John Brassard Jr
The Kitchen Table Historian
"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
About
John Brassard Jr. is the author, host, and podcaster behind the Kitchen Table Historian brand. Since 2016, he has soared to ever greater heights and plumbed the darkest depths of history to bring you the stories that your grandma didn’t want to tell you. Come here to learn more about the man behind the brand.

Services
Publications
Click here to learn more about John's ever-expanding number of books and articles.
Podcast
Click here to learn about more about the Kitchen Table Historian podcast, telling you about the tales of true crime, the supernatural, and the bizarre that your grandma didn't want you to hear.
Videos
Click here to learn more about John's historical videos and how to listen to his podcast on YouTube.
Speaking
Click here to learn more about John's public speaking engagements.
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Blog
Episode 88: Man Receives Bomb in Mail; Loses Hand and Part of Arm
James Chapman and his wife, Clementine, had no idea who...
Read MoreMan Receives Bomb in Mail; Loses Hand and Part of Arm
James Chapman walked out onto the porch to greet...
Read MoreEpisode 87: Did a Murdered Woman’s Screams Haunt A River Town Home?
Jim Arpy was a veteran reporter who loved a great...
Read MoreDid a Murdered Woman’s Screams Haunt A River Town Home?
Hampton, Illinois is a quiet river town nestled into the...
Read MorePastor’s Wives Charred Remains Found in Parsonage Furnace
When the Reverend Clarence Valentine Sheatsley walked into his...
Read MoreEpisode 86: Pastor’s Wives Charred Remains Found in Parsonage Furnace
When Reverend Clarence Sheatsley found his wife, Addie, in the...
Read MoreEpisode 85: Man Uses Train to Sever Own Head
In this short story, the assembled crowd at the Saunders,...
Read MoreMan Uses Train to Sever Own Head
Competition amongst growing cities on the Midwestern frontier could be...
Read MoreEpisode 84: William Engelberg’s Wives Commit Suicide Only A Few Years Apart
William Engelberg was probably looking for a better life when...
Read MoreWilliam Engelberg’s Wives Commit Suicide Only A Few Years Apart
When William Engelberg came to America, he was probably...
Read MoreEpisode 83: Was the 1962 Crash of Flight 11 Really An Accident?
In 1962, Continental Airlines Boeing 707 Flight 11 crashed in...
Read MoreWas the 1962 Crash of Flight 11 Really An Accident?
It was just another day for James Clarity. He...
Read MoreEpisode 82: Gayno Smith Massacres Five People in Southern Iowa
While investigators were dealing with a devastating plane crash near...
Read MoreGayno Smith Massacres Five People in Southern Iowa
Carefully, the fireman removed the man from the fuselage. He...
Read MoreEpisode 81: Two Mass Murders Claim Iowa Families Only Two Months Apart
As the Great Depression gripped the nation, two mass murders...
Read MoreTwo Mass Murders Claim Iowa Families Only Two Months Apart
August is always hot in Iowa. The sun beats...
Read MoreEpisode 80: Who Killed Thaddeus Fancher?
All Thaddeus Fancher wanted to do was have a drink....
Read MoreWho Killed Thaddeus Fancher?
All Thaddeus S. Fancher wanted to do was have...
Read MoreEpisode 79: The Accused Poisoner: Bernice Zalimas
In 1924, Bernice Zalimas was accused of poisoning her husband...
Read MoreThe Accused Poisoner: Bernice Zalimas
Bernice Martikonis was young when she first came to America,...
Read MoreEpisode 78: Suicide and Steam: A Family Tragedy
During an almost ten-year period, the Botkin family faced two...
Read MoreSuicide and Steam: A Family Tragedy
Have you ever sat and watched people? I mean, not...
Read MoreEpisode 77: The Perfect Crime: The Trial of Frank Loomis
In this continuation, we find that Dr. Frank Loomis has...
