Mysteries to Solve: Historical Detective Work You Can Do

Researchers have discovered fascinating documents of LGBTQH history about which many mysteries remain. Please help OutHistory solves these mysteries, and present new, original finds on the site.

OutHistory will be adding to this list of mysteries to solve, so check back here for further clues.

Mary Casal

Who was "Mary Casal"? The author of one of the earliest American lesbian autobiographies provides so many details of her life, it should be possible to discover who she actually was. So far, no one has done that research. Discovering her identity should lead to lots of important new data on lesbian American history in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

Legal Case Transcripts

Jonathan Ned Katz's Love Stories discusses many nineteenth-century legal cases appealed to state appeals courts. His research showed that, in regard to the two earliest cases, the actual trial transcripts of these cases could be obtained from from state legal archives. The transcripts of these cases sometimes reveal more details than the brief, published accounts, so researching these cases and writing for these transcripts should reveal important new details of of LGBTQ and heterosexual history.

Earl Lind (Ralph Werther/Jennie June)

Who was the man who called himself "Earl Lind," "Ralph Werther" and "Jennie June"? The author of two autobiographies provides so many details about his life, it should be possible to discover his true identity, and this should lead to many insights about transgender American history in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

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