Podcasts about Oakwood Cemetery

Martha Lou Gholson Brown Holland passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 24, 2025. She was surrounded by loved ones. Martha Lou loved playing and listening to old hymns and instrumental piano. She was well-versed in genealogy research and even wrote a book about her Gholson ancestors. She loved history. She was a food connoisseur and loved going out to eat. She collected over 100 Beanie babies and Santas. She loved Christmas! Visitation will be Monday, April 28, 2025 from 6-8 PM at Pecan Grove Funeral Home, Waco Texas.Funeral services will be Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 10 AM at Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Robinson with burial immediately following at Oakwood Cemetery in Waco, Texas.Martha Lou was born in Marlin, Texas on July 30, 1938 to George T. Gholson and Elizabeth Latimer Gholson. She was active in band and student council while in high school. She married Mabry Lewis Brown on August 20, 1954 in Marlin, Texas at her parents' home. They were married for 35 years until his death in 1989. She then married Fred Holland in October, 1990. They were married for 32 years.She attended Baylor University for advanced classes. She received her Associates Degree from McLennan Community College.Martha Lou was a lifetime member of the Daughters of the Nile, where she was a past queen and a 50 year plus member. She was a member of McLennan Chapter No. 639 Order of the Eastern Star. She was also a member of the Elizabeth Gordon Bradley National Society of the American Revolution (DAR). She was a member of Meadowbrook Baptist for over 50 years. She was the organist, in the choir and in a Sunday class.Martha Lou worked for various credit unions and banks in Marlin and Mexia. She then moved to Waco and worked at Parker E. Ressler, CPA; Bayly Corporation; Manley and CO. and was also an accountant for Raytheon/CTAS, from which she retired. After retirement, she was an advocate for the elderly and guardianship at Friends for Life and attorneys in Temple, TX.Martha Lou was preceded in death by her parents, George and Elizabeth Gholson, spouses Mabry Lewis Brown and Fred Holland.She is survived by her children: Jimmy Brown and wife, Becky; Cynthia Owen and husband, Dell; and Diane Rogers and husband, James (Red). Grandchildren: Aaron Schnizer and fiancé, Melissa; Therese Kurtz and spouse, Kerry; Andy Schnizer and spouse, Allison; Justin Sanderson and spouse, Leslie; Danny Brown and spouse, Emily; Jennifer Oliver and spouse, JR; Jessica Hinton and spouse, Joel; Tara Payne and spouse, Kevin; and Melissa Rogers. Great- Grandchildren: Brynn and Kyle Schnizer; Kaden and Carter Kurtz, Kaylee King and spouse, Jake, Kenzi Gassaway and spouse, Darren, Kinley Schnizer, Scarlett Battles, Addy, Evan and Mazzie Black, Wyatt, Jett and River Schnizer; Hattie, Harper, Hunter and Hollis Sanderson; Jacob, Josh, and Mason Brown; Jewl, Kimberlyn and Kannon Oliver; Sawyer, Peyton, Landry, Mabry and Delaney Hinton, and Addyson, Addilynn, and Annzley Payne. Great great-grandchildren: Blaze, Jase, and Hadley King. She is also survived by her brother John Thomas Gholson, Sr. and spouse, Becky; nephew John Thomas Gholson, Jr, and spouse, Jenny; and niece Beth Roth and spouse, Randy; as well as several nieces and nephew, and many friends.We would like to extend special thanks to the staff at Wesley Woods Rehabilitation and Healthcare. Mom loved these people, and they took amazing care of her. We also want to thank the beautiful friends she made while at Wesley Woods. In addition, we would like to thank Amedisys Home Healthcare Services, who took wonderful care of her during her transition.Memorials may be made to Meadowbrook Baptist Church at 1207 N. Old Robinson Rd., Waco, Texas 76706.

On this episode, Tony Brueski digs into the chilling history of Oakwood Cemetery in Huntsville, Texas — a place where justice, tragedy, and the supernatural intertwine beneath the looming shadow of the Texas State Penitentiary. From the famous Peckerwood Hill, where executed prisoners lay in unmarked graves, to the whispered legends of restless spirits still wandering the cemetery's misty paths, we explore the stories buried beneath the soil and the eerie phenomena that refuse to be silenced.  Is Oakwood Cemetery a mere resting place for Texas history, or is it a site of unresolved turmoil that transcends the grave? 

On this episode, Tony Brueski digs into the chilling history of Oakwood Cemetery in Huntsville, Texas — a place where justice, tragedy, and the supernatural intertwine beneath the looming shadow of the Texas State Penitentiary. From the famous Peckerwood Hill, where executed prisoners lay in unmarked graves, to the whispered legends of restless spirits still wandering the cemetery's misty paths, we explore the stories buried beneath the soil and the eerie phenomena that refuse to be silenced.  Is Oakwood Cemetery a mere resting place for Texas history, or is it a site of unresolved turmoil that transcends the grave? 

Ann talks to Clint Lynch, general manager of Oakwood Cemetery for The Women at Oakwood Cemetery Walk April 12 at 9:00AM at 2124 South 5th Street. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan's first of two stories is centered around a school nurse who claims her encounter literally ended her career. It's very intense, and not fun to think that what she claims to have witnessed could be real.  For his second story, Dan will share the haunted lore of South Carolina's Oakwood Cemetery,  and an encounter that took place there. Lynze gives us two spoopy tales and one heart-warming story of confirmation. Her first story takes out to the woods where a bunch of kids party with the unknown. Then, someone is joined in bed by a not-so-comforting visitor. And finally, a beautiful story of a mom speaking to her son from the great beyond. Bad Magic New Merch Monday: Introducing the Scared to Death Snakes Tee featuring a prominent classic sigil icon surrounded by some serious spoopy snakes. We also have this illustration available on a tank top for the upcoming sunny weather season! AND it made for a sweet mousepad design so check that out as well.  Also available now, the official employee uniform tee for all non civilian facing ANEEW employees. We also have new hats!! Check out the quick-dry summer SnapBack featuring the stdp sigil and badge text. Available in 3 very cool colors! Grab your new gear at badmagicproductions.com today!Thank you for continuing to send in your stories, Creeps and Peepers!Please keep doing so!!Send them to mystory@scaredtodeathpodcast.comSend everything else to info@scaredtodeathpodcast.comWant to be a Patron? Get episodes AD-FREE, listen and watch before they are released to anyone else, bonus episodes, a 20% merch discount, additional content, and more! Learn more by visiting: https://www.patreon.com/scaredtodeathpodcast.Please rate, review, and subscribe anywhere you listen.Thank you for listening!Follow the show on social media: @scaredtodeathpodcast on Facebook and IG and TTWebsite: https://www.badmagicproductions.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scaredtodeathpodcastInstagram: https://bit.ly/2miPLf5Mailing Address:Scared to Deathc/o Timesuck PodcastPO Box 3891Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816Opening Sumerian protection spell (adapted):"Whether thou art a ghost that hath come from the earth, or a phantom of night that hath no home… or one that lieth dead in the desert… or a ghost unburied… or a demon or a ghoul… Whatever thou be until thou art removed… thou shalt find here no water to drink… Thou shalt not stretch forth thy hand to our own… Into our house enter thou not. Through our fence, breakthrough thou not… we are protected though we may be frightened. Our life you may not steal, though we may feel SCARED TO DEATH."

Join us this week as we travel to Spartanburg South Carolina.  We discuss the Oakwood Cemetery and its haunted history. Support the show

Johl Kohlgraf Public Works Director and Glenn Anderson City Administrator shared survey information from City of Mora residents. Joe answered questions about water and electric, roads, and Oakwood Cemetery. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wcmp-news/message

The introductory paragraph of every edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement is intended to be a script for a podcast but recently there was a disturbance in the workflow. Efforts are being made to build a new framework and the arrival of steel beams this week to the construction site for Buford Middle School has prompted me to take the next step. I'm Sean Tubbs, and I miss the podcast, too:On today's podcast edition:* Charlottesville City Council adopts a budget that reflects a move toward unionization of the city's workforce, higher salaries for city employees, and lower education funding from the state due to increasing property values (read the story)* There's a problem with excessive dog waste being left at the city's newest park (read the story)* Charlottesville's parks and recreation officials want your input on the next master plan to guide the future of public spaces in the city (read the story)* The city has a plan to fix drainage issues in Oakwood Cemetery and will further discuss the issue on April 24 (read the story)* Albemarle and Charlottesville both need more lifeguards for the summer season (read the story)* Charlottesville's Planning Commission gets an update on the new Development Code (read the story) * Albemarle Supervisors have comments on recent deployment of the HART team and a bomb threat at Planet Fitness (read the story )* The Albemarle Department of Social Services helps a lot of people each year and Supervisors get a briefing (read the story) * Albemarle Supervisors weigh in on expanded uses in the rural area as part of the Comprehensive Plan process (read the story) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Yes, it's a little early, but this week we are talking about Memorial Day.  The year 2024 marks the centennial of Raleigh's observance of national Memorial Day. Oakwood Cemetery hosts the event every year and is the final resting place for seven former governors, five U.S. Senators, eight state Supreme Court Justices, and four Civil War generals.  This week, the authors of a new book on the topic join host Tim Boyum. The group shares a fascinating talk about the cemetery's history and the incredible stories. Later, they discuss the immense amount of N.C. State fans visiting former basketball coach Jim Valvano's grave as the current team made its run through March Madness.

From the mysterious Gimghoul Castle in Chapel Hill to the curious spinning angel of Oakwood Cemetery, the Triangle area is full of eerie urban legends to tell around Halloween. In this episode, WRAL Hidden History Reporter Heather Leah joins me to explore some of the most popular and chilling haunted places around Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill – many of which you can visit or drive past if you want to give yourself a good scare!  

Tyler, Texas has a lot of history and one of the most historical places is the Oakwood Cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1849 and the people who are buried there have some very interesting stories. Join Holli and Cindy as they visit with Michael Hurley, Oakwood Cemetery Restoration Committee member and Chair of Oakwood in October, to talk about the cemetery and some of the exciting plans for future projects and events. Connect with us: VisitTyler.com @VisitTyler

Welcome to our Halloween Countdown! For the whole month of October, I'll bring you a daily minisode featuring a short story in preparation for the spookiest day of the year! Make sure you subscribe so you can be notified when these episodes drop and share with your favorite ghouls and gals!