Read MoreThe Perfect Crime: The Trial of Dr. Frank Loomis
On February 22, 1927, Dr. Frank Loomis left his home...
Read MoreEpisode 76: The Perfect Crime: The Murder of Grace Loomis
In 1927, Detroit police were convinced that Dr. Frank Loomis...
Read MoreThe Perfect Crime: The Murder of Grace Loomis
I’ve always been fond of going for long walks. When...
Read MoreEpisode 75: Miss Edna’s Surprise Guest: A KTH Short Story
Ever been afraid of a stranger hiding in your house?...
Read MoreMiss Edna’s Surprise Guest: A KTH Short Story
At one point when I was in college, I lived...
Read MoreEpisode 74: The House on the Hill: The Haunted History of the W.P. Bettendorf Mansion
The mansion was a secret hidden in plain sight, overlooking...
Read MoreThe House on the Hill: The Haunted History of the W.P. Bettendorf Mansion
The mansion was a secret hidden in plain sight. Situated...
Read MoreEpisode 73: The Ball: A Kitchen Table Historian Short Story
In 1912, a horrific murder took place in Villisca, Iowa....
Read MoreThe Ball: A Kitchen Table Historian Short Story
Villisca is a sleepy town in southwest Iowa. While there’s...
Read MoreA KTH Short Story: Music from Beyond
When you wander around the dark by yourself for hours...
Read MoreEpisode 72: KTH Shortcast: Music from Beyond
In this short story that your grandma didn’t want you...
Read MoreEpisode 71: The Body on the Island: The Final Days of Margaret Treese
In 1947, a woman’s mutilated body was found on...
Read MoreThe Body on the Island: The Final Days of Margaret Treese
George Whitbeck pointed to the patch of grass where he...
Read MoreEpisode 70: The Body in the River: A 1911 Murder in Fort Wayne, Indiana
When two children found a body floating in the river,...
Read MoreThe Body in the River: A 1911 Murder in Fort Wayne, Indiana
When Steve Lanigan first saw the bloated shape floating in...
Read MoreEpisode 69: The Missing Bell – The Clinton County, Iowa Courthouse War
Courthouses were a big boost for the economies of frontier...
Read MoreThe Missing Bell – The Clinton County, Iowa Courthouse War
Courthouses are, without a doubt, iconic structures within our civilized...
Read MoreEpisode 67: A Debt Unpaid: The Murder of John David
John David owed Arvid Helloian a debt. Arvid was content...
Read MoreA Debt Unpaid: The Murder of John David
It was cold that early February morning as the...
Read MoreEpisode 67: Small Town Secrets: The Death of Olive Funk
When Olive Funk was killed, nearly everyone saw it happen....
Read MoreSmall Town Secrets: The Death of Olive Funk
The handgun glinted in the sun, shaking slightly...
Read MoreEpisode 66: Obsession: The Murder of Grace Reed
In 1906, everyone loved Grace Reed. Everyone wanted to be...
Read MoreObsession: The Murder of Grace Reed
It was a beautiful evening, Grace Reed thought. She...
Read MoreEpisode 65: The Stoic Farmer: The Gilbert Family Murders, Part II
In 1940, a burning car in rural South Dakota held...
Read MoreThe Stoic Farmer: The Gilbert Family Murders, Part II
Warning: This material contains content that may be sensitive...
Read MoreThe Quiet House: The Gilbert Family Slayings
Guy Gilbert was probably a little surprised when his...
Read MoreEpisode 64: The Quiet House: The Gilbert Family Slayings
Guy Gilbert returned to his South Dakota home to find...
Read MoreEpisode 63: Wolves Like Sheep: The Murder of Mary Schultz
Mary Schultz was a young, well-educated 20-year-old with her whole...
Read MoreWolves Like Sheep: The Murder of Mary Schultz
After a long, cold winter, spring had finally arrived...
Read MoreEpisode 62: Table Scraps Short Stories, Vol. 3: Accidents Will Happen
Another collection of short tales from Midwest history, Volume 3...
