Nearly 40 years after an unidentified man was found bound and executed in St. Lucie County, sheriff’s investigators with the help of DNA technology learned the remains are those of 39-year-old Blaine Louis Brown, Jr., the Sheriff’s Office announced April 28.

The remains determined to be those of Brown, who owned a horse ranch and another business in Ocala and was known by the nickname “Bunny,” were found Oct. 7, 1986, by a laborer in a grove near Ralls and Selvitz roads.

“Interviews with family members indicated that Brown may have been involved in narcotics smuggling, and he had ties to Ocala, Miami, Fort Pierce, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the 1980s,” the Sheriff’s Office stated.

Detective Paul Taylor, who’s been dedicated to investigating cold case homicide and missing person cases, has said officials determined the man was “absolutely executed,” shot in the head a number of times. 

What happened? 

In a 2020 interview about the case, Taylor said the worker noticed what he thought was a football, but it was a head, which had separated from the body because of decomposition and perhaps a scavenging animal pulled it into the road. The body was nearby, and likely had been there for at least a couple of weeks. 

Taylor mentioned suspected links to drug trafficking — the so-called “cocaine cowboys” era. 

The man wore nice clothes for the period — Jordache jeans (34-inch waist), Hennessy button-down shirt, Nocona cowboy boots (size 10D) and Nike socks. He also had a Seiko watch with leather band. More than $350 in cash was in his pockets. Investigators ruled out robbery.

“Despite exhaustive efforts by original detectives, no suspects were identified, and the victim remained a John Doe, eventually buried without a name in the Ft. Pierce public cemetery,” the Sheriff’s Office stated.

New efforts

In 2019, Taylor reopened the case. He found just the skull remained in evidence at the Sheriff’s Office. A section was cut out and delivered to DNA Labs International in Deerfield Beach for DNA testing in November 2019, though Taylor got a report indicating no DNA turned up.

Incredulous, he talked to scientists and learned the skull had been put in formalin, which he described as a preservative that stops decomposition.  

“The formalin had actually erased the DNA,” Taylor said. “It had slowly worked its way through the bone.”  

The remains in March 2020 were exhumed after Taylor learned the body was released to Yates Funeral Home & Cremation Services. He tracked it to a cemetery in the area of Avenue H and U.S. 1. 

“When we exhumed him we actually found that he remained still tied up, which was just completely shocking to everybody,” Taylor said. “All of his bindings were still there. They were still on the body.” 

Taylor has said both femur, or thigh, bones were sent to DNA Labs International for testing.

The DNA results, however, weren’t sufficient for forensic genetic genealogy until March 2024, when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement approved grant funding for advanced testing by a lab specializing in DNA identification from degraded remains.

Ultimately, on Jan. 8, 2025, a genealogy report identified possible first cousins of the deceased. 

“Subsequent contact with several family members, including a half-brother in Ohio, led to the submission of a confirmatory DNA sample,” the Sheriff’s Office stated. “Testing confirmed the victim’s identity as Blaine Louis Brown Jr.”

Missing person

Sheriff’s officials stated the same day the remains were found — Oct. 7, 1986 — Brown was reported missing to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

“According to his family, he was last seen on Sept. 26, 1986, telling relatives he was driving to Miami in connection with horse-related business,” the Sheriff’s Office stated. “His leased 1986 gray Ford pickup truck was later found abandoned in a Miami parking lot.”

Sheriff’s officials report they continue to try to identify the person or persons responsible for Brown’s death.

Those with information are asked to contact Taylor at 772-359-4407 or taylorp@stluciesheriff.com. Tips also can be submitted via Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers through www.tcwatch.org

Getty Images (NYSE: GETY), a preeminent global visual content creator and marketplace, has announced a first‑of‑its‑kind genealogy‑focused partnership with Ancestry, the global leader in family history. As part of Getty Images’ HBCU Grants Program, this initiative will focus on the digital preservation and accessibility of historical documents, records and the photographic archives of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Once digitized, these invaluable archives will become searchable on the Ancestry website, helping millions of people discover and connect with the rich legacy of HBCUs.    