We are back with our first episode of 2022! We are so excited to be back and making episodes again. This week we are travelling to Tyler, Texas to Oakwood Cemetery. There were so many amazing angels and heart wrenching stories, we couldn't resist making an episode. For a full list of sources, go to www.stonesbonesandshadows.com/post/oakwood-angels-and-unmarked-graves --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stonesbonesandshadows/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stonesbonesandshadows/support

As of the typing of these words, there are 22 days until the solstice when our portion of the world will slowly begin illuminating a little more each day. This is the 333rd day of this year. What significance might there be in the number 4,444? Stick around for enough editions of Charlottesville Community Engagement, and that figure may one day show up. I’m your host Sean Tubbs, tracking the trivial and monitoring the memorable. On today’s show:Charlottesville’s Planning Commission gets a look at the preliminary capital budget for fiscal year 23University Transit Service buses return to full capacity More news about the transition team of Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin Let’s begin today with two Patreon-fueled shout-outs. The first comes a long-time supporter who wants you to know:"Today is a great day to spread good cheer: reach out to an old friend, compliment a stranger, or pause for a moment of gratitude to savor a delight."The second comes from a more recent supporter who wants you to go out and read a local news story written by a local journalist. Whether it be the Daily Progress, Charlottesville Tomorrow, C-Ville Weekly, NBC29, CBS19, WINA, or some other place I’ve not mentioned - the community depends on a network of people writing about the community. Go learn about this place today!As the week begins, the Virginia Department of Health reports a seven-day average of 1,377 new cases and the seven-day percent positivity is at 6.1 percent. On Friday, the VDH reported the first fatality of a child from Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome. In the Blue Ridge Health District, there are another 55 new cases today and a seven-day percent positivity of 5.8 percent. There have been two more fatalities reported since Wednesday. Last week, the Jefferson Madison Regional Library entered into a partnership with the Virginia Department of Health to distribute at-home COVID-19 testing kits. The pilot program offers rapid antigen tests that are guided by a virtual assistant. “The test kits must be used away from the library, via an internet-connected device with a camera (including smart phones) with digital test results available within 15 minutes,” reads a press release. “Library staff cannot assist with administering tests, and tests cannot be taken inside any JMRL location.”Today marks the first day in a year and a half that passengers on University Transit Service buses will board from the front door. UTS has ended rules that required riders to board from the middle door. Capacity restrictions have also been dropped, meaning buses will be able to fill to standing. However, masks and facial coverings are still mandatory. The University Transit Service will also restore service to stops at Garrett Hall and Monroe Hall whenever UTS is serving McCormick Road. Those stops had been dropped to help UTS manage the capacity restrictions. Visit the UTS website to learn more about specific details.To learn more about transit, consider attending the Regional Transit Partnership’s meeting on Thursday at 4 p.m. On the agenda is a look at the Regional Transit Vision plan that is in development by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District. (agenda)Jaunt buses returned to 100 percent capacity earlier this year. There are a few local names on what Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin is calling his transition landing teams. The “landing teams that will coordinate with the cabinet secretaries from the current administration and conduct due diligence across all agencies so that the Youngkin administration will hit the ground running and begin delivering on its promises on Day One,” reads a press release from Wednesday.Senator Emmet Hanger (R-24) will serve on the Agriculture and Forestry team and Delegate Rob Bell (R-58) is on the Education team. Bell will also serve on the Public Safety and Homeland Security team. Senator Bryce Reeves (R-17) will be on the Veterans and Defense Affairs team. For the full list, take a look at the full press release. In today’s second subscriber-supported public service announcement: The Charlottesville Jazz Society at cvillejazz.org is dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and perpetuation of all that  jazz, and there’s no time like now to find a time to get out and watch people love to play. The Charlottesville Jazz Society keeps a running list of what’s coming up at cvillejazz.org. Sign up for their newsletter today. The Charlottesville Planning Commission got a look last week at a preliminary budget for the capital improvement program for the fiscal years 2023 through 2027. Council will vote next spring to approve the first year of spending, but decisions for future years would be for future versions of Council. (November 23 presentation) (watch the meeting)But first, what is a capital improvement program? Krissy Hammill is a Senior Budget and Management Analyst for the City of Charlottesville. “It’s basically a five-year financing plan that contains infrastructure type projects that usually cost more than $50,000,” Hammill said. “They’re generally non-recurring and non-operational and they generally have a useful life of five years or more.” Major items are usually funded by debt the city takes on in the form of bond sales. Investors front the money in exchange for a steady and guaranteed return. Like Albemarle County, Charlottesville has a AAA bond rating that is both attractive to investors and has a low interest rate. The latter results in a lower debt-service payment for the city. “We are actually part of a very small group of localities that have that rating,” Hammill said. “It is the premiere marker of a locality’s financial stability in strength.” In recent years, Council has increased the amount of spending on affordable housing initiatives, directly funding redevelopment of public housing and Friendship Court. In the past budget cycle, Council expressed a willingness to fund the configuration of City Schools. “We had a placeholder for that project at $50 million and based on Council’s direction from a meeting in October, that has now been increased from $50 million to $75 million,” Hammill said. “The funding has been moved up from FY25 to FY24. We also know that in doing this there will need to be additional revenue enhancements to pay for the additional debt service that will be required.”Revenue enhancements can be translated as “tax increase” and Hammill has previously told Council and the public that the equivalent of a 15 cent increase on the property tax rate may be required to cover the cost. There’s the possibility of the next General Assembly allowing Charlottesville voters to decide on a sales-tax increase with proceeds going toward schools. Even with that possibility, the city may not be able to make any new investments for some time. “We know that our debt capacity will be exhausted for some period of time,” Hammill said. In the current fiscal year, debt service is just under five percent of the $192.2 million General Fund Budget. That amount does not include the amount of general fund cash used for capital projects. That number will increase. “The plan put before you has debt service basically doubling from just over ten million to just over $20 million within a very short period of time, about four years,” Hammill said. A draft of the next Capital Improvement Program won’t be officially presented to Council until late February or early March. Hammill documented several other revisions to the preliminary budget. At Council’s direction, $18.25 million in city funds for the West Main Streetscape were transferred to the school reconfiguration project as well as $5 million from a parking garage on 7th and Market Street. In December 2018, a previous City Council  signed an agreement with Albemarle County to provide parking as part of a multimillion project to locate a joint General District Court downtown. Subsequent Councils have opted to not build a new parking garage to honor the terms of that agreement. (read the agreement)“We don’t have any specifics right now,” said Chris Engel, the city’s economic development director. “We’re in the midst of conversation with the county about the fact that we’re not going to build a structure and what the agreement leaves them with regard to their options and trying to figure out what’s best for both parties.” Pre-construction of the courts facility is underway. Another adjustment in the city’s preliminary capital improvement program is additional funding for a comprehensive plan for the Parks and Recreation Department. “This would be to look at Parks and Rec programs,” Hammill said. “This is not the normal master plan for the parks per se master planning process, but more of a programmatic master plan.” There are also programs for drainage issues at Oakwood Cemetery and McIntire Park as well as funding to assist the removal of dead Ash trees in the city. Council has also approved a housing plan that asks for $10 million a year on affordable housing initiatives. Hammill said not all of the funding for that initiative would come from the capital improvement program budget. City Council will review the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund at its meeting on December 6. Another item not in the capital budget is private funding for a sidewalk on Stribling Avenue. Southern Development has offered to loan the city $2.9 million to cover the cost of the project as part of a rezoning in Fry’s Spring area. The Charlottesville Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the preliminary CIP on December 14. Finally today, the second shout-out for today specifically asked you to check out a local news story. Here’s one to begin with. Last week, Carly Haynes of CBS19 reported on the intersection of Preston Avenue and Grady Avenue in Charlottesville. Charlottesville was awarded $7.743 million in a Smart Scale project to alter the intersection. Learn more in this report from November 23rd.Special announcement of a continuing promo with Ting! Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP! The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here!. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Peggy Lou Levisay Robertson, 87, of Robinson, went to be with her Lord and Savior on November 19, 2021. She was surrounded in her home by family. A celebration of her life will be held at Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Robinson, TX, on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, at 10:00 AM with Dr. Cary Killough officiating. Visitation will be prior to the service at 9:00 AM at Meadowbrook. Interment will be in Oakwood Cemetery, Comanche, on November 24, 2021, at 3:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, family has requested memorials be made to the Meadowbrook Baptist Church Building Fund. Peggy was born October 3, 1934, in Gorman, TX. She graduated from Comanche High in 1953 and attended Brownwood Business School. In 1949, she met the love of her life, Donald Robertson. They were married on July 17, 1955, and they enjoyed 66 years together. Peggy attended school in a one-room schoolhouse in Newburg, TX, through 8th grade. She then went to Comanche High School where she met Donald on the first day of her Freshman year. Even though he teased her about coming from the country to attend "finishing school" they became great friends. After waiting two years for him to ask her out, she finally took matters into her own hands. She asked Donald to the Sadie Hawkins dance in 11th grade, and this is where their love story began. They were best friends and inseparable to the very end. They lived in Comanche until 1968 when they moved to Clifton, TX. She was active at First Baptist Church of Clifton where she served as Church Secretary for many years. She chaired and served on many committees, taught Sunday School and enjoyed working with the youth department. Peggy was always willing to help when needed. She served as a volunteer at Clifton Lutheran Sunset Home and served in a sewing ministry that repaired garments for nursing home residents. After moving to Robinson in 2009, she became active at Meadowbrook Baptist Church. She loved her Sunday School class and enjoyed making desserts for the Wednesday night meals. She loved to cook and always prepared food for those in need. Peggy was very compassionate and loved to send cards to those in need. Peggy fiercely loved her children and grandchildren. She loved family gatherings and an opportunity to cook for them. She especially loved trying out new recipes but her children weren't always receptive. They wanted her famous chocolate cake for every occasion. They felt there was no way to improve on perfection! She loved holidays, especially Christmas. Her house was always full of Christmas decorations, many of which she had made. Her children and grandchildren loved the special decorations she put on top of their packages that were removed and used year after year. Peggy loved all things Baylor. She and Donald attended Baylor football and basketball games from 1973 through 2019. She especially loved Lady Bears Basketball. She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Belle Levisay, a son, Ronnie, age 7, a brother, Jack Levisay, and a sister, Bettie Sue Levisay. Survivors include: Husband Don Robertson; son Brian Robertson and wife, Lisa Ann, (Denton); daughter Lisa Rene Sanchez and husband, JR Sanchez, (Hewitt); grandchildren Lauren Robertson (Peru), Evan Robertson (Lubbock) and Jake Sanchez (Hewitt).

Jennie and Dianne chat with fellow taphophile and podcast host Hugh Yeman about his extraordinary leap down the rabbit hole that led to his discovery of one of America's most prolific abolitionists Moses Summers. Not only was Moses a newspaper man who wrote extensively about his abolitionist ideals, but he also served in the American Civil War writing home to the North about life on the warfront in the South. Through years of research, Hugh has been able to piece together Moses's story that was mostly lost to history and discovered the baffling relocation of Moses's gravesite on more than one occasion. Join us as we learn about the Ordinary Extraordinary man Moses Summers and the cemetery where he rests in peace.To learn more about Moses Summers or Oakwood Cemetery, please visit to the following websites:https://oakwoodofsyracuse.com/https://hocpa.org/https://hocpa.org/2020/10/24/fall-2020-newsletter/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90083661/moses-summershttps://syracuseonthisday.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/the-perplexing-posthumous-perambulations-of-moses-summers/https://historicheadlines.podbean.com/

*The Keyser-Swain House has been saved from demoliton. *The Inaugural fire truck pull. *The Ladies of the Cemetery Association historic grave walk at Oakwood Cemetery. *Cuyahoga Falls Halloween festivities. *Alex interviews Ward 2 Councilperson Susan Spinner (28:15) Thank you for listening. We are always in the market for article submissions and suggestions for podcast interviews. Drop us a line at fallsfreepress@gmail.com. If you enjoyed the show, be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts to let others know to listen.

