Women’s History Month
“The Giggling Granny” — Nannie Doss Poisoned Nearly a Dozen of Her Family Members
Killer women throughout history
Born in Blue Mountain, Alabama (now a suburb of modern-day Anniston) as Nancy Hazel in November 1905, Nannie Doss will remain known in history, not by her given name, but by the nicknames assigned to her by those who followed her crimes. The Giggling Nanny, The Giggling Granny, The Jolly Black Widow, Lady Blue Beard, and The Lonely Hearts Killer have all been used to reference this diabolical serial killer.
Nannie was one of five children born to Louisa and James Hazel. James was feared and loathed by his family, especially Nannie and her mother. He was controlling and abusive to everyone in the family, often requiring the children to stay home from school and work on the family farm. Repeated absence from school and the turmoil of her home life played a part in Nannie’s poor grades in school, but she also had other issues.
When she was only 7 years old, Nannie was on a train with her family to visit relatives in southern Alabama. The train unexpectedly lurched forward as the engineer braked hard and Nannie hit her head on the metal bar in front of her seat. In the years that followed, she experienced frequent migraines, blackouts, and…
