General Notes:

Family information gathered from family members. Confirmed in various places in Monroe county. And most import was date of death found in her husband's records from Washington D.C.

A child born to Thomas and Jane Murphy, found in 1850 census Ash Township Monroe County MI. The date known for our Elizabeth fits. I think this is our Elizabeth.

The following articles were found in Monroe County newspapers.

Monroe Democrat
Monroe, MIch., Thursday May 1. 1884
Hung Herself

The wife of Daniel Poigneau of LaSalle, concluded last Saturday that she had seen enough of this world and with the aid of a piece of sheep twine attached to a rafter in the garret of her house shuffled off the mortal coil. She was a great sufferer with asthma, her domestic relations were not the pleasantest and she had several times threatened to take her life. Last Saturday her husband went to Vienna and shortly after dinner she sent her children to play with those of a neighbor. On their return about two o'clock they found their mother hanging in the garret. The body had apparently been hanging about two hours and the cord had nearly cut the neck off. The woman was about 40 years old and leaves five children. An inquest was held and a verdict rendered in accordance with the above.

From The Monroe Commercial May 2, 1884 p. 5 c. 2

Lasalle South
Our neighborhood was thrown into great excitement last Saturday evening over the report that Mrs. Elizabeth Perniea, who with her family resided in the tenant house of Mr. John Conlisk, had committed suicide by hanging herself. On reaching the place it was found that the deed had really been committed by using a piece of common twine, such as farmers use in tying wool. After placing it around the neck, she tied the other end around one of the rafters in the upper part of the house which was not plastered. Apparently death had been instantaneous, as there was no sign of a struggle whatever, and the chair which she had used as a trap still stood erect, supporting one of her limbs while the other barely touched the floor. Justice A.D. Anderson was called to act as coroner, and after examining several witnesses who had found the body, the jury which had been called rendered a verdict that the deceased had come to her death by her own hands. No other reason could be found that should cause her to end her life, than that she had been in poor health for the last four years, and was a victim of despondency. She was 36 years of age. and leaves a husband and five children, the youngest but four years old. The body was buried in the township burying ground. (LaSalle Twp Cemetery)

No record of her death was ever found nor confirmation that she was buried at the township cemetery.