Working alongside Getty Images, Ancestry will collaborate with participating HBCUs to identify and digitize documents, such as newsletters, newspapers, bulletins, student records, school catalogues, yearbooks, directories, and photographs that are critical for digital preservation. These efforts extend an essential resource to HBCUs beyond imagery, ensuring the protection of invaluable intellectual property and proper metadata application.   
 
Cassandra Illidge, Vice President of Global Partnerships and Executive Director of the HBCU Grants Program at Getty Images, said: “Since its launch in 2021, the HBCU Grants Program has primarily focused on preserving photography. However, during our visits to partner institutions, we recognized that our scope should be broader. Vital records and historical documents also need attention, as they significantly contribute to the important legacy of HBCUs. Our partnership with Ancestry enhances our commitment to preserving the valuable history of HBCUs and increases access, visibility, and awareness of untold stories for a global audience. By connecting students, alumni, and institutions through genealogy, we aim to create richer context for historical research and foster a deeper understanding of family history.” 
  
Through the program, HBCUs retain full copyright ownership to their print and digitized assets and data. Ancestry will contract directly with each HBCU and work collaboratively to digitize selected materials on‑site. All digital files will be delivered to the HBCUs, and complimentary, campus‑wide access to Ancestry’s platform will be provided, allowing students and faculty to explore and share their family histories and search millions of primary sources available on Ancestry.   
  
“Ancestry is proud to partner with Getty Images and HBCUs to help preserve and celebrate the rich legacies of these important institutions for generations to come,” said Head of US Content and Philanthropic Initiatives at Ancestry, Dr. Lisa Pearl. “By combining the vast archives of these historic institutions with Ancestry's cutting‑edge technology, we’re protecting these important documents and opening the door for families to uncover untold stories of inspiring HBCU alumni and ancestors.” 
 
This partnership was initiated with Lincoln University, the nation’s first degree‑granting HBCU, in Pennsylvania, USA. Lincoln joined Getty Images’ HBCU Grants Program last year with hundreds of contemporary and archival photos currently available for licensing in the HBCU Collection on gettyimages.com. Ancestry has already started digitizing Lincoln’s historical documents, including the Lincolnian and deteriorating records, as well as hundreds of photographs from Lincoln’s archival collection. 
  
“We are immensely proud to partner with Getty Images and Ancestry to launch this partnership that will allow us the opportunity to not only tell the Lincoln story but also help families tell their stories of connections to the university,” said Lincoln University President Dr. Brenda A. Allen. “Combining Getty Images’ expertise in producing high‑quality visuals with Ancestry’s unparalleled genealogical resources, this collaboration will enrich our educational programs, foster deeper connections to our heritage, and empower our community to explore and celebrate the rich history of our university.” 
 
To learn more about the wider HBCU Grants Program, including the institutions working with Getty Images, additional program partners, scholarship and mentorship opportunities for students and access to the HBCU Collection, go to: https://www.gettyimages.com/corporate‑responsibility/hbcu‑partnership

BBC America and Acorn TV revealed today the premiere date, trailer and key art for Relative Secrets, an all-new unscripted series hosted by acclaimed actress and Acorn TV's Harry Wild star, Jane Seymour (Live and Let Die, East of Eden, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman). The four-episode investigative series, part true-crime and part genealogy, premieres on Monday, June 2 at 10:00 pm ET/PT on BBC America and Acorn TV. New episodes release weekly on Mondays. 

Each episode in this suspenseful new series will investigate an everyday American family's darkest mystery, aiming both to solve the mystery and explore how it shapes that family today. Colorful characters, rich cultural context and dramatic twists and turns abound in every tale, each of which connects the American family to their UK heritage. Along the way, we'll meet charismatic heroes and terrifying villains, ranging from a 99-year-old World War II veteran who worries his absence led to the murder of his grandmother, to the daughter of a serial killer desperate to carve out her own identity from her father's sordid past to a mother who abandoned her three children to start a new secret life. Host Seymour oversees the overall investigation in each episode, which is led by archaeologist Natasha Billson (The Great British Dig). 

