Send us a text

A single number can shape how we remember—until new evidence asks us to look again. This episode takes you inside another year of research on the people of the Eastland disaster, where a repeated death toll gives way to an evolving, documented estimate. I share how two overlooked victims surfaced through archival work, and why adding their names is crucial for families, historians, and anyone who believes facts should lead the story—not follow it.

This journey isn't just archival; it's personal and communal. I discuss the engine of citizen genealogy—focused work that chases one question until it yields—and how my background in writing, investigation, and IT shaped a method built on verification and transparency. We also confront a core challenge: there's no widely adopted standard for who "counts" as having died in the Eastland disaster. That vacuum allowed an estimate to morph into a brand.

A breakthrough in a Czech-language archive unlocked more than text. I found an original 1916 publication featuring over 140 photos of Czech victims—images largely unseen for generations. Uploading those photos to the Eastland Disaster Victims' Memorial on Find a Grave means family members can finally see the faces behind the names. One descendant left a memorial tribute, yearning for a picture that seemed lost forever. Sharing that photo reminded me why I do this work: a corrected record is not an abstraction; it's relief, recognition, and sometimes joy.

Resources mentioned:

• The Magic Part Is The Listening (Crista Cowan with Natalie Zett) (Stories that Live in Us podcast)
• ‘The hidden engine room’: how amateur historians are powering genealogical research (Guardian UK)
• “Every Life Matters to Me” (Lisa Louise Cooke with Natalie Zett) (Genealogy Gems - Premium podcast)
• Eastland Disaster Victims (Find A Grave)

• Book website: https://www.flowerintheriver.com/
• Substack: https://nataliezett.substack.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-z-87092b15/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zettnatalie/
• YouTube: Flower in the River - A Family Tale Finally Told - YouTube
• Medium: Natalie Zett – Medium
• The opening/closing song is Twilight by 8opus
• Other music. Artlist