In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out is for the Plant Northern Piedmont Natives Campaign, an initiative that wants you to grow native plants in yards, farms, public spaces and gardens in the northern Piedmont. Native plants provide habitat, food sources for wildlife, ecosystem resiliency in the face of climate change, and clean water.  Start at the Plant Northern Piedmont Natives Facebook page and tell them Lonnie Murray sent you! In today’s show: Several odds and ends from the Charlottesville Planning Commission meeting The Virginia Film Festival will return to movie screens in Charlottesville this OctoberYour input is requested on thoughts and concerns about future natural disastersWe begin today again with today’s COVID numbers. Today the Virginia Department of Health reports another 4,066 cases today. The number of COVID deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in Virginia is now at 12,170. Since September 1, there have been 309 reported, with 52 reported today. That does not mean all of those fatalities happened within a 24-hour period, as that number is tallied as death certificates are reported to the VDH. When natural disasters strike, governments across the region often cooperate with each other to lend a hand in the emergency response and recovery efforts. Before they strike, there is a federally-mandated document intended to provide direction on how to prepare to lessen their impacts.“The purpose of the Regional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan is to prepare for natural disasters before they occur, thus reducing loss of life, property damage, and disruption of commerce,” reads the current plan, which was put together by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.The last plan was adopted in 2018 and it is time to put together the next one as required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. The TJPDC wants your input in the form of a survey which is now open. Participants are asked if they’ve ever experienced a natural disaster and if so, what the specific impact was. You’ll also be asked what hazards you are concerned about, ranging from dam failure to winter weather. (take the survey) The Virginia Film Festival will return to in-person events this October when the long-running series returns for action. Last year the event pivoted to drive-in and virtual screenings, but will return to the Violet Crown, the Culbreth Theatre, and the Paramount Theater. “The Festival will also continue its very popular Drive-In Movies series at the beautiful Morven Farm in Eastern Albemarle County.” said festival director Jody Kielbasa in a release. “As always, the Festival will work to create the safest environment possible for its audiences, requiring masks at all indoor venues.”The festival will run from October 27 to October 31, and the full program will be announced on September 28. Tickets will go on sale on September 30. A major highlight this year will be the screening of an episode of Dopesick, an upcoming series on Hulu about the nation’s opioid epidemic. The series is based on the work of former Roanoke Times journalist Beth Macy and the event at the Paramount will be presented in partnership with the Virginia Festival of the Book. For more information, visit virginiafilmfestival.org.Albemarle Supervisor Ann Mallek is one of 16 elected officials from around the United States to be appointed to an advisory panel of the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan made appointments to the Local Government Advisory Committee and its Small Community Advisory Subcommittee, and Mallek will serve on the latter. “From tackling climate change to advancing environmental justice, we need local partners at the table to address our most pressing environmental challenges,” Regan said in an August 25 press release. Kwasi Fraser, the Mayor of Purcellville in Loudoun County, is the only other Virginian appointed to either of the two groups. Speaking of appointments, last week Governor Ralph Northam appointed several Charlottesville residents to the Virginia Board of Workforce Development. They are:Rich Allevi, Vice President of Development, Sun Tribe SolarJohn Bahouth Jr., Executive Vice President, Apex Clean EnergyTierney T. Fairchild, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Resilience EducationAntonio Rice, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jobs for Virginia GraduatesThe Virginia Board of Workforce Development will meet next week for a special briefing. The board’s executive is Jane Dittmar, a former member of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors. You’re reading Charlottesville Community Engagement. Time for two quick Patreon-shout-outs. One person wants you to know "We keep each other safe. Get vaccinated, wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep your distance."And in another one, one brand new Patreon supporter wants you to go out and read a local news story written by a local journalist. Whether it be the Daily Progress, Charlottesville Tomorrow, C-Ville Weekly, NBC29, CBS19, the community depends on a network of people writing about the community. Go learn about this place today!For the rest of the show today, highlights from last night’s City Planning Commission meeting. I want to state up front that this newsletter does not feature the meeting’s main event, which was a public hearing for 240 Stribling in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood. That conversation that focused on a novel method of funding infrastructure improvements to support additional vehicular and human-powered traffic. I’m going to focus on that in an upcoming newsletter, but I want to get one concept on your mind. Let’s get some legal guidance from City Attorney Lisa Robertson about that mythical beast known as a “proffer.” For large developments that require a rezoning or a special use permit, you may also see the applicant offer cash or specific improvements as a required condition if their desired land use change is accepted. “Proffers are really to deal with impacts generated by the development itself and to provide cash for infrastructure that’s more directly sort of connected to or necessitated by the development,” Robertson said during the Commission’s pre-meeting. “In this situation as evidenced by the fact that the Stribling Avenue need for sidewalks has already been documented for a number of years in the city’s master plans and [Capital Improvement Program].”Southern Development is the applicant behind 240 Stribling had wanted to make its willingness to fund some of the infrastructure improvements in a proffer, but Robertson asked to pursue the matter in a different way because proffers are not two-way agreements. What happened with that? We’ll come back to that tomorrow. Highlights from the meetingAt the top of the actual meeting, the Commission elected Lyle Solla-Yates to serve as the body’s Chair. Solla-Yates was appointed to the seven-person body in March 2018 and succeeds Hosea Mitchell, who will remain on the commission. “Thank you very much Chair Mitchell for your two years of excellent service and for this honor and attempting to follow you,” Solla-Yates said. “Remarkable opportunity.”Next, Commissioners gave various reports on the various committees they are on. This is a good way to find out quickly a lot of things that are going on. Commissioner Mitchell said he and Commissioner Jody Lahendro with city Parks and Recreation officials reviewing a major problem in McIntire Park.“The drainage in McIntire Park is also creating a violation of the Department of Environmental Quality, their standards,” Mitchell said. “That is going to be a top priority and that’s going to be about $350,000 that we will be asking Council to approve but this is a must-do. We are in violation if we don’t fix that.” Mitchell said repairs to bring the outdoor Onesty Pool back next summer will cost about $400,000. There’s a lot of erosion and standing water at Oakwood Cemetery that will cost about $52,000.“And the last must-do thing is a comprehensive master plan,” Mitchell said. “We haven’t had anything like that in a number of years and our future is going to be relentless for Parks and Rec if we don’t do that and that’s going to be about $150,000.”Mitchell said the Smith Aquatic and Fitness Center is not expected to open now until late fall. Smith has been plagued with air quality problems since it opened in 2010. The facility shut down for several weeks in 2015 to install new exhaust pipes and has been closed since the spring of 2020 for at least $2.25 million in repairs. At least, that’s what Council approved as a capital improvement program budget line item in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget. In any case, Mitchell also announced that Todd Brown will be leaving his position as director of the city parks and recreation department to take a position in Fredericksburg. Bill Palmer, the University of Virginia’s liaison on the Charlottesville Planning Commission, reminded the Commission that UVA is working on an update of its Grounds Framework Plan. Palmer did not have much specific information but the closed-door Land Use and Environmental Planning Committee got a briefing at their meeting on July 23. “The Plan will be underway from Summer 2021 to Fall 2022 and includes a robust engagement process with the University and regional community,” reads a presentation made to LUEPC. The Grounds Framework Plan is intended to guide planning and development over the next 20 years with an emphasis on sustainability, resiliency, and equity. Some guidance in the presentation is to “capitalize on the potential of existing and new facilities” and “holistically consider Grounds as an integrated campus of mixed-use buildings and green spaces.”The firm Urban Strategies has been hired to conduct the work, which will build on smaller plans developed in the past several years ranging from the 2015 Brandon Avenue Master Plan to the 2019 Emmet Ivy Task Force report. UVa is also undertaking an affordable housing initiative to build up to 1,500 units on land that either UVA or its real estate foundation controls. The community also got a first look at Jim Freas, the new director of the City’s Department of Neighborhood Development Services. “Today is my second day so still finding my feet and learning my way around the building,” Freas said on Tuesday. Freas comes to the position from a similar one in Natick, Massachusetts. Natick consists of over 16 square miles in Middlesex County and has a population of 37,000 according to the U.S. Census. Thank you again for reading today. Want one of those shout-outs? Consider becoming a Patreon supporter. For $25 a month, you get four shout-outs spread across the various programs. That price will increase in the near future. Questions? Drop me a line! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Jennie and Dianne take you to one of Ohio's most beautiful garden cemeteries, Oakwood Cemetery in Cuyahoga Falls. In this episode they explore the lives of a teacher and a gentleman farmer, a self-made man who was one of Cuyahoga Falls' best know citizens, a man who began his career on the factory floor making tires and worked his way up to become the CEO of Goodyear tires, a poet, and the discovery and marking of the graves of freed slaves. As we always say. "Every death had a life and every life had a story", in this Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery. 

VALUE-FOR-VALUE Thank you to our executive producers M. Andrew Jones, The Rev Cyber Trucker, and SeeDubbs. Be sure to check out M. Andrew Jones' new book, Metal. Also, shoutout to the Itty Bitty Homestead over on No Agenda Tube. Give them some value for value! Then, stay tuned for a potential new direction for ms. Informed NAtion. Bowl After Bowl is a V4V podcast, meaning the bowls are packed fresh for you every Tuesday and if you enjoy hitting it, return some of the value in whatever shape or form of your liking. If you want to send us your crypto or cash, check out the Bowl After Bowl Donate page and give us a boost on your favorite Podcasting 2.0 enabled app. Episode art, jingles, news stories, and ISOs are always appreciated and can be emailed to laurien@bowlafterbowl.com. And of course, our voicemail box will never be full so give us a call at (816) 607-3663. But the simplest way to provide value is simply to propagate the formula by passing the bowl to someone else you think might enjoy it. TOP THREE 33 In a 33-year first, a single console swept Japan's Game Sales Charts which were made up entirely of Nintendo Switch games in Famitsu Weekly, Japan's most popular video game publication, during the first week of August. The last time this happened was the Famicom, Nintendo's first iteration of what would become the NES, in 1988. Cannabis tragedy as man, 33, dies in fall after taking drug while celebrating his birthday — except it's the one-year anniversary of his death which his nurse girlfriend eulogized on social media, and England just has to keep the reefer madness going. This dude was a nurse who served as a medic in Afghanistan. For his birthday, he climbed Mount Snowdon, then met his girlfriend, close friends, and family at a restaurant where "several members of the birthday party took some 'edible' — chocolate infused with cannabis," before meeting at his friend's place. His girlfriend notes he was acting erratic, out of character and seemed to be rushing home. When they got there, he paced with a look of terror in his eyes — although the coroner was leading the witness with that question, asking the girlfriend if he had a look of terror in his eyes. Then, she says he started talking to people who weren't there, so she decided to leave and called his cousin. But just a few minutes later, he fell. It doesn't stay what story he fell from, but his head injuries were too severe to operate on. The coroner says he was suffering from "a psychotic or delusional episode" from cannabis consumption. State police charge juvenile with desecrating 33 gravestones. A 12-year-old from Theresa, New York caused $3,726 in damages at Oakwood Cemetery but A. Cozzi Monuments repaired them for free in April. The tween has been charged with 1st degree cemetery desecration and 2nd degree criminal mischief, which are both felonies, and their case will be handled in Family Court. BONUS: Thanks to Sir OMA for sharing this story about a 33-year-old man found dead in an apartment at 3:30 PM Monday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after a five-hour standoff with police. He named himself as a person of interest earlier in the day for shooting two women whose conditions are unknown. After hearing what sounded like a gunshot, police entered the apartment with a tactical robot and found the man dead. CAN'T STOP THE COOFIN' 33 new cases in Delta County (Michigan), Crawford County (Pennsylvania), Humboldt County (California) 33 positive tests in Dillingham (Alaska) Dad, 33, has different perspective on COVID-19 after near-death experience. What better way to push the experimental jab than with more fear porn? Sir OMA sent us this story about a 33-year-old mom removed from an Omaha public elementary school for not wearing a mask and asking staff not to force her son to wear a mask. She was stopped by a security guard when she tried to go into the school to retrieve her son after someone forced him to put a mask on. FREE THE WEED Former Adelanto Mayor, Rich Kerr, was arrested by the FBI last Friday for accepting close to $60,000 in bribes in exchange for favorable decisions concerning commercial cannabis through his city council role. Three years ago, FBI agents detained him during a raid on his home amid a public corruption probe. He was arraigned last Friday and entered not guilty pleas. The kickbacks were disguised as gifts, donations to charities and campaigns, and advance payments for the proceeds of a planned litigation associated with a motorcycle accident Kerr sustained during a 2017 promotional gimmick for the Adelanto Grand Prix where he rode a motorcycle into the desert and crashed it within 15 seconds. Secret recordings from a 2016 conversation with the FBI pretending to be a real estate company revealed Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers' husband, J.T. Burnette of Tennessee, bragged about how his political connections allowed them to obtain one of the first vertically-integrated licenses for medical weed in Florida. Trulieve is one of the biggest medical companies in the US with operations in 11 states, and Burnette is on trial for racketeering, extortion, fraud, and making false statements. Starting September 1st, cannabis retailers in Alaska will be able to double the amount of THC per serving in edibles from 5 to 10 milligrams. For the first time in 11 years, Maine is accepting applications for medical dispensaries. There is no longer a cap on business licenses, but there are only five medical dispensaries operating after three of the eight total converted to recreational shops. The application fee is $5,000 and registered caregivers can now convert their registration type to that of a dispensary because dispensaries are allowed to grow an unlimited amount of plants. Also in Maine this week, a judge ruled that the state's residency requirement is unconstitutional, so out-of-state companies will now be able to operate medical dispensaries in the state. Missouri's federal judge also recently shot down the state's residency requirement while Oklahoma did the opposite. House Bill 3000, which passed in July, now allows Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission and the Department of Agriculture to inspect licensed hemp fields across the state to make sure growers aren't cultivating marijuana. Inspectors will take samples and send them to labs for THC levels, but 31 operations have refused to let the regulators access their site so far. No new adult-use retail licenses will be awarded in Illinois until a lawsuit Wah Group is resolved, which alleges the state requires veteran-owned businesses to achieve a perfect score to qualify for the social equity lotteries currently underway. Wisconsin lawmakers announced a full legalization bill last Tokin' Tuesday which would tax weed similar to alcohol and allow homegrow. METAL MOMENT The Rev takes us all the way to Samoa for this week's Metal Moment. Make sure you vote in his poll to help decide where in the world the Metal Moment winds up next week for our big 100th episode! FIRST TIME I EVER... This week, bowlers called in to tell us about the first time they ever got behind the wheel of a car. Next week, we want to hear about the first time YOU ever felt an electric shock. FUCK IT, DUDE. LET'S GO BOWLING. A Florida woman was arrested after showing tiddies and masturbating during a virtual visit with an inmate last week in the visitation building. She was charged with exposure of sexual organs within a public place and violation of probation or community control. Two teens seriously injured by lightning that struck at least 7 at Orchard Beach in the Bronx Handcuffed Oklahoma man escapes arrest on stolen ATV, leads police on high-speed chase. He was initially being taken into custody on suspicion of stealing copper wire and catalytic converters when he opened the patrol unit door, escaped into the woods, and stole an ATV from a nearby home. The chase went through three separate counties before he was forced to wipeout into a pool of muddy water on a dirt road. A 28-year-old man was arrested for giving a child a face tattoo at  a McDonald's in South Carolina, which was filmed and posted to social media by a customer. While cleaning a picture frame, a North Carolina thrift store employee  found a 146-year-old marriage certificate and managed to track down the great granddaughter through Ancestry.com A Canadian dermatologist in British Columbia bought a rare oil painting that may be worth $20,000 at a thrift store. He paid $96 and intended to use just the frame, then decided to Google the artist's signature and found it was Wijmer, who was born in the Netherlands in 1870. His most famous painting, Mountain Mist, sold at auction in the US for $200,000. The doctor plans to donate any funds received to the Comox Valley Hospice Society. A Colorado sheriff's deputy freed a mother bear who had accidentally trapped herself in a car as her two cubs watched. The door slammed shut behind her when she entered to look for food. Too much damage had been done inside, so he opened the driver's door to free her but the bear accidentally closed it. On the second attempt, the deputy was able to get her out and ensured she left the neighborhood with her cubs. So don't leave food in your vehicle. While removing valuable items from a 115-year-old German Evangelical Church in Seattle, Earthwise Architectural Salvage found a time capsule in the cornerstone which had not been tracked and archived. It contained German literature, Evangelical publications, Ohio newspaper articles written about the Evangelical Association, a bishop's handwritten letter detailing the founding of the church, and financial information. Two of Banksy's newest murals were vandalized days after the artist confirmed he created ten across coastal towns in Norfolk and Suffolk, England. One was caught in the act covering Banksy's rat sipping a cocktail with white paint. The second perp added teddy bears beneath a claw machine Banksy painted which some believe is a tribute or collab from local artist Emo. Two of Banksy's murals was removed, one which was spray painted on top of an 1892 mural of the town's mayor and the other which showed two children flying off an inflatable dingy at the spot where a 3-year-old girl died after an inflatable trampoline burst. A shitty way to go: three brothers got stuck in a manure pit on their family's farm, passed out from the fumes, and died of asphyxiation.

