TWICE BURIED & THE MYSTERY OF EASTLAND VICTIM #571

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Content Note: This episode deals with themes of death and misidentification. Please listen with care.

In episode 94 of Flower in the River, I’m diving into one of the most puzzling mysteries of the Eastland Disaster: the case of Emma Meyer and the confusion surrounding Victim #571. What started as a chance discovery during an archival search turned into a whirlwind of genealogical digging and conflicting records that left me completely floored.

Here’s what I uncovered:

• The tangled story of two women, both named Emma, whose lives and deaths became eerily entwined.
• The challenges faced by families and investigators in identifying victims after the disaster.
• How genealogy became my compass in untangling conflicting newspaper accounts and historical records.

This is a story filled with twists, turns, and unanswered questions. It’s a reminder of the chaos, confusion, grief, and extraordinary resilience of those who lived through the Eastland Disaster. I hope you’ll join me as I piece together the puzzle and honor these lives in the process.

Resources:

• Inital article accessed via HeritageHub through the St. Paul Public Library.
• Dziennik Chicagoski
• Chicago Tribune, July 29, 1915, “Exhumed Body of Eastland Victim Buried in Error,”

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