Sara from Milford, CT, asked:
Hi Julie,
I love your podcast.
My mother was taken from her mother when she was just 5 years old (in 1947) and we can’t find any information about her anywhere. No one would talk about it with my mother. We only know her name was Vivianne Hudson. Can you help us?
My grandmother was very young when my mother was taken from her and she may have been a bad drinker. My grandfather had to come back from WW2 to get my mom.
I just want to find this woman. Information about my grandmother is so important to both my mom and me. I hope you can help and hope to hear from you soon. Thanks.
Hi Sara,
The story about your grandmother sounds like a book I’m reading. It’s called The House on Tradd Street by Karen White and is about a family researching what happened to a Charleston, South Carolina woman who deserted her husband and small child without leaving a trace. How interesting to get your question about the same topic.
Your grandmother Vivianne’s spirit appeared in my office standing in front of my desk with a noose around her neck. The noose, typically used to hang people, was made out of rope and had a loop with a running knot intended to tighten as the rope was pulled. It was made by a professional and didn’t resemble a make-shift noose used by someone to commit suicide.
Vivianne told me she was in fact a serious alcoholic. Although she dearly loved your mother and your grandfather for that matter, while inebriated (which was most of the time), she neglected your mom to the point of putting her in danger.
Your grandmother told me she was hanged by a group of vigilante-type men who bound her hands and feet, blindfolded her, and hung her from a tree deep in some woods. They then burned her body and buried her bones. There were 8 of them and several carried torches. It reminded me of a lynching scene from the movies. I don’t believe your grandfather was involved.
Now here’s an intriguing note. Although the men who killed your grandmother weren’t wearing the traditional white hoods and robes of the Ku Klux Klan, I “got” they were familiar with Klan philosophies and tactics. While researching KKK atrocities to see if there was a correlation between their techniques and your grandmother’s death, I learned the KKK was originally formed to protect women and children before it became a hate group. I also learned it was common to burn the victim’s dead body in KKK lynchings, perhaps to destroy evidence.
The good news is, Vivianne’s spirit is always around you and your mother watching over and protecting you and your families.
If you wish, I’ll be delighted to assist you and your mom in communicating with your grandmother to get more detailed information. Just go to askjulieryan.com and schedule an appointment. We’ll have an hour to get your questions answered.