Dr. Sloan guest co-host Eric Ames talk with Clint Lynch of the Oakwood Cemetery Association

So much history surrounds Niagara Falls it is near impossible to dive into: from initial exploration by white folk, exploitation of the falls and indigenous peoples, to the history of hydroelectric power, strange mortuary science experiments, and daredevils who have ridden down the falls in barrels (only some who have survived) – like the water over the crest, the history seemingly never ends.  However, while Niagara Falls is heralded for its natural beauty, booming tourist trade, and rich history -- behind its bridal veil lies something sinister, brooding beneath the foam.    Follow the Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crimesandwitchdemeanors Submit your feedback or personal stories to crimesandwitchdemeanors@gmail.com  Like The Podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crimesandwitchdemeanors  Episode Transcript: Available below the sources in the show notes Visit the website: https://www.crimesandwitchdemeanors.com  Main podcast illustration by GiAnna Ligammari: https://gialigammari.wixsite.com/portfolio    Sources: Cave of the Evil Spirit. (n.d.). Roadtrippers. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://maps.roadtrippers.com/us/lewiston-ny/points-of-interest/cave-of-the-evil-spirit     Devil's Hole Cave—Niagara County, New York. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from http://falzguy.com/devils-hole-cave.html     Goat Island (New York). (2021). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goat_Island_(New_York)&oldid=1004636526     Luna Island. (2020). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luna_Island&oldid=953221872     May 12, R. R.-L. S. C. & 2017. (n.d.). Facts About Niagara Falls. Livescience.Com. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.livescience.com/59099-niagara-falls-facts.html     Niagara Falls. (2021). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Niagara_Falls&oldid=1017113129     Niagara Falls USA. (n.d.). Niagara Falls USA. Retrieved April 14, 2021, from https://www.niagarafallsusa.com/directory/three-sisters-islands/     Niagara Falls—Devil's Hole Massacre. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from http://www.niagarafrontier.com/devilhole.html     Official guide to Niagara—Cave of the Evil Spirit, Devil's Hole—Details. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2021, from http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/show.asp?id=91217&b=1 Szczepaniec, K. (2018). Indigenous People of Western New York. FACT SHEET, 23.     The Cementation of the Dead; the story of Theodore Graves Hulett's most curious work in Oakwood Cemetery. (n.d.). Oakwood Cemetery | Niagara Falls, NY. Retrieved April 14, 2021, from https://oakwoodniagara.org/kratts-korner/2012/3/15/the-cementation-of-the-dead-the-story-of-theodore-graves-hul.html     Three Sisters Islands (New York). (2020). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Sisters_Islands_(New_York)&oldid=956552156   TRANSCRIPT: Hello, hello, hello!  Long time no see, you may have thought I became a ghost myself!  My name is Joshua Spellman, and I'm your – very much alive – at least on the outside– host of Crimes & Witch-Demeanors.  The podcast where we get to the good old fashioned truth behind our favorite ghostly haunts using archival and historic resources.               Maybe you care where I've been.  Maybe you were even happy to hear me go.  Long story short – I was creatively and emotionally burnt out.  I was pouring myself into this podcast,  my drag, sewing garments, and cultivating my TikTok…and with things going on in my personal life I just crashed.  I stopped doing everything.  Had some health stuff to worry about but I digress!  We're here.  We're back.  I'm going to do my best to stay motivated and on top of things, but this pod is a lot of work!               Today's podcast episode is something new.  And something I'm excited about.  I don't want to give too much away… but we're going to investigate the satanic underpinnings of a famous worldwide attraction and city, that just so happens to be in my back yard: Niagara Falls.  And also, one of my favorite hiking spots at the aptly named Devil's Hole.  But be sure to stick around for the truth, as always it is much more interesting than the myth.  So, for lack of a better word: let's dive right in.     Niagara Falls – one of the seven wonders of the natural world, is a group of three waterfalls (the bridal veil falls, horseshoe falls, and American falls, respectively) that spans the border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the state of New York.  Located on the Niagara River, which drains into both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, the combined Niagara Falls has the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America.  More than 168,00 square meters, or six million cubic feet, of water goes over the crest every minute.   So much history surrounds Niagara Falls it is near impossible to dive into: from initial exploration by white folk, exploitation of the falls and indigenous peoples, to the history of hydroelectric power, mortuary science experiments, and daredevils who have ridden down the falls in barrels (only some who have survived) –it seemingly never ends.  However, while Niagara Falls is heralded for its natural beauty, booming tourist trade, and rich history -- behind its bridal veil lies something sinister, brooding beneath the foam.    At first glance, it seems innocent enough – if you discount historic atrocities to its indigenous inhabitants – but as you peer a little closer a pattern emerges. Perhaps most glaringly, is Devil's Hole state park.  Named as such for…no discernable reason.  It is a park that overlooks and descends into the Niagara river gorge, a 6.8 mile long canyon with cliffs as high as 1200 feet, carved by the Niagara River.  The hiking in this particular area can become quite hazardous.  In fact, the current of the Niagara River in the gorge is one of the most powerful river currents in the world: which, unsurprisingly has taken many lives.  Perhaps this is where its hellish name originates.   Perhaps it is partially due to the famed cave halfway down the steep escarpment: the Cave of the Evil Spirit.  While not a clever name, it sums up its origin quite well.  Long ago, the Great Spirit who created man, sealed away the Evil Spirit within the walls of the Niagara Gorge.  However, over time as man turned evil and began waging wars, the walls of the gorge began to split.  Eventually, the cave opened and the Evil Spirit was once again free, cursing all those who entered the cave.   Famously, the explorer Robert Cavalier de LaSalle ignored the warnings of his Seneca guide.  Upon entering deep into the cave he heard a voice tell him   "Return" said the voice, "to your home in Canada, and wealth, honors, a long life and usefulness will be yours, and when death comes, generations of your descendants shall follow you to your grave, and history shall transmit your name to prosperity as the successful founder of a great empire. Proceed to the West, and although gleams of hope may, at times, shine in your path, in gratitude and disappointment will be sure to meet and follow you, until a treacherous murder shall end your days remote from human habitation, without the shelter of even a wigwam of a friendly red man. The Eagles of the desert shall strip the flesh from your bones, which shall lay bleaching under the tropical sun, unburied and unprotected by the cross you now so devotedly cherish."   LaSalle foolishly disregarded the warning of the Evil Spirit.  LaSalle's fortune eventually dwindled and he became poor and desolate.  In a last-ditch effort to regain his wealth and fame, he decided to go out west to Louisiana to begin a colony – doing exactly what the spirit warned him against.  Even LaSalle's precious crucifix of his Christian god could not save him from the curse of the Evil Spirit.  LaSalle was eventually murdered by his own men and left to rot in the woods near the Mississippi river.   But the city's connection to the crowned prince of hell and malevolent spirits do not end at the mouth of the Niagara Gorge, instead we must look to the Niagara rapids at the top of the falls and turn our attention to five innocuous islands.   Bisecting the Bridal Veil Falls and the Horseshoe Falls is an island known as Goat Island.  It is the location of the famed Terrapin point observation area and is large enough that it carries not only pedestrian traffic, but car and trackless train traffic as well.  Goat Island is largely wooded with many nature trails.  The island also provides access to the Cave of the Winds tour, which takes you down the escarpment to the foot of the falls.   Just off the southern shoreline of Goat Island are the Three Sisters Islands.  These small islands provide an excellent view of the upper rapids.  They are connected by a series of bridges and consist solely of nature trails.  Biologically speaking they are fascinating: each sports a variety of microhabitats and possess its own unique floristic character. However as is the nature of…well, nature, it is not all pretty petals.    It is easy to access the raging rapids from these islands, which spell certain death for those unlucky enough to be swept into the current and hurled over the falls…that is if the large boulders hiding in the cataracts or the undertow don't do you in first.   The Three Sisters islands were home to mysterious rituals before European settlers came to the area.  Iroquois shamans would offer sacrifices and gifts to the spirit that dwells inside the mist shrouded cave at the base of the falls.  Mediums and psychics who visit these islands in modern times can hear the voices and screams of spirits long gone.   Lastly, there is Luna island.  Which, like, Goat island, bisects two of the falls but unlike its larger counterpart it is situated between the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.   Aside from sacrifices – you may be asking – how are these satanic?  Let's take a closer look at the names.  Devil's hole is quite obvious in its own right.  And while innocuous at first glance you may now realize…Goat Island.  The goat has long been a symbol of the horned demon Lucifer.  Luna island.  The moon.  Where dark rituals take place beneath.  And, the most insidious of these names: Bridal Veil Falls and the Three Sisters.  It's subtle, but for those who know satanic lore, the Devil married Three Sisters.   Niagara Falls has always been a nexus of spiritual and physical power: as evidenced by its hydroelectric powerplants and numerous malevolent hauntings and the spirits that Native tribes worshipped and feared.  The city was erected and planned around these power sources, built to exploit them and harness them.  Niagara Falls was created in the same fashion as Washington D.C. Both hiding occult symbols in their streets and place names, used to exploit the negative energies they draw forth, and route them to areas of their choosing.   Next time you visit the falls, remember to hold that crucifix tight.  Or don't…it didn't quite help LaSalle…did it?                   Wow, it's so crazy this isn't talked about more!  All these satanic connections…that…I just made up?  Yeah.  I made it up.  Kind of?  All the place names are real but they're not satanic in origin.  With all the crazy conspiracy theories flying around I wanted to illustrate how easy it is to draw lines between seemingly unconnected things and create a new narrative.               To be clear: to my knowledge no one has drawn up these satanic connections before me.  I did it while researching something else entirely and was like “wow these names really all have a connection to the devil” until I learned the real origins of these place names.  The three sisters, goat island, luna island, the bridal veil falls, and devil's hole are all very real names.  