This is the documented grave of a convicted criminal. Information below comes from public records.
Edward Howard Rulloff
July 9, 1819 โ May 18, 1871Convicted 1871
Buried at:
Glenwood Cemetery , Dickinson, New York ยท Section 1 (remains relocated from old city cemetery, Binghamton area)
Criminal History (Public Record)
Convicted of first-degree murder for the 1870 killing of dry-goods clerk Frederick Mirick during a burglary in Binghamton, New York. Previously suspected in the 1845 deaths of his wife and infant daughter (never convicted of those). Sentenced to death after a sensational trial; publicly hanged May 18, 1871 in Ithaca โ the last public execution in New York State. His brain was removed for scientific study and remains on display at Cornell University (one of the largest recorded).
Background
Edward Howard Rulloff (also spelled Ruloffson or Rulofson) was a Canadian-born philologist, linguist, and author who lived a double life as a scholar and a career criminal. He was known for his exceptional intelligence and claimed to be working on a monumental dictionary and grammar of the English language.
Contemporary Ithaca and Binghamton newspaper coverage of the 1870-1871 crimes, trial, and execution
Historical accounts of Rulloff's criminal career and scholarly claims ("The Man of Two Lives")
All information on this site is drawn from publicly available records. We strongly recommend verifying directly with the cemetery and primary sources before making any decisions.
No other flagged graves found within 5 miles of this location in our current database.