Relative Secrets is an Acorn TV Original Series produced by Cream Productions (The Texas Cheerleader Murder Plot, History of the Sitcom, Age of Samurai, Fear Thy Neighbor and Blue Rodeo: Lost Together) for AMC Studios, who is the exclusive international distributor of the series. The series is executive produced by David Brady, Kate Harrison Karman, John Ealer and Seymour. Ealer and Series Producer Felicity Justrabo serve as series writers and directors. 

BBC America  

BBC AMERICA is a hub of innovative, culturally contagious programming and the definitive television home and co-producer, in partnership with BBC Studios, of the most iconic natural history series and franchises including Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Dynasties, Eden: Untamed Planet, Frozen Planet and Seven Worlds, One Planet and the forthcoming Asia. Wholly owned and operated by AMC Networks, BBC AMERICA's most notable series, including Killing Eve, Doctor Who, Orphan Black, Luther and The Graham Norton Show, among others, have attracted widespread critical acclaim and garnered Emmy(R) Awards, Golden Globes(R), Peabody Awards, Critics' Choice Awards, NAACP Image Awards, TCA Awards and more.  

About Acorn TV 

AMC Networks' Acorn TV is North America's largest streaming service specializing in premium British and international television. Acorn TV adds exclusive programming every week to a deep library of revered mysteries, dramas, and comedies - all commercial-free. Acorn TV's recent slate is comprised of critically acclaimed commissioned and original series including popular New Zealand detective series My Life Is Murder (Lucy Lawless), acclaimed Irish crime thriller Bloodlands (James Nesbitt, co-executive produced by Jed Mercurio), British crime drama Whitstable Pearl (Kerry Godliman), Kiwi romantic comedy Under the Vines and British detective drama Dalgliesh (Bertie Carvel), to name a few. Current and upcoming Acorn TV Original Series include UK detective drama Harry Wild (Jane Seymour), Signora Volpe (Emilia Fox), The Chelsea Detective (Adrian Scarborough) and many more. The above add to a growing catalog of popular bingeable dramas including Jack Irish (Guy Pearce), Doc Martin (Martin Clunes), Deadwater Fell (David Tennant, Cush Jumbo), all 24 seasons of fan-favorite Midsomer Murders and highly-rated drama The Nest, among others.     

"...glorious streaming service... an essential must-have" - The Hollywood Reporter  

"Netflix for the Anglophile" - NPR     

Acorn TV is available for $7.99/month or $79.99/year. Facebook: OfficialAcornTV - Twitter: @AcornTV - Instagram: @Acorn_tv  

About Cream Productions 

Based in Toronto, Cream Productions develops, finances and produces distinctive and award-winning content across a wide range of genres in North America and internationally. The company's many credits include An Optimist's Guide to the Planet with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, The Story of Late Night, History of the Sitcom, Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan, All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs, nine seasons of the hit Fear Thy Neighbor and feature documentaries Nike's Big Bet and Beautiful Scars. The company has also partnered on several television projects with renowned filmmaker Eli Roth to produce Urban Legend, The Haunted Museum with Zak Bagans, Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life and Eli Roth's Haunted House: Trick VR Treat, a virtual-reality experience for META that stars Vanessa Hudgens.

The following is a press release issued by the (U.S.) National Archives and Records Administration:

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) today released new records related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). These records were transferred to the National Archives from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in accordance with sections 1841–1843 of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 118-31). They are now part of the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Collection at the National Archives. 

The release of these UAP records is part of the National Archives’ priority to maximize transparency, ensuring that this information is made available to the American people. NARA will continue to add UAP records to the Collection and make them available online through the National Archives Catalog on an ongoing, rolling basis as they are transferred from federal agencies. 

