Heirlooms and beloved family possessions are special memories and kinship substances that help us stay connected to our family heritage and close ones. To lose one can be heart-wrenching. Brittany Thompson, a bride from Cape Coral in Florida, lost her only heirloom on the night of her wedding reception. When Thompson realized the bracelet on her wrist was missing, she started panicking. All her friends and family soon came to assist her and tried to help her recall every moment of the wedding reception night.

The bracelet belonged to her late grandmother—whom she never had a chance to meet—and was passed on to her as a family heirloom. Thompson's father, whom she just met two years ago through Ancestry.com, gifted her his mother's blue sapphire bracelet as something blue. "I was completely losing my mind," admitted the new bride, reports NBC2 News.

Thompson was wearing the bracelet for her wedding, which took place the day before she discovered it was missing. She called the wedding venue the next morning to check if they had received a bracelet from the event's premises. Thompson and her husband, together went to the venue, hoping to collect the lost bracelet but to their dismay, they had already cleaned the premises and emptied all the trash cans. But to their luck, the waste management workers were just leaving the premise. "As soon as we arrived, the garbage man had already dumped it into his truck," Thompson said. Her husband went to the truck, knocked on the door, and spoke to the driver. Thompson said the driver's name was Jeff.

Jeff then called his supervisor for permission to dig through the trash dump. Once he got the permission, he called the newlywed couple. "For him to do that — it’s not a shock for anybody that knows him," said Bill Jones, Divisional Vice President for Waste Pro. "Jeff did the right thing."

However, after digging through the trash for quite some time, Thompson almost claimed her defeat. But it was then that she found a ray of hope rising from the heap of trash. Thompson's eyes stuck on the hay sticking out of the trash. The hay was part of the wedding photo background, which was set in the venue premise. “And as I kept pulling stuff out of that bag, sure enough in one of the handfuls, there was the bracelet,” shared Thompson.

You can watch a YouTube video about this story at: https://youtu.be/MOKNzCE6LLw.

I was surprised today to read an article in the Concord Monitor web site that mentioned someone in my family tree. No, Ebenezer Eastman is not a direct ancestor but he is in the outer branches someplace in my family tree: a distant cousin many-times-removed.

The article states:

The "granite monument that was erected in East Concord as a tribute to Ebenezer Eastman, the first colonial settler of Concord. This beautiful monument is quite practical too because it is graced with four clocks to provide the time to all who care to glance. It has been said this Eastman monument is the first American monument that offers beauty and usefulness without distracting from the value of art.

"The Eastman Monument dates back to a festive event in the year 1924 where many attended this monument dedication. It was the Eastman Family Memorial Association that erected this monument, stating that Ebenezer was the first settler. There were in fact other settlers in our town prior to Ebenezer, people such as Henry Rolfe and Richard Urann that arrived the year prior to Ebenezer Eastman to work their land and settle. The Eastman family provided this monument as a tribute to their ancestors and invested in great quality to ensure the monument would survive the cruel New England winters of the future. The monument was designed by a known gentleman named A. Fehmer of the New England Granite Works of Westerly, Rhode Island. The material used was derived locally from the Granite State Quarry on Rattlesnake Hill and shipped to Westerly where it was carved and engraved under the watchful eye of designer Fehmer. The monument is seven feet square at the base and nineteen feet high. The brass clockworks are encased at the base to allow for easy access when servicing the clock. Our ancestors felt the clock was the center of consultation in their day, for those that passed by would certainly look at the monument to confirm the time of day or synchronize their own gold pocket watches."

The Eastman Family Memorial Association that erected this monument apparently has since faded away but the monument, made of granite, still remains.

You can read the full article by James Spain published in the Concord Monitor at: https://www.concordmonitor.com/Vintage-Views-50686212.

An article in the getgoldenvisa.com web site certainly will interest many readers of this newsletter who have Irish ancestry:

Ireland is a country steeped in rich cultural history and heritage. With its breathtaking landscapes, friendly people, and vibrant culture, it is no wonder that so many people wish to call it home. For those of Irish descent, obtaining Irish citizenship is a way to connect with their ancestral roots and embrace their Irish identity. 

