Bio

Nicholas Melady Jr. was born around 1845 in what is now Ontario, Canada. By 1868, Melady was connected to the family farm area in Huron County, Ontario, south of present-day Seaforth. His father, Nicholas Melady Sr., and his stepmother, Ellen Melady, lived in the same rural community.

Murder Story

On June 6, 1868, Nicholas Melady Sr. and his wife, Ellen Melady, were killed on their farm in Huron County, Ontario. Their farm was located south of present-day Seaforth. Their son and stepson, Nicholas Melady Jr., was later accused of the murders. The killings were described as violent, with historical summaries listing the methods as shooting and beating with an axe. Robbery has also been mentioned as a possible part of the crime, but the exact motive is not fully verified.

The investigation was controversial. Several members of the Melady family and other people were first held as suspects before being released. Some accounts also mention disputed evidence and a female police informant known as “Jenny Smith,” who reportedly tried to get a confession from Melady while he was in jail.

Melady was tried in Goderich, Ontario, in 1869 and was convicted of murdering his father and stepmother. He was sentenced to death. On December 7, 1869, Nicholas Melady Jr. was executed by hanging outside the Huron County Gaol in Goderich. Officials reportedly carried out the hanging earlier than the announced time to avoid crowd disorder.

His execution became historically important because it is widely reported as the last public hanging in Canada. A few weeks later, on January 1, 1870, Canada banned future public executions.