But they don't have any connections to satanism or the occult.  But what they do have are really interesting and unique histories.               Devil's hole and the Niagara gorge are two of my favorite places in the world.  I have spent countless hours alone on those treacherous trails.  The trails can be narrow and precarious, made from silty, crumbling rock, overhead you have the risk of huge boulders falling down, and directly below you is one of the most powerful river currents in the world.   Of course my favorite time to go is when it's raining…which is pretty reckless.  Probably the only reckless thing I like participating in willingly.  But I do love it.  I have a deep personal and spiritual connection to the area and learning it's history has definitely made me appreciate it even more.    Sadly, people do die there.  I know one individual personally who has.  As with many things in nature it's to be both revered and feared.  Nature has many sides, and sadly nature can also destroy.   That being said let's talk about the history of Devil's Hole itself and the state park named after it.   Devil's Hole The area surrounding Devil's Hole has a lengthy indigenous history long before white settlers came into the area.  Devil's Hole received its name from either the story told earlier of the Evil Spirit or from the area's inhabitation by the Neuter Nation.    When white settlers first appeared in the area the area was mainly inhabited by what the French called the Neuter Nation of Indians.  It was used as a hiding place during times of war or conflict, and in order to keep their hiding place secret they would kill anyone who entered the gorge.  These people would never return to tell of the location and this is possibly the root of the tale of the Evil Spirit.   However, the same friend/medium that saw the Red Lady at my old house before I ever talked about her, which I still haven't told this story to y'all, came on a hike with me to Devil's Hole State Park.  He was not from the area at all, not even from the region of the state, but he did mention he sensed a very old, angry spirit in the area.  I didn't think anything of it…but now knowing of the Evil Spirit, I can't help but wonder…but again, I digress.   What made Devil's Hole such a great hiding spot was not only that it is set in the cliff face but a rock, known as ambush rock was positioned perfectly above the cave that nothing could be shot down into it.  The area is prone to rockslides…or boulder slides really, it's made of of massive limestone boulders.  You would honestly be amazed by how large they are…but I digress.  Ambush rock was removed for safety reasons, though a rock fall in the 1990's left a similar rock, albeit much, much smaller, at the entrance to the cave.   According to an old brochure for the area published in 1890, at the top of the park, before you begin your descent into the gorge there is a large boulder, one of many, known as Council Rock.  It was shaped like an arrow, but centuries of weathering slowly changed its shape, and it is now believed to have been removed since the brochure is over 120 years old.   Council rock was a meeting place where yearly councils of Native people would take place.  Others claim that it was a “worshipping stone” that was connected with indigenous “religion”.  Legend has it that due to the way the Seneca Chiefs would stand on the rock during meetings, with one hand on the rock, that anyone who touches the rock can drive the devil away for a year. Of course, this narrative comes from white folk.    Also just a great time to remind everyone that indigenous people are still around.  They are not bygone people of history!  History likes to act like they are ancient, mysterious, and extinct.  The Seneca Nation still has a strong presence in the area, so it is possible that stories of council rock still exis within their traditions and oral histories.    There was a massacre known as the Devil's Hole massacre that occurred on September 14, 1763 during the 7 Year's War, also known as the French & Indian War.  A supply train of 350 British soldiers that were making their way from Fort Niagara to Fort Schlosser stopped to rest for dinner on a large flat rock near Devil's Hole.  While enjoying their supper they were attacked by a group of Senecas.  There was a massive loss of life, and those not killed directly by the ambush jumped off the precipice to have a chance at survival.  But those that did so, if they survived the steep jump, did not survive much longer as the Senecas sent the wagons, baggage, and horses of the supply chain off the edge, crushing and killing those that remained.  There were only two survivors.    Sadly, modern day Devil's Hole cave bears no resemblance to what it once was.  It is covered in graffiti and often littered with trash as it has become a favourite place for wayward teenagers to party.   There is a large cave at the bottom of the gorge that many people think is Devil's Hole cave…but it's not.  In fact there are many caves in the area, some of which aren't true caves but just massive boulders that have fallen on top of one another.   To find the real Devil's Hole cave you have to make your way partially down the gorge precipice and veer off to a path that backtracks partially back up the cliff.  The cave is made up of DeCew Dolostone, a fine crystalline dolostone that is dark grey in color.  The cave's entrance is 10 feet wide and 8 feet high.  The initial passage of the cave is at a gentle incline, and after making your way about 12 feet into the cave the ceiling is only 4 feet high.  However, if you continue onward the ceiling will reach a height of 9 feet.  At this point one will find a manmade wall, beyond which there is a drop in floor level of about three feet.  Beyond the wall the 6 foot tall passage continues at a very narrow width of 6 inches.  It continues for about 10 feet before veering off to the east where you lose sight of its path.   There was once a mineral spring in the cave but it seems to have since dried up, much like the now defunct stream known as Bloody Run.   And that's the short and long on Devil's Hole!  Not demonic, but definitely a hole.  What?   Chile, anyway.   Now, back to the city of Niagara Falls.  There are so many actual haunted locations in Niagara Falls which you may have seen on television like the Red Coach Inn that I could cover another time if you'd like – just let me know!   But I do need to set the record straight on Goat and the Three Sisters Islands. Especially with the bridal veil falls my fake conspiracy makes so much sense, but no, the Three Sister Islands did not get their name from the three brides of Satan.  Instead, they are named after the daughters of General Parkhurst Whitney: Celinda, Angelina, and Asenath Whitney.  Although…that does sound demonic.  Asenath Metrione Zinthos?  Azarath Metrione Zinthos?  No?  Okay, I need to bury that one just like the three sisters are in the famous Oakwood Cemetery.  Well, maybe infamous as it is the only place in the world where individuals are interred using a unique form of corpse preservation known as cementation.  Essentially bodies were encased in cement for years, and the “watery portions” of the body would be absorbed, leaving behind a well preserved body  along with a perfect cast of the original corpse.   The story behind this is fascinating and the inventor (and I'm not joking here), Judge Theodore Graves Hulett was quite the kook.  But I digress!   Offerings were presented at this island by the Iroquois, that is true.  But no sacrifice or anything sinister was involved.  More along the lines of gifts and presents.   Goat Island!  Not demonic, though a part of H.G. Well's 1908 novel The War in the Air is set on Goat Island.  During the novel the United States is iinvaded by Imperial Germany and the protagonist is left stranded on the island with two German soldiers and must fight for survival.  Exciting stuff…but sadly, the origin of its name is much less exciting.    Goat Island is named such because John Stedman, who was an earlier pioneer, kept a heard of goats on the island.  SO…yeah…very descriptive, very literal.  The island officially obtained the  name in 1780 when he returned after a terrible winter to find all but one of his goats dead.  And if you know anything about Western New York winters…wow.  I…yeah.  Niagara Falls can literally freeze in place, that's how cold it can get.    Other than the fact there is a very cool Nikola Tesla monument on the island gifted by the government of Yugoslavia, it's rather unremarkable.  I do have rather flamboyant picture of myself in Daddy Tesla's lap, as I call him, from a few years ago when I scaled the statue.  Shh.  It didn't happen.  I'll slap it up on the gram for you to see.

Mary Frances Gibson, of Richmond, Virginia, passed away on April, 4, 2021. She was preceded in death by her husband, Reverend Vernon E. Gibson, a United States Army WWII Veteran, her father Ralph A. Moody, Sr., mother Cora D. Moody, brothers Ralph A. Moody, Edwin Moody and Clarence Reginald Moody. She is survived by her son Vernon E. Gibson, Jr., daughter Deborah Heidemann, seven grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren. Mrs. Gibson was a member of the Fairmount Christian Church. Services will be held by her graveside at the Oakwood Cemetery on, Nine Mile Rd. on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, at 10:00AM....Article LinkSupport the show (http://henricocitizen.com/contribute)

Lets take a trip to Spartanburg South Cackalakey to Oakwood Cemetery also known as Hells Gate. One of the oldest cemetery in South Carolina and one of the most haunted area in the state. This cemetery is known for its ghost and its satanic rituals. Then we travel down to Charleston, good ole Charleston. There, there is a wonderful place where criminals tend to check in and sometime never check out. The old Charleston jail housed all types of criminals but the one she is most known for is Lavinia Fisher. The first female serial killer that Charleston has had the pleasure of housing. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/appSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tommyboyproduction/support

On this episode I discuss the history of the Hatheway family. As there are many to claim their family mansion was haunted for years up until its demolishing in 2005. People have also claimed they’ve seen members of the Hatheway family walk amongst the Oakwood Cemetery at night. Where the family burial plot is located. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Love is in the air! OR buried beneath the soil! Join Jennie and Dianne as they visit Layton Cemetery in the town of Blackpool in Lancashire, England and Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina. Both of these cemeteries hold the remains of star-crossed lovers and their stories are retold in this episode. We are very grateful to Deborah Contessa Hargreaves and Jennifer Aaron for allowing us to use their writings for this episode.  Come along as we share these ordinary, extraordinary love stories just in time for Valentine's Day!

Historian and author Richard Bailey reminisces about the thirty-six years of tours he has led in Montgomery, many of the tours led with the late historian Mary Ann Neeley. For Black History Month, he talks with In Focus host Carolyn Hutcheson about the tours he will lead of Oakwood Cemetery on Feb. 20 and Lincoln Cemetery on Feb. 27, sponsored by Landmarks Foundation.

I interview Dale Flatt with Save Austin Cemeteries, a non-profit dedicated to preserving Austin's historical cemeteries and promoting their educational and cultural value. I also interview Jennifer Chenoweth, the Museum site coordinator for Oakwood Cemetery, Austin’s oldest historic cemetery. She shares current and future programming offered at Oakwood, as well as a bit of Austin history.

