Celebrate American Indian Heritage Month by listening to some of North Carolina’s American Indians discuss their history in their own voices during an upcoming virtual Lunch and Learn program “Listening to our Elders: the American Indian Heritage Commission Oral History Project” hosted by the State Archives. The State Archives is part of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

In December 2022, the American Indian Heritage Commission, with the State Archives of North Carolina, embarked on capturing the living memory and experiences of American Indians throughout the state. Project staff will present that project, weaving what they learned from the elders with what they took from the process. Discussions will include how to set up an oral history project and conduct interviews.

The event is scheduled Nov. 5, from noon to 1 p.m. Register in advance, https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_aA9ml57tQzSPK9VM5idAUw For more information, contact Danielle Shirilla, dani.shirilla@dncr.nc.gov; 919-814-6881.

About the State Archives
The State Archives serves as the custodian of North Carolina's historical records, preserving and providing public access to a wealth of archival materials. Through its diverse collections, educational programs, and exhibitions, the State Archives plays a crucial role in promoting an understanding and appreciation of North Carolina's rich historical legacy. Learn more at archives.ncdcr.gov.

About the American Indian Heritage Commission
The North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission advises and assists the Secretary of Natural and Cultural Resources in the preservation, interpretation, and promotion of American Indian history, arts, customs, and culture. Explore projects and resources at aihc.nc.gov.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.

A Des Moines cemetery that was recognized as part of the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom received a special honor Saturday morning that organizers hope will educate others and share a piece of history.

Back in 2021, the Woodland Cemetery in Des Moines was formally accepted into the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

On Saturday, a special grave marker was dedicated to memoralize that. It says "At rest in Woodland Cemetery are 15 escaped slaves and conductors--all part of the Underground Railroad. They risked everything to claim their liberty or so others could do so".

Ricki King, a genealogist historian, worked with two students back in 2019 on the project that led to the cemetery being accepted into the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. She says since then, they've been able to connect with some families of those buried at the cemetery. However, she would like to continue connecting with more.

"We found the history. We have to find living heirs to we can recgnize them and let them know what their family history is," said King. "They might not even know their family is even buried here or...it's slavery, you know. People don't want to talk about it. They might not even know that they were runaway slaves to begin with."

King and others involved in the project hope the marker and the site will provide an educational experience for anyone who passes by.

"If you go to their headstones, you can scan a QR code and get their full story or you go to the National Park Services online and get the actual paperwork we filled out with the full story on the enslaved here," said King

Fairfax County Police Department

Robin Warr Lawrence was 37 years old in 1994 when someone broke into her Virginia home and stabbed her 49 times ... killing her and leaving her 2-year-old daughter alone for two days until a neighbor discovered her body.

For years, police couldn't find a culprit ... until new DNA testing led them to a man who claims he would've been a serial killer if not for his wife and children.

Warr and Lawrence Family

The whole story's being laid out in a new episode of "48 Hours" which will introduce the world to Stephan Smerk ... the man who last year pled guilty to murdering Robin and was sentenced to 70 years in prison in March 2025.

At the original crime scene in November 1994, DNA evidence was collected -- specifically blood from a bathroom towel. DNA science was still in its relative infancy -- this is before the O.J. Simpson trial, for example -- and the evidence brought back no immediate suspects.

Fairfax County Police Department

However, Parabon NanoLabs -- a company making huge leaps in genetic genealogy and DNA phenotyping -- and investigators were able to generate a suspect profile that matched a relative of Smerk's.

Cops met Smerk outside his home in New York while he was taking out the trash ... and, they asked him for a DNA swab which he voluntarily provided. Shortly after he called them and turned himself in for the murder.

According to Smerk, he was an active-duty soldier stationed near Northern Virginia who felt compelled to kill. He left the barracks, chose Robin's house randomly, broke in and murdered her.

He stunningly told cops ... "I honestly believe that if it wasn't for my wife and my kids, I probably would be a serial killer." Smerk later moved to the Empire State and lived a quiet life as a software engineer.

After he killed Robin, Smerk told cops he took a shower, got rid of his clothes ... then just continued on with his life as if nothing happened. Smerk also told cops he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the murder.

Fairfax County Police Department

Robin's husband asked a neighbor to check on her after not hearing from her for several days ... and, when they arrived, the neighbor found the back door open and called for Robin's daughter. The daughter was treated for dehydration after she was found.

Smerk pleaded guilty to first degree-murder in Virginia last year and received his 70-year sentence. At this point, 70 years is essentially a life sentence considering Smerk is now in his 50s.

