UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Lake County History Roundtable's July meeting will explore the mysterious death of Harry “Hal” Floyd Gopcevik and consider if it was natural causes or murder.

The group will meet beginning at 6:15 p.m. Monday, July 18, at the Tallman Hotel, 9550 Main St. in Upper Lake.

In 1903, 30-year-old Lake County Heiress Harry “Hal” Floyd married a San Francisco cable car grip man, Milos Gopcevik, who claimed to be of European royal descent.

Three months later she was dead, and her new husband inherited nearly all of a substantial estate.

Officially, she died of an illness. Her family claimed she was murdered. The outcome of the trial that contested the will changed Lake County's history forever. 

Was her husband a member of the Serbian royal family? Was she murdered? Did the event that may have triggered her alleged murder also set in motion the events that led to World War I?

Phil Smoley will explore the background of the bizarre chapter of Lake County history and try to get to the bottom of how Harry Floyd died.

Smoley, is a 35-year resident of Lake County, a former president and current director of the Lake County Historical Society, in addition to being a founder of the Lake County Historical Roundtable and a local real estate broker.

The Lake County History Roundtable (formerly the Redwood Empire Civil War Roundtable) is open to the public and all ages and all levels of interest in history are welcome.

For more information, contact Phil Smoley at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-349-1008, or Zane Jensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-349-6390.