When we look at haunted graveyards, we have many questions. Why are there ghosts or at least, unexplained things happening in cemeteries? Can we find answers in the history? In the stories? We're up to episode 14 of these haunted cemeteries and I don't know that I'm any closer to answers. One thing that is very clear though, is that cemeteries are very important! Join me as we explore Elkhart Cemetery in Illinois, Dawson Cemetery in New Mexico, Lone Fir Cemetery in Oregon, Spider Gate Cemetery in Massachusetts and Oakwood Cemetery in Texas! Moment in Oddity features the Mysterious Stone Monuments of Markawasi, Peru and This Month in History features King William II dies by accident or assassination. Check out the website: http://historygoesbump.com Show notes can be found here: https://historygoesbump.blogspot.com/2019/08/hgb-ep-306-haunted-cemeteries-14.html Become an Executive Producer: http://patreon.com/historygoesbump The following music is from https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/: "Vanishing" by Kevin MacLeod (Moment in Oddity) "In Your Arms" by Kevin MacLeod (This Month in History) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) All other music licensing: PODCASTMUSIC.COM License Synchronization, Mechanical, Master Use and Performance Direct License for a Single Podcast Series under current monthly subscription. Zombie Cemetery by 5Alarm Music Sad Day by 5Alarm Music

Oakwood Cemetery is the home to around 23,000 graves. These were the builders of Austin, Texas; and some haven't left our world just yet. 

On this week's episode of the Into the Fire podcast series, Jerry is joined by veteran actor, Burning Coal Theatre company member, and director of this year's series of Oakwood Cemetery plays, George Jack!

On this podcast from Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh North Carolina, we go beyond the obituary to share memories of loved ones who have passed on. We'll also hear from some people in the death industry - hospital chaplains, therapists, clergy, and (like today's guest) cemetery directors. Robin Simonton, executive director of Historic Oakwood Cemetery in downtown Raleigh NC, is so passionate about the history of the cemetery and of the 25,000+ people who are buried there. On the show today, she talks about that history (and shares some amazing stories!), societal norms of funerals, the Death Letter Project which commemorates Oakwood's 150th anniversary, what exactly Green Burial is, and so much more. In addition to being the cemetery director, Robin is a speaker and author, and co-wrote "Historic Oakwood Cemetery", which you can find at Quail Ridge or Amazon. Historic Oakwood Cemetery Raleigh NC Robin Simonton, Executive Director of Historic Oakwood Cemetery   Robin mentioned a few stories of people buried at Oakwood, including: Bobby Crocker Myrtle Hilton Rachel Blythe Burning Coal Theatre Company will be at Oakwood May 17th-19th, and you can find more information and buy tickets on their website! Renaissance Funeral Home and Historic Oakwood co-host Death Cafe. For more information on what exactly Death Cafe is, and when and where to attend, check out the Renaissance Funeral Home Facebook Page. Beyond the Obituary is hosted, edited, and produced by Jason Gillikin for Earfluence.

In part two of Colin's interview with Steve Bassett, the two talk about Steve's career after the success of "Sweet Virginia Breeze." In the late 70s, Steve began writing jingles and working with session musicians across the country. He talks about meeting and touring with Delbert McClinton, opening for Steve Ray Vaughan and B. B. King, touring with Willie Nelson, and recording for Columbia Records in Muscle Shoals with Jerry Wexler and the Muscle Shoals band the Swampers (featuring Dave Hood, bass player and father of Drive-By Truckers's Patterson Hood). Also, Steve and Colin talk about Johnny Cash, getting old in the music industry, and how things tend to come "full circle." It's another hour of music talk!  In the intro, Colin talks about his visit to Oakwood Cemetery, home of 17,000 Confederate graves.

Join us this week for an hour of paranormal talk...and so much more. This week we will discuss our short trip Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, NY. We visited the grave of "Uncle Sam" and did a brief spirit box session. You never know who will call in and chat. Tune in. Call in. Share your thoughts. Share your experiences. Let's get weird.   Devils Hour Paranormal came about after a discussion between two friends, Amy and Christi. After months of going back and forth with the idea, Devils Hour Paranormal was formed in early 2017. This is just the beginning. Join us every week for paranormal talk - and so much more. Facebook: Devil's Hour Paranormal Instagram: @devilshourparanormal Twitter: @devilshourpara Email: devilshourparanormal@gmail.com Happy Hunting!

What do cemeteries and museums have in common? Join the discussion this week as Robin Simonton Executive Director of the Oakwood Cemetery explains the history of cemeteries, their role in community building and the variety of innovative programming that they offer. Robin is just one of the authors featured in Cemetery Tours and Programs by Rachel Wolgemeth available through Routledge Publishers.

