Scanned newspaper page from Image 3 of The Dallas daily herald (Dallas, Tex.), January 3, 1882, 1882-01-03 (Library of Congress, Chronicling America)
Scanned newspaper page from Image 3 of The Dallas daily herald (Dallas, Tex.), January 3, 1882, 1882-01-03 (Library of Congress, Chronicling America)

People

David Harvey

David Harvey was a man found frozen to death approximately one mile east of Dundee, Illinois in late December 1881. Little is known about his background or origins; he is recorded in the historical record almost solely by the circumstances of his death. According to a brief item in the national news digest, Harvey had reportedly been intoxicated at the time he perished. His death was noted in newspapers as far away as Texas, reflecting the practice of regional papers reprinting short dispatches from across the country during the Gilded Age.

Scanned newspaper page from Image 3 of The Dallas daily herald (Dallas, Tex.), January 3, 1882, 1882-01-03 (Library of Congress, Chronicling America)
Scanned newspaper page from Image 3 of The Dallas daily herald (Dallas, Tex.), January 3, 1882, 1882-01-03 (Library of Congress, Chronicling America) | Source: Library of Congress, Chronicling America

Known Activities

Harvey's presence in the Dundee area in late December 1881 is the only activity documented in available sources. He was found approximately one mile east of Dundee, a location that would have placed him on a rural road or in open farmland outside the village proper. The report states he had been intoxicated, suggesting he may have been traveling on foot after drinking in town and succumbed to exposure during what was presumably a period of severe winter cold. No occupation, place of origin, or next of kin are mentioned in the surviving record. (Source: dallas-daily-herald-1882-01-03)

It is worth noting that the report was carried in The Dallas Daily Herald of January 3, 1882, as part of a brief national news column — a common format of the era in which editors assembled short dispatches from wire reports or exchange papers. The original local source, likely an Illinois newspaper, has not yet been identified in connection with this record.

Timeline

DateEvent
Late December 1881David Harvey reportedly found frozen to death approximately one mile east of Dundee, Illinois; believed to have been intoxicated at the time of death
January 3, 1882Death reported in The Dallas Daily Herald (Dallas, Texas), Image 3, as part of a national news digest (Source: dallas-daily-herald-1882-01-03)
## Sources

This page documents a historical figure known only from a single contemporary newspaper report. Additional sources — including Illinois county death records, coroner's records for Kane County, or contemporaneous local newspapers — may exist and would be valuable additions to this entry. If you have relevant information, please contribute to The Kiln.