Read MoreTable Scraps Short Stories, Vol. 3: Accidents Will Happen
I’ve always been fascinated by the little stories, the...
Read MoreEpisode 61: Unquiet House: The Murder of Bessie Moore
Shortly before Christmas 1946, 35-year-old Bessie Moore trip to bake...
Read MoreUnquiet House: The Murder of Bessie Moore
Bessie smiled to herself as she carefully wrapped her cookie...
Read MoreEpisode 60: Poisoned Chocolate: The Nehlsen Murder/Suicide of 1910
Heartrending events in the life of Margaretha Nehlsen had brought...
Read MorePoisoned Chocolate: The Nehlsen Murder/Suicide of 1910
Starting in about 1820 and ending at the turn...
Read MoreEpisode 59: ‘Call Me Randy:’ The Soft-Spoken Killer
Mary Schlais was murdered on a cold February morning in...
Read More‘Call Me Randy:’ The Soft-Spoken Killer
When the residents of Dunn County, Wisconsin woke up...
Read MoreEpisode 58: One Bad Ride: The Murder of Mary Schlais
Mary Schlais was a beautiful young artist with her...
Read MoreOne Bad Ride: The Murder of Mary Schlais
The young woman walked slowly along the shoulder of the...
Read MoreEpisode 57: Steam and Fury: The Lansing Steamboat Disaster of 1867
Steamboats are an iconic part of the history of...
Read MoreSteam and Fury: The Lansing Steamboat Disaster of 1867
The Mississippi River, despite its nickname the “Big Muddy,”...
Read MoreDeath Curve: The Legend of Julia Markham
The first time that I remember hearing about a place...
Read MoreEpisode 56: Death Curve: The Legend of Julia Markham
The Death Curve of Cambridge, Illinois, will forever be linked...
Read MoreEpisode 25: Horace and Geneva: The Wrong Way to Fix a Marriage
Horace and Geneva’s marriage began to fall apart for all...
Read MoreHorace and Geneva: The Wrong Way to Fix a Marriage
Living with another person is not always an easy thing....
Read MoreFancy Shoes: The Bizarre Fate of Big Nose George
When I was growing up, western movies were just starting...
Read MoreEpisode 54: Fancy Shoes: The Bizarre Story of Big Nose George
Stories of the American West have captivated generations of people....
Read MoreThe Insane Doctor: Medicine, Drugs, and Murder in Small-Town Iowa
By 1930, 68-year-old George W. Appleby had practiced medicine for...
Read MoreEpisode 53: The Insane Doctor: Medicine, Drugs, and Murder in a Small-Town
Dr. George Appleby was everything a small-town doctor should be:...
Read MorePretty Things and A Good Right Hook
In 1922, Myrtle Belden was a rural mail carrier around...
Read MoreEpisode 52: Pretty Things and a Good Right Hook
In many true crime tales, women are all too often...
Read MoreEpisode 51: The Koenig Murder/Suicide of 1870
William Koenig came to America with his family for a...
Read MoreThe Koenig Murder/Suicide of 1870
Some have said that the most dangerous people that you...
Read MoreEpisode 50: The Girl in Room 30: The Murder of Marie Wick
In 1921, 18-year-old Marie Wick checked into a Fargo hotel...
Read MoreThe Girl in Room 30: The Murder of Marie Wick
Earlier this year, I was driving down Illinois Route 84,...
Read MoreEpisode 48: Ghosts of the Pandemic, Part 2: Home Front
In 1918, Americans on the home front were supporting their...
Read MoreEpisode 46: Ghosts of the Pandemic, Part 1: Arrival
As America prepared to fight World War I, the deadliest...
Read MoreGhosts of the Pandemic, Part 3: Burial
Mt. Zion is a small cemetery outside of Newton, Iowa....
Read MoreThe Devil You Know: The John Hoskins Murders
I have always loved Adams County. Located in the southwestern...