The Wabash Valley Community Foundation, through its Clay County affiliate, awarded $91,000 to seven non-profit organizations to benefit Clay County on April 24.

The award ceremony was held at the Buell Community Center in Clay City. The spring grant recipients’ projects will improve the lives of people living in Clay County by strengthening recreational and educational opportunities and meeting the needs of local children.

Funding allocations for the benefit of Clay County were awarded as follows:

• Clay City Youth League - $6,500 in support of new fencing around the ballpark.

• Clay Community Parks Association - $7,000 in support of the Craig Park Bridge landscaping and beautification project.

• Clay County Optimist Club - $4,500 in support of the Clothe-A-Child program, which provides essential clothing to children in need.

• Clay County YMCA - $12,000 in support of updating the youth programming space with new equipment and activities.

• Clay County Genealogical Society - $30,000 in support of the construction of a larger genealogy library.

• Terre Haute Symphony Association - $6,000 in support of music education tours to all seven elementary schools in Clay County.

• Town of Harmony - $25,000 in support of repurposing and restoring the tennis courts at Harmony Park into pickleball courts.

The funding for these grant awards is made possible through the generosity of individuals, families and businesses contributing to unrestricted community grant funds held by the Community Foundation. Earnings from these funds are awarded as competitive grants that focus on important charitable projects, enriching the lives of those in Clay County. Thanks to Lilly Endowment Inc.’s GIFT matching challenge grants, the amount available to grant has nearly doubled over the past ten years.

Donors currently have the opportunity to triple their gift and create a larger impact in Clay, Sullivan and Vigo counties. Thanks to a new GIFT initiative, contributions to any new or existing community grant fund will be matched $2-for-$1, but only while matching dollars remain. Gifts of cash, stock, IRA rollovers and Qualified Charitable Distributions, along with many other types of charitable gifts, can be used to leverage the matching dollars. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact the Community Foundation at 812-232-2234 or visit https://wvcf.org/gift-viii/.

During World War II, there were 288 fallen service members from McKean County. The day they died, their stories died too. For many, even the how, when and where of their deaths were lost.

Now a statewide writers’ group headed by Franklin County’s Kathy Harmon is telling their stories. For the past three years her volunteers with Stories Behind the Stars have been researching, writing and posting stories of the nearly 31,900 fallen from Pennsylvania. These memorials are posted on the veterans’ website Fold3.com. More than 8,100 of Pennsylvania’s WWII heroes have been remembered by these dedicated volunteer writers. Eighty-seven of McKean County’s WWII heroes have been memorialized so far.

This important project is part of a national non-profit organization called Stories Behind the Stars. The name refers to the Gold Stars that the fallen receive to honor their ultimate sacrifice. The goal is to tell the stories of all 421,000 Americans who died during WWII. Their memorial stories are posted on Fold3.com and are linked to Find-a-Grave’s phone app. Gravesite visitors will be able to scan the name on a headstone and read the fallen’s story on their phone.

Harmon is hoping to double her group of volunteer writers. Telling the story of a fallen hero’s life is rewarding and ensures that each sacrifice is never forgotten. Extra rewards come when messages of gratitude are received from descendants of the Gold Star veterans.

Harmon often receives expressions of thanks, including one from the nephew of Sgt. Charles B. Headland of Lawrence County, who was killed off Anzio, Italy, on Jan. 26, 1944. The relative requested reprints of an article about Headland’s memorial to share with family members. Another message Harmon received was from the cousin of Cambria County’s Pvt. George Victor Potts, who was killed on Attu Island on May 29, 1943, in a banzai charge. The cousin relayed the thanks of Potts’ daughter, “who is so thankful and grateful. She said no one would ever tell her anything about his death. And I guess they had no way of finding out. She said she cried all day.”