Irish citizenship by descent is a process that allows individuals with Irish ancestry to claim their Irish citizenship and gain all the rights and privileges that come with it. From traveling freely across the EU to voting in Irish elections, becoming an Irish citizen can be a life-changing experience. This article delves into the intricacies of Irish citizenship by descent, exploring the eligibility criteria, application process, and benefits of becoming an Irish citizen through ancestry.

What It Means to Be an Irish Citizen

Irish citizenship comes with a range of benefits that extend beyond the borders of the Emerald Isle. As a member state of the European Union, being an Irish citizen grants you a set of rights that are available exclusively to EU nationals. These privileges are far-reaching and include the freedom to live and work in any EU country, including Ireland. Moreover, holding an Irish passport, which is ranked amongst the most powerful in the world, provides you with unparalleled access to global travel. Irish citizenship is a gateway to a world of opportunities and experiences, and its advantages extend beyond the shores of the Emerald Isle.

Advantages of Irish Citizenship 

Becoming an Irish citizen is a gateway to a world of possibilities, offering numerous benefits, extending far beyond the shores of the Emerald Isle. Holding an Irish passport is only one of the many privileges that come with Irish citizenship. 

You can read the (very long) full article at: https://getgoldenvisa.com/irish-citizenship-by-descent

Hmmm, your ancestry might be a bit different from what you thought it was. 

If you have ever felt you don’t quite fit into modern society, that could be the ‘caveman’ in you. Every one of us has inherited DNA that stretches back 50,000 years and more. Parts of that DNA may still play a part in our appearance and how we perceive the world.

New tests focussing on elements in our DNA called Ancestry Informative Markers (AIMs) can track ancestry back to the Stone Age (Palaeolithic period) and map our lineage across time and locations. Indeed, the US Library of Medicine reports it’s possible that certain genetic variations inherited from our ancient ancestors could even play a role in everything from our height and hair texture to our sense of smell and how well we adjust to heights.

Leading testing expert, Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Lead at London Medical Laboratory, says: ‘Modern humans like ourselves only reached the British Isles around 40,000 years ago and, because of the impact of the last ice age, Britain was only continually settled around 12,000 years ago. Much of our DNA dates back much further than this, meaning our origins can be traced back to places far beyond Britain.

‘The journey that each of our ancestors took may be very different from that of our friends’ and neighbours’ ancestors, however, and these different migratory paths, from thousands of years ago, are still captured and represented in our blood.

‘Fascinatingly, the majority of Brits have a small amount of genetic material from humans who actually arrived here far earlier than modern man. Genetic testing reveals that people of European or Asian backgrounds have around 2 percent Neanderthal DNA, with some individuals having even more. People of African descent, in contrast, are likely to have far less, around 0.3 percent.

You can read more in an article published in the londonlovesbusiness.com web site at: https://tinyurl.com/yp3e27ru.

This is a reconstructed image of Ventura Jane Doe by Carl Koppelman, investigative genealogist with the DNA Doe Project and a forensic sketch artist.

Forty-three years after a young woman was found in a parking lot near Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, she remains unidentified.

Now investigators with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and the DNA Doe Project are asking the public to share information about a specific family tree.

The team of investigative genetic genealogists at the DNA Doe Project have been working to identify Ventura Jane Doe since 2018, analyzing distant cousin matches to her DNA profile and building a family tree to try to connect all her relatives and locate the right branch that will reveal her identity. It’s a daunting task, reaching all the way back to a couple who lived in a community known as Bajío de la Tesorera (or “La Blanca”) in the Mexican state of Zacatecas.

They have determined that one of Ventura Jane Doe’s parents is descended from Martin Parga (1847-1902) and Catarina Montellano (1853-1895), who had 14 children. Investigators would like to learn more about five of their daughters born in the latter half of the 19th century — Monica, Basilia, Feliciana, Josefa, and Sotera. Other than their birth records and a few records pertaining to Feliciana and three of her children, no records from the later lives of the five sisters or their descendants have been located.