Read MoreGhosts of the Pandemic, Part 2: Home Front
When I was attending Iowa State University, I decided that...
Read MoreTable Scraps, Vol. 2
History is a forgetful creature. While there is much about...
Read MoreGhosts of the Pandemic, Part 1: Arrival
One night several years ago – longer ago than I...
Read MoreStruck Down in the Dark – The Charles Englehart Murder
I’m not afraid of the dark. I take my trash...
Read MoreStruck Down in the Dark – The Charles Englehart Murder
Charles Englehart was attacked outside of his car one dark...
Read MoreEpisode 44: Table Scraps, Vol. 1
If history is made up of small stories, then some...
Read MoreTable Scraps, Vol. 1
When I was younger, I spent a year working for...
Read MoreEpisode 43: Ms. Holly
In the early 1900’s, a Nebraska schoolteacher visited an unspeakable...
Read MoreEpisode 42: Deadly Relations
An early December blizzard chilled Iowa to the bone. It...
Read MoreDeadly Relations
The rain began to fall steadily across Iowa. The weather...
Read MoreEpisode 41: The Edward Crampton Murders of 1921
Malone, Iowa, is perhaps the best hidden town in Clinton...
Read MoreThe Ed Crampton Murders of 1921
No expects to see a life-sized hippo along an Iowa...
Read MoreEpisode 40: The Bandits in the Blizzard
If you had just spent eight years in prison, would...
Read MoreThe Bandits in the Blizzard
Paul Schroeder ran through the repair shop, trying to avoid...
Read MoreEpisode 39: The Robbers Who Should Have Quit
In 1921, a former newspaper editor and a barber decided...
Read MoreThe Robbers Who Should Have Quit
Some people just don’t know when to quit. Granted, that’s...
Read MoreEpisode 38: The Spencer Family Massacre, Part 2
The murder of the Spencer family was one of the...
Read MoreThe Spencer Family Massacre, Part 2
Most of us take our lives for granted. We wake...
Read MoreEpisode 37: The Spencer Family Massacre, Part 1
Willis James was just going to work in 1877. Instead,...
Read MoreThe Spencer Family Massacre, Part 1
Welcome to the first story of the new year,...
Read MoreThe Emotional Insanity of George Scott
In the 1870’s, the town of Delmar, Iowa, had a...
Read MoreEpisode 36: The Emotional Insanity of George Scott
George Scott was a loving family man. All of a...
Read MoreEpisode 35: Frozen Secrets
In 1927, William Coffey was a middle-aged newlywed on...
Read MoreFrozen Secrets
January is a cold month in the Midwest, especially in...
Read MoreEpisode 34: Snapped in Birmingham
In 1943, Naomi Cheney was murdered in Sioux Falls, South...
Read MoreSnapped in Birmingham
December 7, 1941 was a day that changed America. After...
Read MoreEpisode 33: The Scars of Loss
Mabel Moore and William Stewart each lost a spouse in...
Read MoreEpisode 65: The Stoic Farmer: The Gilbert Family Murders, Part II
In 1940, a burning car in rural South Dakota held...
Read MoreThe Scars of Loss
In a St. Louis hotel room in 1912, Mabel Moore...
Read MoreEpisode 32: The Accidentally Deliberate Murder of Augusta Bartz
16-year-old Augusta Bartz was murdered in 1892. Even though her...
Read MoreThe Accidentally Deliberate Murder of Augusta Bartz
Fall is a transitional season. The temperatures start to get...
Read MoreEpisode 31: My Ghost Stories – Real and Imagined
We all love ghost stories, but not all of them...
Read MoreMy Ghost Stories – Real and Imagined
I love a good ghost story. Ever since I was...
Read MoreEpisode 30: Haunted – The Kelly Family Murders
In 1933, William Kelly made a horrific decision. He would...
Read MoreContact
Need more information? Send me an email or drop me a line. I don’t bite!
- brassardjohn@yahoo.com