The niece of Franklin County’s Frederick Paul Smith, a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division who died on D-Day, had this to say: “Thank you so much for all the info on Frederick Paul Smith published in the local news. He was my uncle; my mother was Anna. A lot of info we didn’t know. You must have done a lot of research. It is greatly appreciated.”

Westmoreland County volunteer John Turanin has written memorials about every WWII Gold Star hero from Monessen. He was contacted by the namesake nephew of Pvt. Victor Albert Trilli, who was killed Jan. 15, 1943, in Tunisia. Trilli’s nephew extended thanks to Turanin for researching and writing his uncle’s story. “We know that other families will feel very grateful, just as we do, for the memorial stories of the sons of Monessen who lost their lives in service to our country.”

Montgomery County writer Chris Moyer was touched by the response he received from the nephew of Mifflin County’s Ensign William Henry Foucart, who was killed during the kamikaze attack on the USS Bunker Hill on May 11, 1945. “I greatly appreciated the article. My grandmother, Evelyn Foucart, and my father, Donald Foucart, did not discuss the loss of their son and brother other than that he died in that war. What a burden those generations endured.”

Harmon is the Pennsylvania director of Stories Behind the Stars. She is looking for more help to complete the stories of the remaining 23,700 fallen from Pennsylvania.

“Eighty years ago, thousands of brave Pennsylvania sons and daughters fought and died for our freedom. Telling stories for those who never could is very powerful,” says Harmon. “They deserve to be remembered.”

Harmon points out that volunteering is fairly easy. Writers work from home at their own pace. This could also be a group project for a history class, a historical society or genealogy project. A bonus benefit is the free access to research sites, Fold3.com, Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com. This three-site package would normally cost $479 per year. But it is free to members who can also use it to search for data on their own families.

For more information, Harmon can be contacted at kharmon@storiesbehindthestars.org. The project website is storiesbehindthestars.org. Discover military ancestors across more than a dozen wars and subjects at fold3.com.

The following is a press release written by the folks at the (U.S.) National Archives and Records Administration:

RFK Files, UAP Records, and More The National Archives continues to deliver for the American people by making more government records available. We released the first tranche of Records Related to the Assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy through a web page dedicated to these records. The release of the first 10,000 pages fulfills part of President Trump’s maximum transparency promise in Executive Order 14176. Visit Archives.gov/RFKto explore the records.  Acting Archivist of the United States Secretary Marco Rubio was at the National Archives at College Park on Wednesday, April 23. The Archivist viewed iconic artifacts spanning 250 years of American history and visited the Digitization Lab to receive a briefing on the ongoing digitization efforts related to Executive Order 14176.

Acting Archivist of the United States Marco Rubio tours the stacks at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland, April 23, 2025

On Thursday, April 24, The National Archives released  Records Related to Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) at the National Archives. These records and their release fulfill the National Archives’ requirement in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act to establish the ‘‘Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection.”

Photograph of a flying saucer, June 4, 1964. View in the National Archives Catalog

Additionally, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library released 25 boxes of newly declassified National Security Council records, which are now open and available to the public. These include records related to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, negotiations to end the Vietnam War and diplomacy with the People’s Republic of China, and more.

Follow the National Archives on Facebook and X.

The Westchester County Historical Society has released a digitized collection of 1,100 pages of eyewitness accounts from the American Revolution, titled “Experiencing the Neutral Ground of the American Revolution: The McDonald Interviews.” The compilation, now accessible on the Westchester County Archives Digital Collections website and New York Heritage site, features 407 interviews conducted between 1844 and 1851 by John Macdonald.

The accounts detail life in the “Neutral Ground,” now Westchester County and southwest Connecticut, during the 1770s and 1780s. They include stories of skirmishes like The Battle of Edgar’s Lane, whaleboat warfare in Long Island Sound, and the experiences of figures like Westchester Guide Andrew Corsa and African American soldier John Peterson. Enslaved individuals who fought in military units or defended properties are also represented.

“These accounts will be an invaluable asset to thousands of individuals, including educators and their students, members of the history community and the general public,” said WCHS Executive Director Barbara Davis. “With the 250th Anniversary of the America Revolution taking place next year, the timing is ideal.”

Macdonald, a former attorney, recorded the interviews with Westchester residents who lived through the war. The original papers were lost after his death in 1863, but a hand-copied version by scribe John English was acquired by historian Otto Hufeland in 1925. The Westchester County Historical Society has managed the Hufeland Collection since the late 1990s.

A $75,875 federal grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission funded the project. A professional archivist, librarian, staff, five interns, and volunteers transcribed, annotated, and digitized the interviews. “The long-hand was often difficult to decipher, the language and the spelling were sometimes questionable, so careful analysis by a number of people was required,” said Project Director and WCHS Librarian Patrick Raftery.

The collection includes supplementary materials like biographies, maps, and an annotated timeline. It clarifies historical terms and locations, such as “Saw Pit,” now Portchester. “This accurate, comprehensive and exhaustive collection provides invaluable information about what happened in the Westchester area, through the eyes of those who lived it,” Davis said.

The Westchester County Historical Society, established in 1874, is located at 2199 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford, NY, 10523. The collection is available at collections.westchestergov.com/digital/collection/mcdonald and nyheritage.org/collections/experiencing-neutral-ground-american-revolution-mcdonald-interviews.

The following is a personal opinion written by C. Philip Byers, a former sheriff in Rutherford County, N.C.:

Every year, thousands of murders in the United States remain unsolved. Today, there are 300,000 cold cases on the books, with thousands more added annually. However, a revolutionary technology — forensic genetic genealogy — could change this grim reality.

Many people first heard of this technique in 2018, when investigators used it to find Joseph DeAngelo, better known as the Golden State Killer. He eventually confessed to killing 13 people and raping about 50 women in California in the 1970s and 1980s.

Since then, the use of genetic genealogy in criminal investigations has steadily grown. This past year, it led police to arrest the man accused of raping and murdering Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five who was found murdered near a running trail in Maryland in 2023.

The initial inquiry into Morin’s death revealed that the killer’s DNA matched an unsolved home invasion and assault in Los Angeles — but even with this match, investigators couldn’t identify the suspect. This wasn’t a decades-old cold case; the Los Angeles incident had occurred in March 2023, just five months before Morin’s brutal murder. Whomever the DNA belonged to was actively committing crimes, posing a continuing risk to public safety.

For decades, law enforcement relied on the Combined DNA Index System known as CODIS. Launched by the FBI in the 1990s, CODIS compares DNA samples collected from crime scenes to a database of profiles in law enforcement’s possession.

DNA contains unique data points known as markers, which act like a genetic fingerprint. CODIS examines just 20 of these markers, and if no match is found in the database, the case often stalls.

As a result, violent crimes involving unknown suspects go unsolved — and perpetrators remain free to victimize more people. 

The solution: forensic genetic genealogy.

Forensic genetic genealogy relies on detective work and DNA samples. Still, it looks for matches using hundreds of thousands of markers instead of 20. It also compares the new crime-scene samples to vast troves of consented consumer DNA profiles. 

This process yields matches to individuals who share some DNA with the suspect. They may be distant relatives, but their genetic profiles allow investigators to build a family tree. With enough matches, police can find the source of the DNA found at the crime scene.

Police departments often can’t conduct forensic genetic genealogy. In Morin’s case, investigators turned the DNA evidence over to Othram, a company focused on solving contemporary and cold cases. Scientists there used genetic genealogy to develop new leads, culminating in the arrest of a 23-year-old named Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, who was convicted on charges of rape and murder.

Martinez-Hernandez was practically invisible on paper — young and undocumented. However, with a complete genealogical profile, police were able to track him down and bring Rachel’s family justice.

Genetic genealogy has now been used to solve thousands of cold cases. Without it, DeAngelo, Martinez-Hernandez and countless other criminals might still be on the loose. 

