10 Mysterious Disappearances You've Never Heard Of

William Morgan, born 1774 in Culpeper, Virginia, worked as a bricklayer and stone cutter, and later owned his own store in Richmond. Morgan claimed to have served as a captain during the war of 1812, though this fact is contested. In 1819, aged 45, he married 19-year-old Lucinda Pendleton. The couple spent some time in Canada, where Morgan owned a brewery, before settling in Batavia, in New York State.

During his time in Canada, Morgan asserted that he had been a Master Mason in a lodge based in Rochester. He further claimed that his attempts to open lodges in Batavia had been stalled by fellow Masons who disapproved of his character. In retaliation, Morgan stated, he was going to publish a book exposing the secrets of the organisation in detail, with backing from a local newspaper publisher, David Cade Miller.

Soon after, Morgan was arrested for alleged non-payment of a loan. Miller swiftly visited the debtor's prison in Canandaigua where Morgan was being held, and paid off the debt. Morgan was then re-arrested on charges of allegedly failing to pay a tavern bill. With Morgan back in prison, a group of unknown men arrived and convinced the jailer's wife to release the captive into their charge.

Morgan was taken by these men to Fort Niagara, and there the trail goes cold. Miller posthumously published Morgan's book, which became a bestseller and sparked an anti-masonic movement.