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
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...
Extra! Extra! The Eastland Stories Marooned in 1915
This week, I explored the July 26, 1915 edition of the Waukegan Daily Sun, a newspaper packed with Eastland stories that have sat there for more than a century. As is often the case, the people in those articles are mostly absent from ...
Dorothy Missed the Boat. Fred Broke a Window: Eastland Survival Stories
Being a few minutes late can change an entire life.Yet being thoroughly documented doesn’t guarantee anyone will keep researching.This week, we follow two strikingly different threads from the 1915 Eastland disaster and examin...
Martin saved lives. Edward shattered doors. Opal stepped in.
In this week’s episode: A Chicago police officer leaps into action, rescuing lives amid the chaos of the Eastland disaster.Two undertakers clash in a dramatic battle for possession of a corpse.Amid the turmoil...
Rinse, Lather, Repeat the Evidence: When Lists Overtake the History
When someone survives the 1915 Eastland disaster, gives a firsthand newspaper account just days later, and, years later, both she and her story disappear from later retellings, a big disconnect emerges. And the disconnect may be because the res...
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