The fact that we have this technology now is a reason for hope. We can bring closure to families by solving past crimes and also stop new ones by identifying serial rapists and killers earlier in their trajectories.

Using forensic genetic genealogy infrastructure wouldn’t just bring more criminals to justice. Every case solved quickly means less time and money spent on dead-end leads or long-term investigations. Forensic genetic genealogy testing delivers results in a fraction of the time of traditional methods. Each test costs $8,000 to $10,000, while traditional murder investigations routinely stretch into the six or seven figures.

State and local law enforcement agencies need the flexibility and resources to solve each case as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. Currently, inadequate funding is preventing many investigators from fully using genetic genealogy tools. 

The solution has to be more federal support. The Justice Department makes grants to help reduce DNA backlogs. More help is required. The next federal budget needs to focus on the game-changing application of genetic genealogy. Meanwhile, lawmakers need to re-evaluate how existing resources are being spent. In many cases, cutting-edge technologies can achieve the same or greater results for less money.

With a renewed focus on government efficiency, what better place to start? 

The following is a press release written by the folks at  Findmypast:

• Over half a million new baptism, marriage, and records now available to search online

• Exclusive to Findmypast, this huge new addition will give users a fresh opportunity to uncover their East Anglian ancestors

• Records indexed in partnership with the Suffolk Family History Society, part of Findmypast's exclusive partnership with the Family History Federation

• Plus, brand new Suffolk newspaper title, the East Suffolk Gazette comes online 

Family historians with roots in Suffolk can look forward to delving deeper into their past with over 554,000 new parish records launched on Findmypast this week, alongside thousands of new newspaper pages from the county.

This bumper set of new records are exclusive to Findmypast and offer users a fresh opportunity to uncover their East Anglian ancestors. Whether you're just starting your family tree or trying to knock down a stubborn brick wall, these additions open up exciting possibilities for discovering Suffolk roots.

The new collections include:

Suffolk Baptisms (1722–1855) – 364,307 records

Added to the Suffolk Baptism Index, created by Suffolk Family History Society, which includes 351 parishes and 747,204 records across the East Anglian county. Records can be searched by name, baptism date, parish, place, father’s name, mother’s name, relationship, father’s occupation, notes county and country, source, and entry number.

Suffolk Marriages (1753–1816) – 190,030 records

Added to the Suffolk Marriage Index, Suffolk Family History Society, which includes 576 parishes with records that date back to 1536 and stretch through to the twentieth century. Records can be searched by name, marital status, parish, marriage date and place, spouse’s name, spouse’s marital status and spouse’s parish.

Suffolk Graves and Memorial Inscriptions – 20,837 records

This new collection includes over 20,000 new records relating to burials in the county, searchable by name, birth date, death date, location and cemetery. 

New Suffolk newspaper pages

With a special Suffolk focus this week, Findmypast has published one brand new title from the county and updated several of our existing Suffolk titles. The East Suffolk Gazette has been published online for the first time, with an initial run of 1,256 pages covering the years 1870, 1896 and 1897. The East Suffolk Gazette was established in the Suffolk market town of Beccles, in the east of the county, as its name belies. The paper was launched in 1857, and it was owned by Messrs William Clowes & Sons. 

Updates include over 4,000 brand new pages from the late 1800s added to the Suffolk Mercury and new years added to the East Anglian Daily Times, Haverhill Echo, and the Newmarket Journal.

Mary McKee, UK Archives Manager at Findmypast, said:

“We’re delighted to bring these records online with the help of the Suffolk Family History Society. These kinds of parish records are absolute gold dust for anyone tracing their family back before civil registration began. They offer new leads, fresh insights, and the chance to delve deeper into your ancestors’ lives.”

Transcribed by local experts, these records bring centuries of Suffolk history right to users' fingertips, revealing names, dates, and places that can transform research.

They’re available now to search and explore at www.findmypast.co.uk