisters from wearing make-up and attractive clothes in fear of molestation, it still happened on several occasions. Alarmed at his sudden passing, Samuel's doctors ordered an autops to be performed. Worry? You miss your spouse and are looking around the room. You wake up wearing a hospital gown in a bed at the hospital with a doctor looming over you. As a result, Nannies education suffered. Doss was never charged with the other deaths. In September, he was hospitalised after eating an arsenic-laced prune cake. He showed flu-like symptoms and the diagnosis was a severe digestive tract infection. Doss collected $500 dollars on an insurance policy she had placed on the boy. Bettmann/Getty ImagesNannie Doss laughs as she is interviewed by a police captain after confessing to the poisoning of four of her five husbands. Braggs' mother died not much later and Nannie took a job in a cotton mill to support Florine and herself. After the tragic incident, the grief-stricken couple slowly drifted apart and eventually separated. She had an abusive father and a mother who did not do anything about the abuse. In the ensuing years, Doss gave birth to four daughters. Because after a simple marital spat, that would be weird, right? The doctor, who treated Samuel, was alerted by his sudden death. Nannie met her third husband, Arlie Lanning, through another lonely-hearts column while travelling in Lexington, North Carolina, and married him three days later. He had the dubious and fortunate distinction of being the only husband that Doss did not murder. Nannie Doss: Lonely Hearts Lady Loved Her Man To Death Geringer, Joseph. Doss died of leukaemia on June 2, 1965, in the hospital ward of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and was subsequently laid to rest in Oak Hill Memorial Park in McAlester, Oklahoma. She entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to life in prison. Check out this biography to know more about her childhood, family, personal life, crimes committed, etc. Victims and Suspects - Nannie Doss She laced a prune cake with poison. Like Harrelson, Lanning was an alcoholic womanizer. After reading about Nannie Doss, the serial killer nicknamed the Giggling Granny, read about Leonarda Cianciulli, who turned her murder victims into soap and teacakes. Doss was 16 years old when she married her first husband, Charley Braggs, after knowing him only for four months. It was here that she met Frank Harrelson, whom she married in 1929. Nannie Doss was an American serial killer who received the famous nicknames, "The Giggling Nanny," and "The Jolly Black Widow" when she went on a murder rampage, which lasted around thirty-five years. Arlie was poisoned to death by 1950. As cute as the term sounds, in her case, it was extraordinarily creepy. Nannie Doss - Wikipedia Nannie Doss was prosecuted by J. Howard Edmondson, who later became governor of Oklahoma. During her first marriage, two of her children died suddenly with no explanation. They married in 1952 in Emporia, Kansas and not long after that, Morton started to spend night after night with other women in the town. In September, Samuel was admitted to the hospital with flu-like symptoms. Nannie Doss laughs as she is interviewed by a police captain after confessing to the poisoning of four of her five husbands. Soon after her discovery, police began showing up at her house several times a week to let her know that Frank was, once again, in the drunk tank for fighting. 1905. . Nannie Doss - Criminals, Family, Facts - Nannie Doss Biography - Famousbio She soon experienced some stomach upset and then passed away, and Morton followed her a few months later. While they were married, Doss' mother needed a caretaker and moved in with the couple. She was also known as the Giggling Granny, the Lonely Hearts Killer, the Black Widow, and Lady Blue Beard. Her parents were Louisa "Lou" (ne Holder) and James F. Hazel. He was the lucky one. This was not before Doss's parents visited the two of them and the mother died after complaining of sever stomach cramps. During this time, many critical events took place, including the murder of 11 people. Candi Fisher is best known as the ex-wife of American college football coach and former player Jimbo Fisher. On December 15, three weeks after Nannie was arrested, the judge at her preliminary hearing decided to turn her over to the state asylum for a ninety-day stay. Police suspect that she is responsible for nearly 12 deaths throughout the coarse of her life. See, there was a secret ingredient in both that cake and that coffee that you werent aware of: generous doses of arsenic. However, the doctor who had cared for him in the hospital didnt believe he had just succumbed to illness. Doss is responsible for the murder of several of her husbands and also a lot of her family members between 1920 and 1948. Nannie Doss, who confessed to poisoning four of her five husbands, 1954. Just a year after her divorce, Doss married her second husband. Doss blamed her murderous escapades on her brain injury. Nannie Doss: The Giggling Granny Serial Killer - The CrimeWire - Soapboxie People assumed he died of food poisoning. Both