As part of our ongoing effort to digitize Korean War draft cards, we are pleased to announce the addition of newly digitized Korean War Era Draft Registration Cards from the following states:

• Arizona
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Dakota
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Washington

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman reinstated the Selective Service Act, requiring all men aged 18-25 to register for the draft. Thus, a draft registration card from this era does not necessarily indicate that the registrant served in the war.

Korean War era draft cards contain information for registrants, including:

• Name, birthdate, place of birth
• Residence
• Next of kin (someone who will always know your address)
• Marital status
• Previous military service
• Occupation
• Physical description

Explore these newly released Korean War Era Draft Registration Cards, 1948-1959, on Fold3 today!

The Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library is holding a free genealogy symposium to explore how DNA testing can uncover family history, trace stories and connect people with relatives.

The event will feature professional genealogist Kathleen Brandt who, in addition to being an international genealogist, is also a private investigator, consultant and published freelance writer. Brandt is the author of blog.a3Genealogy.com, an educational and skill building blog that explores carious cultural and ethnic folk life traditions, as well as history and genealogy research tips.

Attendees can expect to learn how DNA testing works, what kind of results to expect and how to use them to discover relatives and ancestors that would have otherwise been unknown. The symposium will be from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 in the library’s Marvin Auditorium.

Ontario Ancestors is currently accepting proposals for its 2026 Virtual Conference: From Steamships to Microchips to be held June 12-14, 2026. We will be running two streams over the course of two days: one for ‘Microchips’:

Artificial Intelligence and other technology and the other for ‘Steamships’:

Immigration and Transportation. In following with our two themes, we welcome proposals that can enrich the knowledge of either or both of these interesting subjects. We are also open to submissions on other unique topics that would be of interest to family historians. The presentations are to be 45-50 minutes in length with 10 minutes allowed for Q & A and given over the Zoom platform. We also ask that the speaker provide a handout of 3-5 pages for their session.

Topics: Speakers can submit up to 5 proposals for consideration. For each proposal, please provide the title (of 10 or less words), a summary/description of your talk, and identify the intended audience (beginner, intermediate, advanced or all levels) as well as a short bio. Please submit your proposals at: https://ogs.on.ca/conference-speaker-submissionpage/

Be sure to include your full name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, website URL and social media profiles (if applicable). Speakers will receive an honorarium and complimentary Conference registration. Deadline for Submissions: Monday, December 1st 2025. Please direct any questions to Kim Barnsdale at speaker_liaison@ogs.on.ca. Those chosen will be notified by Monday December 15th, 2025

Deadline for Submissions: Monday, December 1st 2025. Please direct any questions to Kim Barnsdale at speaker_liaison@ogs.on.ca. Those chosen will be notified by Monday December 15th, 2025

About Ontario Ancestors The Ontario Genealogical Society, founded in 1961, is the leading society in all aspects of Ontario-related family history research, preservation and communication. Our mission is to encourage, bring together and assist those interested in the pursuit of family history and to preserve our Ontario genealogical heritage. The Ontario Genealogical Society is the largest genealogical society in Canada. Visit us at https://ogs.on.ca

Authorities say they have identified the human remains that were discovered one year ago in a creek in Pennsylvania as those of a missing Olean woman.

On October 24, 2024, Millcreek Township Police responded to a Millcreek Mall property after the remains were discovered in Walnut Creek.

An autopsy reportedly showed no signs of trauma or natural disease and the remains were sent to a local university for forensic anthropological analysis.

The police department then began working with Othram, a company that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy.

Othram was able to extract DNA from the remains and analyze it. Genealogists and investigators with the police department then worked together to conduct phone interviews as potential relatives were identified, looking for someone who would be willing to submit their DNA.

These samples helped authorities determine that the human remains were those of Rebecca Hakes of Olean. Police say she had been reported missing in the third quarter of 2024.

Investigators in western Massachusetts will hold a DNA swabbing event hoping to find new leads in the cold case murder of Holly Piirainen. The 10-year-old girl left her grandparents' home in 1993 and never returned. Her body was found months later, but no one has ever been charged in her death.

Thursday, Oct. 23, marks 32 years since Holly's remains were found in the woods off Five Bridge Road in Brimfield, Massachusetts, 65 miles southwest of Boston.

Who was Holly Piirainen?

Holly was last seen on Aug. 5, 1993 when she left her grandparents' home in Sturbridge, telling her father she was going to visit a neighbor to see a litter of puppies. An hour later, she didn't return and her father reported her missing after finding her sneaker on South Shore Road in Sturbridge. 