Fisher opens the show following up on last week's appearance by Susan Snyder who "planted her family flag" with a personal website devoted to her family that has attracted numerous other descendants, including Fisher himself. Both Fisher and Susan were delighted to receive an email from a Cincinnati listener who ties into three ancestral couples shared by both Fisher and Susan. David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist for the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org then talks about his experience at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference. He also shares news of the discovery of newly developed negatives of a World War I pilot killed in action in 1918. Where did the negatives come from and what do they show? David will tell you. David then jumps to the recent recognition of another aged World War II pilot who was known for more than just his military prowess. Wait until you hear what it is! Then there's word that BBC Scotland is looking for you if you had Scottish ancestors in Nova Scotia. David has all the particulars. David's Tip this week concerns a new app that allows you to snap a pic and have it go out as an old fashioned post card! He'll also have another great free guest user database from NEHGS. Next, Fisher talks to genealogical speaker, researcher, and writer Loretta Evans about "circumstantial evidence" in genealogy. How is it defined exactly and how can it help you "nail down" the line you're researching. Loretta has some great insight and advice. Fisher then visits with Bill Habermann of Tacoma, Washington. Bill has "adopted" over 1,600 people... all dead... in an overgrown local cemetery, and he's doing all he can to let you know who they are. What got Bill started on this and what has the response been? You'll love the story. Then Tom Perry from TMCPlace.com returns to talk preservation. Tom answers a listener question from South Carolina about using a national digitizing firm because no one provides the service locally. As usual, Tom has some great thoughts on protecting your most important family history assets. That's all this week on Extreme Genes, America's Family History Show!   Transcript of Episode 156 Segment 1 Episode 156 (00:30) Fisher: And welcome to Extreme Genes! This is America’s Family History Show. My name is Fisher. I am the Radio Roots Sleuth, on the program where we shake your family tree, and watch the nuts fall out. Nice to have you along today. We’ve got some great guests. First of all coming up in about eight or nine minutes we’re going to talk to Loretta Evans. And Loretta talks about the use of “circumstantial evidence” when you’re trying to put together your family tree. How do you know that it’s really good enough? What can you use it for? She’s going to have that for you coming up a little bit later on. After that, we’re going to talk to Bill Habermann he is up in the Seattle, Tacoma area, and he has adopted 1,600 people. All dead. In a cemetery! And you can do the same kind of thing. He’ll tell you what he’s doing and how he’s helping people all around the country, in fact around the world, find some of their missing relatives in the Washington State area. But right now, let me get on to Boston and my good friend David Allen Lambert. He is the Chief Genealogist for the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org, fresh back from the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference in Springfield, Illinois. How are you David? David: I’m doing good. It’s nice to be back on the ground in Beantown. Fisher: I’ll bet. And you had a good time there? David: We had a great time. And I want to let people know who go to conferences, no matter where it is, don’t be ashamed of wearing a lot of ribbons on your badge. Fisher: Really? Yours is practically like a loin cloth when you’re out there. [Laughs] David: Well I like to say maybe a shawl. [Laughs] Fisher: [Laughs] David: I had thirty-two ribbons on it and when I went to the Federation of Genealogical Societies gala’s 40th anniversary dinner, they had trivia and they also had a scavenger hunt. Fisher: Um hmm. David: 150 points for the longest badge put us over the top! Fisher: [Laughs] David: Myself and Mary Tedesco from Genealogical Roadshow, one of our friends and guests, all won over a thousand dollars in memberships and conference registrations and meals, we’re very, very happy. Fisher: Wow! David: So, laughing my way to the bank for the longest name badge at the Federation of Genealogical Societies and I’d do it again. Fisher: [Laughs] Unbelievable. I’ve got to tell you a story. Last week we had Susan Snyder on the show and she is the lady that set up a website and we talked about it, we did the whole segment about planting your family flag basically out there for people to find you and provide you with materials, and she’s had Bible pages sent to her and things relating to her direct ancestors. Things folks sold her or gave to her. She found me because we’re related. Well we had her on the show, and then the next day she gets a nice email from a guy, a listener in Cincinnati, Ohio, who said, “Hey, we’re related to!” and so now she’s exchanging information with him and I just love the way the show brings people together. David: It’s amazing. Just last week I got a person who has an oil painting of my third great grandfather’s sister born in 1772, and he was not really sure if his family will want it. So I told him I would give her a good home. Fisher: Yeah [Laughs] great! Wow. Hopefully you get that and when you do, send us the picture. We’d all love to see it. David: Hopefully it will be in my home some day. But I don’t want to wish him to meet his maker any time soon of course. [Laughs] Fisher: Of course. Hey what do you have for us today in our Family Histoire news, David? David: Well, the exciting story that I want to start off with is actually about photographs taken a hundred years ago by Captain William Chambers of the 49th Squadron in Kent, England. He was a recognisance photographer in World War I and was shot down in 1918 at the ripe old age of twenty-one. His camera and negatives eventually were passed on to his nephew who recent had them developed. It’s amazing! There are pictures of airplanes and pilots and people that have long since passed. But it gives us another fresh view on history from World War I a century later. Fisher: That’s incredible. What a great story. David: It really is. And I want to propose a toast to the subject of this next story. Second Lieutenant Donald Stinson now aged 93, received four Bronze Stars for his service in World War II, involving bringing guns and men and flying them to the front lines in Japan during the war. But one of the things he did, which is a light hearted note, he is responsible for bringing beer. Fisher: What? [Laughs] David: Twenty thousand cases of beer to thirsty soldiers in multiple “packiruns” if you will, to Australia and New Guinea. And I think that anyone who is a veteran could probably drink to that. Fisher: Wow, that’s great! Congratulations to him. That’s like the second week in a row we’ve had a story of a World War II vet in their 90s just getting their medals now. What is going on? David: It’s about time. It really is. Well I’ll tell you, going back a little ways to the days of immigration and to the east coast, Nova Scotia, which means New Scotland was settled by many people from the Highlands. In 1773 a vessel called “The Hector” brought 189 highlanders that disembarked and were changed in Nova Scotia forever. Now, BBC in Scotland is looking for the descendants. So if your ancestor came to Nova Scotia from Scotland perhaps on the Hector in 1773, there are passenger lists that exist, contact BBC in Scotland. Just check Extreme Genes.com. Our Facebook page will have more details for you. Fisher: That’s very cool. So the people from old Scotland are looking for the descendants of the people in New Scotland, Nova Scotia, to call back home. David: To old Scotland. Fisher: Yeah. David: New Scotland, old Scotland, it gets confusing. But BBC Scotland is obviously doing a little piece on it, so put your kilt on and go and contact them. Fisher: [Laughs] David: One of the things that I really enjoy is a good tip from a listener, and one of our listeners and someone who’s been on the show is the Photo Detective Maureen Taylor. Fisher: Yes. David: While I was in Springfield, she told me about a new type of app that she uses from the app store. There’s a variety of choices to choose from but it basically allows you to send a postcard. Take a picture with your smart phone, this company, for very cheap money, will print and mail mailable postcards for you for your relatives. So the old photo postcards you might have in your family archives, you can create new ones. Fisher: How cool is that! David: It really is. So that brings me to the NEHGS guest user database of the week which harkens back to Scotland again. We now have Scotland marriages 1561 to 1910 and Scotland births and baptisms from 1564 to 1950, in conjunction with our partnership with FamilySearch.org. Well that’s all I have for this week back here in Beantown. Talk to you soon my friend! Fisher: All right, great to talk to you again as always David. We’ll talk to you again next week. This segment of our show has been brought to you from MyHeritage.com. And coming up next, we’re going to talk to a woman named Loretta Evans. And Loretta is an instructor, she’s a researcher, and she’s got some thoughts on “circumstantial evidence.” Now, we hear people talk about it in the courtroom... does circumstantial evidence really prove a case? Well, in genealogy it actually can. And she’ll give you some examples of that and give you some other thoughts coming up in three minutes on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show. Segment 2 Episode 156 (11:10) Host: Scott Fisher with guest Loretta Evans Fisher: One of my favorite shows growing up was Perry Mason. And, Perry would get into heated battle in the courtroom with the prosecutor, Hamilton Burger. “Ham Burger” was what he was called. And they’d say, “Well, Mr Mason, that’s just circumstantial evidence!” And that’s what we’re going to talk about today. When it comes to developing your family history and your family tree, how does circumstantial evidence work in there and does it really matter? Is circumstantial evidence really evidence? It is Fisher. This is Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show and ExtremeGenes.com. And my guest today is Loretta Evans, and Loretta specializes in researching the midwestern United States, and she speaks all over the place, and she’s written articles for all the big family history magazines. And Loretta’s in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Nice to have you on the show, Loretta! Loretta: Thank you. I’m glad to be here. Fisher: You know, I’m excited about this idea of helping people understand that circumstantial evidence really is evidence, and in some cases is very, very strong evidence. So let’s just start with some simple examples of what circumstantial evidence is that we may typically use all the time, right? Loretta: Right. For example, if you have a census record, and you have someone’s age, it isn’t proof of the year they were born. It gives you an approximate year they were born. Fisher: That’s right. Loretta: But it’s sort of depends on who gave the information out. If it was the mother, and this is the child, they’re pretty sure about the age of their children. But if it was a neighbor or a grandparent, they may be a few years off. Or if somebody had a reason to lie, a lot of women lied about their age in censuses, so you can’t. Fisher: I am so glad you said that! Because it’s not something that I can easily say, Loretta! [Laughs] But it is true. For some reason, more with women than anybody else, I’m just sorry, it’s just the way it is. They get younger as they get older! Have you picked up on that? Loretta: I have. In fact, somebody told me, but it may or may not be true, that someone had done a study of British censuses and they found that the average British woman aged about seven years between the ten year census records! Fisher: [Laughs] Loretta: And you know, in a sense if you want someone’s more accurate age, find them when they’re very young or very old. Fisher: Yeah, that’s right. Loretta: And they’re more likely to be honest about it. Fisher: Yeah. [Laughs] Absolutely! Well that’s a great example of circumstantial evidence. Give us some examples though, of course, of direct evidence. Just for the sake of comparison. Loretta: Okay. For direct evidence, on a death certificate, usually the person’s name, their gender, the date they died, the place they died, those are all directly given by the doctor in charge or the person who is giving the information. You can be very comfortable about those pieces of information. Fisher: Right, as long as the people really knew what they were talking about. Loretta: Correct. But for example, the birth date on a death certificate is a little bit suspect. Fisher: Right. Loretta: If it’s a baby that dies and the mother gives the information, yeah, I’d be very comfortable with that. But I had a great grandfather who died in Cleveland, Ohio in about 1900, and I’m thinking he was living in a boarding house because they got his name wrong, they got his birth place wrong, they got his age wrong. It took us a long time to convince the city of Cleveland that he really was the same person. Fisher: [Laughs] Loretta: And that we could put a headstone on his grave. Fisher: And so what you’re saying is, for a death, a death certificate is direct evidence. But a death certificate is circumstantial as far as their birth is concerned? Loretta: That’s true. Or their parents names or their parents’ birth places, they’re wonderful clues. Fisher: Yes. Loretta: And so, if you are a researcher, you take those clues and then you try to find other documents that can prove or disprove that piece of information. And then you can be more comfortable whether it’s accurate or not. I think any evidence in genealogy is accurate until the next piece of information comes along that might prove or disprove it. Fisher: Right. Loretta: Somebody said it was like washing dishes. You’re all done, and then somebody walks in with another dirty glass. Fisher: [Laughs] Wow. That’s not very attractive at all. Loretta: [Laughs] I’m sorry. That image is, you know, you think you’re done, and then somebody gives you additional information that might even call into question what you think is accurate. Fisher: Sure. Loretta: I had two brothers. One born in 1944 and one born in 1950, and they both died at birth. And they were both born on July 12th. And in our family that was this kind of a “tender mercy.” “Oh, they had the same birth date.” And when the cemetery records came online, my older brother Ralph was listed as having been born on July 11th. Fisher: Oh boy. Loretta: And it was in the family Bible. There were no birth or death certificates because they were stillborn. They’re on the headstone. They carved it on the stone. Fisher: [Laughs] Right. Loretta: They forgot it being July 12th. And my mother didn’t really care, and my brother didn’t care, but it drove me crazy. And, I finally got my mother’s hospital records because some mortuary records didn’t exist anymore, and she was in her 90s and she just sighed and signed the permission slip. “Yes, you can release my hospital records from 1944.” Fisher: [Laughs] Loretta: Anyway, I got it from a place in California that had taken all of the records and they were sold there. Anyway, the hospital actually was in Utah. But he was born on July 11th. The headstone is wrong, our family Bible is wrong. Although they were born close to the same day it wasn’t exactly the same day. Fisher: Yeah. I’ve seen this before. We have a family Bible that gives the death date of my great, great grandfather, and even the obituary said December 26th 1875. But the death record said December 27th. And it appears that what happened was that he died at home, late in the evening on the 26th, but the doctor probably didn’t show up till after midnight, because the death time was put down as 12:30 in the morning. Or, they just didn’t recognize that it was a new day, at the point that he’d passed. Loretta: You know, that kind of thing happens. My uncle was born near midnight at home, and nobody looked at the clock until after he was born, but he could have been born before midnight. Nobody ever really knows. They chose one of the days and put it on the birth certificate. Fisher: Here’s another sample of a circumstantial situation that came up. I tracked down a third great grandmother, and I was very fortunate that somebody had actually been able to come up with a family Bible that put her in the family. And, it was from this very same area, so I was pretty confident. But still, how could I know for sure that she was the only person of that name from that area? And so, circumstantial evidence often involves eliminating other possibilities. I think you’d agree. Loretta: Oh, very definitely. You not only have to try to find evidence proving what you have, but you’ve got to look for are there any other possibilities that this could be, and can you prove or disprove those other possibilities. Fisher: And one of the things that’s really helpful now with circumstantial evidence, and when you have a case like this... DNA. And I was very fortunate that suddenly I found a person matching me in DNA who descended from the brother of the person I thought it to be, from a grandfather of the person I thought it to be, and a great grandfather of the person I thought it to be. Which I felt was very good confirming evidence of this otherwise circumstantial case. Loretta: That is excellent. Yeah. Fisher: So you put these things all together and then you get the confirmation, several times hopefully, from DNA. And then you can put together your case and you know, “Hey, wait a minute, I’ve got something here I can be confident in.” And that’s maybe at the point where you can publish it or put it online and share it with other people. I don’t know how you feel about it, Loretta. I like to put things together first of all on my own, keep it to myself, until I’m really, really confident in what I’ve got before I really share it. Because, as we know, once something goes public, if you’re wrong, it will take on a life of its own and live for years and years and years. And it’s really difficult ever to get rid of it. Loretta: Oh, that is definitely true. There are two major places where people put pedigrees. FamilySearch.org, another is Ancestry. The difference is that Ancestry keeps each person’s pedigree separate. Fisher: Yep. Loretta: Where FamilySearch combines everything. And your cousin could come along and change things in a while. So yes, you do want to be pretty comfortable with what you’re putting out there before you submit it. Because you could take two people who live in the same area, who have similar names and make them