Nannie and her mother despised James because of his controlling behaviour towards every member of the family. After the tragic incident, the grief-stricken couple slowly drifted apart and eventually separated. By the time Samuel and Nannie met, she had years of poisoning experience, so its a surprise that her prune cake missed its mark. Nannie Doss was only charged for the death of Samuel Doss. However, in this marriage it was Nannie who often disappearedand for months on end. In the ensuing years, Doss gave birth to four daughters. Nannie disapproved of him, and while Melvina was visiting her father after a particularly nasty fight with her mother, her son Robert died mysteriously under Nannie's care on July 7, 1945. But for Tulsa Attorney Gordon Patten, the case revived . Doss left, and Braggs was able to escape the fate that awaited all of Doss future husbands. Too bad it was the last thing you would ever drink. Bettmann/Getty ImagesNannie Doss breaks into a smile after signing a statement for Tulsa officers admitting she killed four of her five husbands with rat poison. At age 9, while the family was taking a train to visit relatives in southern Alabama, Nannie hit her head on a metal bar on the seat in front of her when the train suddenly stopped. Furthermore, she couldnt understand why those in charge prevented her from cooking in the kitchenShe just didnt know why they wouldnt want her around the food that was served to everyone. Nannie Doss was only charged for the death of Samuel Doss. The couple divorced in 1928. They got married that year. Karla Homolka is one of Canadas most infamous female serial killers. In fact, she often joked about her situation. She never seen anything wrong with what she done, but she would take spells. Once a newspaper called her a "self-made . The bad news was that she got another shot. The Nannie Doss case in the mid 1950s is being featured on Japanese television as one of the five most unusual murder cases in the world. Killing Spree of Nannie Doss You might like: You really didnt see that one coming. This delusion to solve this by murder was likely linked to the head trauma she experienced as a child. His organs were found to be full of arsenic and blame was put on Nannie. When she asked if she could work in the kitchen, she was politely told no. Her casual smoking habit turned into a heavy addiction. Nannie Doss was born Nancy Hazle on Nov. 4, 1905 to poor farming parents in Blue Mountain, Ala. From a very young age, Doss could tell that her mother was deathly afraid of her father, who was a violent man and forced Nannie and her siblings to spend much of their childhood working in the fields often to avoid being beaten. She still found faults in him. The marriage fell apart at that point. Nanny Doss: The Giggling Nanny By mthirion9 Timeline List 1910 1920 1930 1940 Jan 1, 1912, Train Injury Jan 1, 1922, Charley Braggs Jan 1, 1927, First Deaths Jan 1, 1929, Frank Harrelson Jan 1, 1945, Melvina's second child. Nannie Helen Burroughs founded what was at the time the largest Black women's organization in the United States and, with the organization's sponsorship, founded a school for girls and women. For a while at least, Nannie seemed to care for her like a good daughter. Throwback Tulsa: Charming, friendly Nannie Doss poisoned four husbands He also suddenly died of mysterious causes. Melvina had grown up by then and got married herself. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family, personal life, crimes, etc. Nanny Doss: The Giggling Nanny timeline | Timetoast timelines Braggs often would not be home for days on end. [1] Doss was also referred to as the Giggling Granny, the Lonely Hearts Killer, the Black Widow, and Lady Blue Beard. By the time she married her third husband, three people had been killed. She was anxious all the time and soon enough, started drinking. trutv.com. The doctor who treated her fifth and final husband had suspected foul play during his month-long hospitalization, but he had no proof. Nannie then moved in with her sister Dovie. She would later blame her mental instability on the accident. Lanning died in 1950 from what was thought to be heart failure and townspeople came out in support of his widow. After he was warned anonymously not to eat anything his wife prepared, Braggs fled their home, taking their eldest daughter, Melvina, with him but leaving Florine, their youngest, behind. During childhood, her favorite hobby was reading her mother's romance magazines and dreaming of her own romantic future. Nannie killed him that very evening with her tried and tested method of arsenic in coffee. After confessing to the murders of four or her five husbands, Nannie Doss leaves the county attorneys office and heads to jail. He courted her with poetry; she wrote passionate letters and sent him a cake and a photograph of herself. She was one of five children, including one brother and three sisters. At that time, she was taking care of Lannings mother who was suffering from a broken hip. The doctor, who treated Samuel, was alerted by his sudden death. Braggs and Nannie soon divorced, with Nannie taking her two girls back to her mother's home. Her father didnt treat her or her siblings well and made them stay home to work around the house instead of going to school like the other kids in town. Leonarda Cianciulli, "the soap lady killer," became a serial killer and a cannibal in a deluded attempt to protect her family. The Abnormal Psychology of Nannie Doss - h e a l t h f u l m i n d Or do, period. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family, life, and little known facts about him. Total she killed 11 people and they are as follows: Her 2 middle daughters Frank Harrelson Arlie Lanning Arlie Lanning's mother Her sister Dovie Her grandaughter Her grandson Her mother, Lou Hazle Her son-in-law, Richard Morton Sam Doss Suspect The only real suspect in all of the murders was Nannie Doss herself. Doss earned her nickname, Giggling Granny, because of her smiling and giggling as she discussed her crimes with the authorities. If that's what happened, this article asks the big question: Why did Lizzie Borden kill her parents? Playing the doting wife, Doss added poison to one of Lannings meals and he died shortly thereafter. She married, had four children, and spent time with her grandchildren. This biography profiles her childhood, life, career, works, achievements and timeline. After being in jail for two years, she stated that she would have preferred the death sentence. She put rat poison in the whiskey. It was just over some trashy magazines and how you should both read better, more educational material, as well as be smarter with your finances. Doss is suspected of killing both grandchildren the second one within hours of birth, allegedly having pushed a hatpin into the childs head. After their wedding, Braggs mother insisted on living with them. Both were unhappy and suspected the other, correctly so, of infidelity. She had four siblings, including a brother named William Roscoe Hazel and a sister named Dovie Frances Hazel Weaver. She found Richard L. Morton of Jamestown, North Carolina in a dating service called the Diamond Circle Club. Fortunately, his murder was her last one, and upon her arrest, they uncovered large amounts of damaging evidence. A year later, Doss met her second husband, Jacksonville resident Robert Franklin Harrelson, through a lonely hearts newspaper column. Despite this, the marriage lasted 16 years. She was never prosecuted for the other murders, but many believe she was responsible for at least 11 deaths. At the age of seven, she suffered a serious accident which caused severe bouts of headache in the years to come. Nannie Doss was born in 1905 into a family of farmers in Alabama. He simply made the mistake of telling his wife that she could only read magazines or watch television shows that were for educational purposes. 25 Interesting And Bizarre Facts About Nannie Doss When she asked if she could work in the kitchen, she was politely told no. Doss died from leukemia in the hospital ward of . While this one was not an alcoholic, he was still a womaniser. Doss blamed these and her mental instability on that accident. Check out this biography to know more about her family, personal life, including her age, birthday, etc. Doss even had a surprising motive for killing her male companions. In the years after, she had bouts of depression, headaches, and blackouts. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Doss later blamed her mental instability on the accident. True Crime: Female Serial Killers In History | Nannie Doss Nannie Doss (born Nancy Hazel) was one of the notorious female serial killer, born on November 4, 1905, in an underprivileged family in Blue Mountain, Alabama. She then lived with her sister, Dovie Frances Hazel Weaver, who was bedridden at the time. After the death of Richard Morton, Doss set her sights on Samuel Doss. Doss is thought to have committed her first murders in 1927, when her two young daughters died of suspected food poisoning. The hospital diagnosed a severe digestive tract infection. He did not allow non-educational, non-enlightening TV shows and magazines in the house and disliked the romance novels and stories that his wife adored. This seclusion led her to leaving leave school after only finishing the 6th grade. Nannie Doss was an American serial killer who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after murdering 11 people between the 1920s and 1954. She died in prison in 1964. She soon confessed to killing four of her five ex-husbands, but not her family members. However, I am going to be outlining one of those exceptions, Nannie Doss. After all, Samuel was far from her only husband and Nannie considered family in general quite expendable. Rather, she killed quietly with poison, letting victims believe they were getting sick. For years to follow, she suffered with depression, headaches, and blackouts. Mirtha Jung is the ex-wife of former drug smuggler George Jung. McCarthy and Stalin Political Brothers? After a successful treatment regime, the hospital let him go. Two years later, she and her husband had another child, this time a daughter. Worldhistory.us - For those who want to understand the History, not just to read it.