The 1878 death of John Coleman of Washington, Mo., shook the community. Lynn Wagner uses her sleuthing skills to provide details of Col. Coleman, the murder, and what happened to the man who took his life. This intriguing story involved two prominent citizens of Washington.
Lynn Wagner was raised in Villa Ridge on a farm that had been in her family since 1887. She developed her interest in crime from her police officer father and while she couldn’t follow in his footsteps, she put her detective skills to work in genealogical work. She maintains and researches over 275 family trees, most from Missouri. The hunt for documents and learning the stories behind people is what makes her happy. Lynn currently serves as president of the Franklin County Historical Society based in Union.