“Due to a fire in the Civil Registry office in Ojocaliente, Zacatecas, where many of the births, marriages, and deaths of residents of La Blanca were recorded, much of the documentation was lost,” explained Carl Koppelman, investigative genetic genealogist with the DNA Doe Project.

There is a large community of people closely related to Ventura Jane Doe who currently live in the neighborhoods surrounding the Belvedere and Boyle Heights districts of East Los Angeles who have ancestral roots in La Blanca, Zacatecas, and have the same surnames of her closest known relatives — Parga, Lira, Aleman, Betancourt, Chavez, Chairez, Ramos, Ortiz and Ibarra. 

The DNA Doe Project is asking for anyone with information regarding the five Parga sisters — Monica, Basilia, Feliciana, Josefa, or Sotera, and any of their spouses/partners or descendants — to email case-tips@dnadoeproject.org with the subject “Ventura.”

For more about the DNA Doe Project, see dnadoeproject.org.

The Stockton & Darlington Railway, in England, was the first railway in the world to operate freight and passenger service with steam traction. 

In 1821 George Stephenson, who had built several steam engines to work in the Killingworth colliery, heard of Edward Pease’s intention of building an 8-mile (12.9-km) line from Stockton on the coast to Darlington to exploit a rich vein of coal. Pease intended to use horse traction. Stephenson told Pease that a steam engine could pull 50 times the load that horses could draw on iron rails. Impressed, Pease agreed to let Stephenson equip his line.

The National Railway Museum has acquired and digitised a newly-discovered archive from Leonard Raisbeck, a largely forgotten early railway pioneer.

Born in Stockton-on-Tees in 1773, solicitor Leonard Raisbeck played an important role in planning and organising the new railway. He worked closely with chief financial backer Edward Pease and famous engineer George Stephenson, but has not been remembered to the extent that his more well-known counterparts have.

The collection of 258 documents has never been available for public viewing before. Following a major project, it becomes the museum's first archive to be fully digitised, giving people free access to every page (front and back), online. It is only the second large archive in the Science Museum Group to be fully digitised, after the papers of Charles Babbage.

You can read more at: https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2023/04/stockton-and-darlington-railway-archive-available-to-the-public-online.html.

The Fionn Folklore Database hopes to make the tales of ancient Irish heroes more accessible to the public through stories, digital maps, character lists, and other resources.

The recently-launched Fionn Folklore Database aims to connect people around the world with approximately 3,500 orally-collected stories and songs about the greatest heroes of the Gaelic world, Fionn mac Cumhaill and his legendary warrior band, the Fianna. 

Stories about Fionn and the Fianna have long been held in high regard, both in their homelands and among overseas emigrants. Before this project was undertaken, however, the great extent of the corpus was entirely unknown, even among the scholarly community.

Granting the Irish heroes their long-awaited due, the Fionn Folklore Database shines new light on the vast array of tales about the Fianna, and on the talented storytellers and collectors who preserved them from the 18th century to the present day. 

You can read more in an article in the IrishCentral web site at: https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/fionn-folklore-database

First used as a public cemetery for unclaimed and unidentified bodies in 1869, New York’s Hart Island, home to the remains of over one million people and the nation’s largest public cemetery, has a long-held reputation as the final resting place for the unidentified, the poor, and victims of epidemics like the 1918 flu pandemic and the AIDS crisis. 

Unlike the other islands surrounding New York City, Hart Island has not experienced the same revitalization as its neighbors such as Roosevelt Island and Governor’s Island, which now bustle with luxury residences, festivals, and summer camp facilities. Long inaccessible to the general public, Hart Island may soon get a new life as a public park. 

You can read more in an article in the familytree.com web site at https://www.familytree.com/blog/new-yorks-hart-island-is-becoming-a-park.

NOTE: This article is not about any of the "normal" topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However, the various problems with Twitter and its new CEO, Elon Musk, seem to be constantly in the news these days so I thought I would add one more article that points to a recent article that caught my eye. I would hope you will also read it.

From an article by Lance Ulanoff published in the techradar.com web site:

A Musk-free zone

Bluesky Social might be the real antidote to what ails Twitter.

It had been another caustic and demoralizing night on Twitter, a platform I once loved, but which has now devolved into a circus of sycophantic Elon Musk-adoring clowns, when I noticed a new DM from some I didn't really know, but who was offering me an invite code for Bluesky Social.

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey quietly launched Bluesky Social, a decentralized social media platform, back in October of 2022. Virtually no one I knew had even seen it, but the app had recently dropped on both Android and iOS. And over the past couple of days (I'm writing this on April 25), the invite-only platform has been expanding, thanks to longer-term users gathering and distributing invite codes to friends, influencers, and even celebrities.

You can read the full article at: https://tinyurl.com/9h44yvke.

Elephind can be a great FREE resource for anyone who wishes to search old newspapers. The purpose of elephind.com is to make it possible to search all of the world's digital newspapers from one place and at one time. Elephind.com allows you to simultaneously search across thousands of articles using key words and phrases.

Elephind presently contains millions of items from thousands of newspaper titles. You can find a list of libraries that have contribute their archives on the site by clicking on "List of Titles." It is a very long list! Clicking on any library's name displays the newspapers in that collection.

Elephind.com is much like Google, Bing, or other search engines but focused only on historical, digitized newspapers. By clicking on the Elephind.com search result that interests you, you'll go directly to the newspaper collection which hosts that story.

Of course, newspapers can be a great resource of genealogy information. Birth announcements, marriage announcements, court news, and more can be searched within seconds. If your ancestor was a merchant, you probably can also find his or her advertisements placed in the newspaper. 

As I often did, I performed my first search on elephind.com looking for one of my ancestors. I simply entered his name, Washington Eastman, and was rewarded thousands of "hits" containing one or the other of those two words. Some of them were about photography and others were about Washington, D.C., or Washington State. I didn't read every article found by that simplistic search but the few I looked at did not have contain anything about the man I was seeking. 

I will say however, one article on the list from the San Francisco Call of 6 September 1891 caught my eye:  

Darling Eastman, the long-sought-for Vermont moonshiner, is under arrest in this city. Eastman's capture and escape at Corinth, Vt., last April, was the most sensational that has occurred in the State for twenty years. Orange County has been notorious for its stills. The most daring and successful operator in that section was J. Warren Eastman, who lived in an isolated quarter of Corinth. In April last a large posse of officers made a descent on the Eastman homestead. In an old blacksmith shop they discovered a still of the largest and most approved pattern in full operation. The father, Warren Eastman, his son Darling and his son-in-law were captured in their beds and heavily manacled. 

Yes, that sounds like one of my relatives! Admittedly, I have never found this family in my family tree before but they certainly sound like they might belong.

I then backed up and clicked on ADVANCED SEARCH. I got far better results by using that. Advanced Search allows the user to specify any combination of the following:

Elephind does not search all the newspapers ever published in the U.S. No online newspaper offers anywhere near that amount of information. However, it does contain 3,306 different newspapers in its database, including newspapers from the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. ALSO, this collection only searches FREE newspaper sites. It does not search the for-pay sites, such as NewsBank, ProQuest, Newspapers.com, etc. Many of the smaller newspaper sites are not well known and may be difficult to find with the usual search engines but are searchable from Elephind.com.

All the text on Elephind was created by OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and therefore has numerous errors whenever it encountered fuzzy text, page wrinkles, and similar problems. All OCR-created newspaper sites suffer from the same problem, although some sites seem to have worse results than do others. 

The oldest newspaper in the online collection is from 29 September 1787 while the newest is from 1 May 2020.

Elephind is not perfect but it can help a lot if your ancestor is listed in one of the newspapers in the Elephind database. Best of all is the price: FREE. There is an optional FREE registration which adds the use advanced features, including Elephind bookmarks and comments. If you do register, occasionally (less than 6 times per year) you will receive notifications or newsletters via email with information about changes and additions to Elephind.com. 

You can try Elephind at http://www.elephind.com. Make sure you read the “Search Tips” at https://tinyurl.com/mu7kzpf7.