That October, hunters found Holly's remains in nearby Brimfield.

In 2023, the Hampden District Attorney released a photo of a white shirt found near Holly's remains. The white tank top says "Boston" on the front in pink and purple.

New push for DNA

The Hampden DA will host a Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) event in Brimfield, Massachusetts next month in hopes of advancing the case.

People are encouraged to provide a cheek swab, which could help investigators generate new leads. With the help of FIGG, DNA collected from crime scenes can be compared against genealogy databases to identify relatives of suspects.

"Each new DNA sample has the power to bring us closer to the truth. Holly deserves justice, and her family deserves answers. This effort is about remembering her and using every available tool to find the person responsible," Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said in a statement Thursday.

The FIGG event will be held on November 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Public Safety Complex on Wales Road in Brimfield. The Hampden DA said participants will also receive their own ancestry and family tree information for free.

"People have been very generous and participatory in providing their DNA for these events," said Gulluni. "I think with the shared hope that we have, that we can provide answers to Holly's remaining family and hold someone accountable for doing something unspeakable to an innocent 10-year-old girl."

Anyone with any information on Holly's disappearance and murder is encouraged to contact her tip line at 413-426-3507.

In Blount County, Tennessee, investigators are leveraging a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) initiative to identify partial skeletal remains discovered on April 4, 1981, in the East Miller’s Cove area. The remains, believed to belong to a man aged 18 to 35, were missing the head, one or more limbs, and at least one hand, and had likely been at the site for one to three years.

Assigned to a cold case investigator at the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, the case originally involved assistance from Dr. Bill Bass and the University of Tennessee Department of Anthropology. In March, the sheriff’s office contacted the TBI, which submitted a sample to Othram, Inc., a Texas-based lab specializing in forensic genetic genealogy (FGG).

Under the TBI’s 2023 Unidentified Human Remains Initiative, funded by the Tennessee General Assembly, FGG testing has already identified eight sets of remains statewide. Othram extracts DNA, builds profiles, and searches databases like FamilyTreeDNA and GEDmatch Pro for relatives who have opted into law enforcement use.

The process depends on the availability of matching family DNA and subsequent reference testing. Othram is also aiding other East Tennessee cases, including “Baby Wyatt” found in Melton Lake in 2020, Oak Ridge’s “Lady in the Lake,” and a woman’s remains discovered in Knoxville this year.

Nearly two decades after a brutal nighttime assault, a Florida woman finally got answers.

Those answers were possible thanks to advances in genetic genealogy and DNA technology.

What we know:

Roughly 20 years after a violent home invasion, a 65-year-old woman finally received answers. 

On October 22, 2007, Lake County deputies responded to a call where a woman was reportedly sexually assaulted for two hours. Despite collecting significant DNA evidence at the time, the case remained unsolved for years.

Advancements in genetic genealogy and DNA technology helped break the case. 

Parabon Nanolabs created a DNA composite predicting physical traits, which eventually led to identifying Larry Franklin Tucker Jr. Tucker had a warrant for violating probation on a domestic violence charge and was linked to the crime through nationwide DNA database searches.

Authorities say Larry Franklin Tucker Jr. has been linked to a a nearly 20-year-old sexual assault case in Lake County, through nationwide DNA database searches.

Tucker was extradited from Ohio to Florida and now faces charges of sexual battery, burglary, and kidnapping. While the statute of limitations had expired, Florida law permits prosecution based on DNA evidence.

What we don't know:

The full scope of Tucker’s criminal history or whether he may be connected to other crimes remains unclear. Authorities are still investigating if this assault was an isolated incident or part of a pattern.

Details about the victim’s identity remain private, and specific information about the legal process moving forward has not been disclosed.

The backstory:

For nearly two decades, the victim and law enforcement were left without answers. The 2007 attack involved a brutal, prolonged assault during a home invasion. Early DNA collection failed to identify the attacker due to limitations in technology and database resources at that time.

What they're saying:

The partnership between the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Parabon Nanolabs marked a turning point. 

"We’re definitely putting some attention into that and trying to figure out if there’s anything else there," said Corporal Zachary Williams, Major Crimes Supervisor, Lake County Sheriff’s Office. "She took a really big deep breath, and she told us that that was the first time that she's been able to take a deep breath in so many years."

Using cutting-edge genetic genealogy, the case was reopened with fresh leads, exemplifying how new forensic methods are solving cold cases.

"Knowing that you have brought answers to somebody that was victimized so brutally is really a rewarding feeling," explained Misty Gillis, Genetic Genealogist, Parabon Nanolabs: