Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told
"Flower in the River" podcast, inspired by my book of the same name, explores the 1915 Eastland Disaster in Chicago and its enduring impact, particularly on my family's history. We'll explore the intertwining narratives of others impacted by this tragedy as well, and we'll dive into writing and genealogy and uncover the surprising supernatural elements that surface in family history research. Come along with me on this journey of discovery.
Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told
Latest Episodes
The Daughters of La Grange: An Eastland Family History
One saved obituary turned into a full investigation and it changed how I think about the Eastland disaster. I’m taking you to LaGrange, Illinois, where a 1929 newspaper notice for Helen Siep Hengels includes the line that stops you cold: ...
Ludington's Eastland Connection: A Sailor, an Engineer, and a Professor
What connects a Great Lakes sailor, a ship's engineer, and a mathematics professor to the 1915 Eastland disaster? The answer begins in Ludington, Michigan, with a remarkable letter to the editor published 82 years after the tragedy.In J...
A Flower for the Little Feller: Anastasia's Goodbye
In the days after the Eastland disaster, a little girl in Waukegan read about a boy she had never met—and could not stop thinking about him.Her name was Anastasia Holmes. The boy was Willie Novotny, the “little feller” whose story appear...
Saloons, Scandals, and Survival: The Biehl Family and the Eastland
This week, we’re heading back to Waukegan, Illinois, where the newspapers once again lead us into a much bigger Eastland story than expected.At the center is Frederick Biehl, a 26-year-old former Waukegan resident who died in the disaste...
Waukegan’s Happiest Man, a Telegram & Family Ties Across Time
What happens when the newspaper survives, but the stories inside it need reassembling? Stay with me on this one. Amid the Eastland disaster coverage, a Waukegan newspaper suddenly drops one survivor tale and shifts focus to a differ...
Fan Mail
hi I was so excited to listen to your podcast I was actually looking for my father's date that he had passed away and came up with this because he had the same name as Frederick Coyne and the one you were talking about was his grandfather my great-grandfather who wrote in reminiscence I actually have that book and in your podcast you were talking about Mason who is my grandfather's brother I really enjoyed the podcast so much thank you for mentioning my great-grandfather
Hickory, North Carolina