into one person, and make it very, very difficult in years to come for somebody to separate those two individuals. Fisher: Yeah, that’s the problem. So, that’s why it’s really important to work the negative side. Try to disprove that it’s the person as well as trying to prove it. And maybe get a little DNA help as well. And at the end, your circumstantial evidence can really prove your case. Loretta: One example we had about somebody walking in with another dirty glass... Fisher: [Laughs] Loretta: ...where we had a photograph that was of this woman who had died in Winter Quarters, Iowa. And, my husband and I visited a distant cousin one evening and she had another copy of the photograph. But it was a larger copy and somebody had copied the name of the photography studio as well as the image, and this picture was taken by Ottinger’s in Salt Lake City, Utah. Well, the woman couldn’t have died in Winter Quarters and had her picture taken in Ottinger’s in Salt Lake City because he wasn’t in business at that time. Fisher: Right. Loretta: And he was half a continent away. Fisher: Yeah! Loretta: And so, we concluded that it was the step grandmother rather than the grandmother that was in the picture. Fisher: Interesting. Well, there you go. Always making a few adjustments along the way, right? Loretta: Oh, absolutely. And, any genealogist who is afraid that somebody is going to disprove all the things they’ve worked so hard for isn’t really open enough to be a really good genealogist. Fisher: The experts are often wrong. And the best ones will go back and correct their own errors. Clean up their own mess and wash their own glasses, right? [Laughs] Loretta: [Laughs] There you go. Fisher: Hey, Loretta, delight to talk to you today. Loretta Evans, she’s in Idaho Falls, Idaho, talking about circumstantial evidence. Is it real? Is it good? Can you use it? The answer is yes! Thanks so much for coming on. Loretta: I’ve enjoyed it very much. Thank you. Fisher: And this segment has been brought to you by 23andMe.com DNA. And coming up next, we’ll talk to a Washington State man who has adopted 1,600 people. They’re all dead! They’re in a cemetery! He’s getting the word out about who they are, and you’re going to want to hear his story in five minutes. Segment 3 Episode 156 (24:50) Host: Scott Fisher with guest Bill Habermann Fisher: Welcome back to Extreme Genes, America's Family History Show and ExtremeGenes.com. It is Fisher here, the Radio Roots Sleuth, and part of my sleuthing has to do with tracking down people with interesting stories that I know might interest you. And this is a guy who I think is inspiring a lot of people around the country since his story broke recently in the Tacoma News Tribune. His name is Bill Habermann. And Bill, you work for a funeral company, yes? Bill: I do. Piper, Marley, Malinger and Oakwood are all tied together as one funeral home. Fisher: And yet, this all spills over into your hobby, as it turns out. You found a cemetery out in the middle of nowhere. I guess it's been grown over, and you've kind of adopted it. Tell us about this. Bill: Well, back in the 1880s when the Northern Pacific Railroad came out west and put a terminus here in Tacoma, they gave about 56 acres to the city for a cemetery. And back in those days, folks didn't want the cemeteries near the town, and so it ended up being out in the sticks, kind of. Well, then that cemetery became Old Tacoma Cemetery and was divided up into three parcels. One stayed as Old Tacoma Cemetery, or Tacoma Cemetery, somehow, and I haven't been able to find out how a portion of about eight acres became Oakwood Cemetery, and then off to the side of the two cemeteries. There are two acres that became the county's pauper cemetery. Fisher: And that kind of got overgrown and forgotten, apparently. Bill: Well, yes. And I gave tours of Oakwood several times, and people would ask me during the tour, "Well, what is that on the other side of the fence? I see a few headstones there, but it's pretty much just grass." And then I said, "Well, that's the county's cemetery which was closed in 1927, and there really aren't a lot of records around for it." Fisher: Now why is that? Bill: Well, I think back in the early days people just were not so record conscious as they are now. And either that or they wrote on a slip of paper and thought, "Well, I'll put it in the book sometime." And it didn't happen. Or the county said, "Well, it's up to the funeral homes to take care of the records because they're putting the bodies into the cemetery." They were each paid $4.50 per burial. So some of the cemetery records probably are just lost totally with the county, but I was fortunate enough to have the records for Piper Funeral Home which started here in 1908, and Malinger which started here in 1883. Fisher: They merged at one point. Bill: Well, they merged at one point, yeah. And then what I did, I just got curious and I looked up the folks who had some headstones and found some of them in our records and started putting that down. Somebody said, "Why don't you put this on FindAGrave because people might want to look up somebody." And I thought, "Oh, okay." And I started doing that and then going through all the ledgers here, I just came up with 1,600 folks that are... Fisher: Wow! 1600? Bill: Yeah. And that was at the time Karen did the article. Now I'm up to 1,626. Fisher: [Laughs] Of course. There's always progress. Now, would you find the names in the ledgers first? Or would you find the tombstones first and then try to track them down in the ledgers? Bill: Well, the initial 15 headstones or so, I looked for them in the ledgers, but then I just started with page one of the Piper book and looked through every page, a page at a time, and if I saw $4.50, that was a first give away that it was somebody that went into the pauper's cemetery. Fisher: Interesting. So it didn't mention the cemetery, it was the price that gave it away? Bill: Yeah, it's the price that always gets me to the page, right. Fisher: Oh, that's fascinating. So when did you start this project, and what has kept you going, and how often do you go there? Bill: Well, I started doing in on FindAGrave about six years ago. The people who own or are in control of the cemetery really don't want folks walking around in there, because several of the graves are sunk in pretty badly, because folks were put into wooden boxes and into concrete grave liners. So they tend to like to leave it looking a little rough, as it said in the newspaper article, so that everybody isn't cramming around in there looking for things. The headstones even are in such disarray sort of that I have not been able to figure out even the rows or the blocks or the plot numbers, like we have in our cemetery, to locate a specific person. And some of those folks might not even be anywhere near the headstone that's standing there. Fisher: Right. So the tombstone itself is the giveaway of who's in there, but you just don't know where the grave itself might be? Bill: Yes, right. Fisher: Wow. Bill: And some of them face east and west, and some of them face north and south, and some of them look like they could be in a row, but others have been marked just set kind of whacky. There are two Japanese headstones there that face no particular direction, you know, they're kind of out in the middle of nowhere. Those two fascinated me because periodically when I'd look over the fence I would see fresh flowers put on those two graves, and they're back from the early 1900s, and sometimes there would be small food offerings there also at those two graves. I haven't seen anything there for the last two years, but somebody was coming in there and still honoring their deceased family members. Fisher: That's amazing. Now, what have you learned about the people that are buried in there? Have you found some unusual or interesting stories about them? Bill: Yeah. There is one fellow that still kind of plagues me. His name is Taggart, and his story is sort of interesting in that he was a well known supposedly wealthy person here to Tacoma back in the early 1900s. And sad to say, his wife became insane and went to the hospital for the insane. While he, in the mean time, lost all his money, regained some money, lost it again, ended up living at the poor farm, and apparently he decided to try to commit suicide by cutting his throat with a straight razor. Well, the hospital saved him, but then ultimately shortly after, he died of pneumonia, which got a lot of people back in those days. Fisher: Sure. Bill: His headstone looks like a military headstone. I checked in the Civil War records and there are so many Patrick Taggards that I kind of lost track of did he really deserve a military headstone. But it's not carved in the way of any military headstones that I've ever found online. So he's kind of a curiosity for me. I really would like to get him a new headstone if he is military, but again, I almost run into a brick wall. Fisher: Sure. And that's the problem with common names, of course. So what about families? Have other families reached out to you from near and far to say, "Hey, you found my person I've been looking for!" Bill: Yes. I've gotten some thank you letters from folks, and on FindAGrave, they can correspond back and forth with me, and so they have thanked me and some folks have sent me information to add into my book. There's an infant that died I think age about three weeks, and the family didn't know whether the child was buried. They were so happy to find where the child was, and they sent me a copy of the baptism certificate for this infant. Although that's the only existing document there is, other than the fact that the child is somewhere in those two acres. Fisher: So, what about restoration of the cemetery? You're allowed in there and you're saying others are not, is there any interest in that on behalf of the owners or on the part of the owners to do this? Bill: I don't think so because it probably would be very costly, first of all, to mould the place and keep the grass looking nice, because here in summer everything turns yellow and dries up. The cemetery that they do own, Old Tacoma, is watered all the time with underground sprinklers, and they have their own wells, but I'm sure that they are not interested in spending probably thousands and thousands of dollars to make the cemetery look presentable. Fisher: You would think that people would have to adopt it, I guess, the descendants of those who are in there, if that was ever going to happen, right? Bill: Yeah. And because it's privately owned by Tacoma Cemetery, I don't think that they could even work that. It kind of would be a real conundrum. Fisher: Sure. He's Bill Habermann. He's a funeral director in Tacoma, Washington, and he has adopted his own cemetery up there and is getting the information he's finding up on FindAGrave. Bill, thank you so much for doing this! And I'm sure you're inspiring others who might want to take on the same kind of project wherever they are. Bill: I hope so. And thanks for the call! Fisher: Hey, this segment of our show has been brought to you by LegacyTree.com. And coming up next, we'll talk preservation with Tom Perry from TMCPlace.com. It's time to be getting ready for the holidays. He's got more great advice, coming up for you in three minutes on Extreme Genes, America's Family History Show. Segment 4 Episode 156 (37:10) Host: Scott Fisher with guest Tom Perry Fisher: And welcome back to Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show and ExtremeGenes.com. It Is Fisher here, your Radio Roots Sleuth with my good friend Tom Perry from TMCPlace.com. He is our Preservation Authority. And Tom, good to have you back. Tom: Good to be here. Fisher: And we do have an email here from Richard Halter, and I believe it’s pronounced Sharon, South Carolina. And he said, “Fisher and Tom, I saw this ad on Facebook and my mind immediately jumped to all I’ve learned from your shows.” Now, he sent us a link to another digitizing firm that’s national. And he said, “My first thought was that they’re not going to do everything that Tom says to look for when getting your products digitized. And the same time though, I live in an area where there isn’t anything available other than big box stores which I don’t even like. Would you recommend something like this store as an option for someone who just wants to get the media digitized? I can do pictures and I’ve played with audio as well as slides and negatives and I’m getting better. I can also take video and convert it from DVD, CD and all this, as long as I can get it to the PC to work on. I’m not a professional to say the least, but I do the best I can and I’m getting better as I go. I’m a very big proponent of getting all of these memories digitized and I’d like to give people some options for things I cannot complete yet. Your loyal listener, Richard.” Tom: That’s a great email that you’ve sent us. You know, there’s a lot of things in here that are really great. I love how you want to get all your stuff digitized. You’re trying to do as much as you can which we really advocate, and then some of the things of course you can’t do. Now this place that you mentioned, I can’t really say whether they’re good or bad because I’ve asked listeners in the past, if you have good experiences with places whether they’re local or national let us know. If you have bad experiences locally or national, let us know also so that we can warn people or encourage people to go to these places. This is one that I’ve never received any information on. I’ve checked out the website, it seems legit and everything looks nice, beautiful website. They’re about the middle to high end which sometimes is good, sometimes it’s bad. Because most of the time when you see these real cheap things, you’re getting what you pay for, and it’s not very good. So they have a fair price, the price is a little higher than what we charge on our online store. But if it’s closer to you and you feel more comfortable doing it, what I would do is, always start with the smallest package kind of as a test drive and see if you’re happy with what they do. And then of course send in all your other stuff and if you’re happy let us know. Fisher: Sure. Right. And testing is a key thing. And I would imagine, aren’t there ratings involved with this somewhere online that he could check out? Tom: You know, there really should be, and I’ve thought about this before getting out there and doing some experiments with some of these different places and actually go in and give them multi-star ratings. So that’s something we’re looking at maybe in 2017, we might actually come out with a rating system. But we really need our listeners to let us know where they’ve had good experiences and bad experiences. And let us know places that they’ve used so that we can maybe start doing a rating system. I really encourage you use local places as much as you want. Use national places if you find out they’re good. You can go to shop.TMCPlace.com and get our prices. And usually if people are close to what our prices are they’re probably legit because they’re doing the right thing. If they’re way below, I say stay away. It’s not worth it. I’ve run into so much product places like that. Fisher: That’s the thing. This is not the kind of thing you really want to price shop on so much. I mean, if it’s too cheap to be true, it’s probably too cheap to be true, Tom. Tom: That is so true! [Laughs] Fisher: [Laughs] Tom: Yeah, you need to be careful. One thing that I really advocate that I think is really, really important which we have never gone into because I don’t like it. A lot of transfer places, they use high speed. So instead of like a VHS tape taking two hours to transfer, they can transfer it in 15 to 20 minutes because they’re doing it high speed which reduces your fidelity. Fisher: Of course. Tom: You know if it didn’t do that everybody would be doing it. We would do it. We could drop our prices way down. However, we wouldn’t be giving our clients the quality that they want. You know, if you’re in a situation where money is really, really tight and it’s that or nothing. It’s still scary, because I have people who come in to me and say, “Hey, we sent it to this place online that’s really cheap. We didn’t get our stuff back. Or it came back really bad. They told us our tape is bad.” And then we had to go and “undo” what the other people did. Fisher: All right. Well, what do we have coming up in the next segment here, Tom? Tom: We’re going to talk about some scanning parties we’re planning. Fisher: All right, we’ll get to that in about three minutes. This segment has been brought to you by Forever.com. And if you have a question for Tom Perry you can always write to him at AskTom@TMCPlace.com and you might get to hear your question answered on the air. From Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show. Segment 5 Episode 156 (44:20) Host: Scott Fisher with guest Tom Perry Fisher: And we are back, final segment of Extreme Genes, America's Family History Show and ExtremeGenes.com, Preservation Time with Tom Perry from TMCPlace.com. Tom, you were just talking about a scanning party you've got coming up. And let's just explain to people first of all what a scanning party is. Tom: Okay. It’s a lot of fun. It’s not a MRI or CRT or anything like that. Fisher: [Laughs] Right. Tom: What we do is, we scan your photographs. So this is where anybody can bring in one of those sterilight 16 quart shoeboxes with the lid on. Fisher: Yeah. [Laughs] Tom: And you can pack it with your 3x3 up to 8x10 non-damaged, non-mounted, loose photos, and we can scan the whole box for you for twenty five bucks. Fisher: Wow! Tom: So it's an absolute killer deal. Fisher: And fast too, right? Tom: Oh yeah! Oh yeah! It's really fast! It’s amazing! But that's why they can't be mounted or anything like that. They need to be all organized. If you have multiple sizes, just organize your sizes together. And bring your own thumb drive. And there's no additional charge. If you want, we have 16GB flash drives for only ten bucks. Fisher: Now where are you going to be doing this? Tom: The first one we are doing is November 11th and 12th in Midway, Utah. That's kind of up in the mountains, a beautiful ski resort area. Fisher: Wow! That's going to be great. Okay, so you have a location there. Tom: Right. Fisher: So people who would be in the Utah area would go where in Midway? Tom: It’s going to be at the Homestead Resort. It’s all part of the FamilyHistoryExpos.com convention that they're having, those two days which we talked about, about a month ago. So if you want to sign up for the convention, you can come in and do that. You can come in for the scanning party. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Remember, it needs to be up to 8x10 and it’s got to be in sterilight box with the lid on. No great big posters. We won't be able to do anything like that at this time. Fisher: All right, but you can do stuff that's small, very small. Tom: Oh yeah! We can go all the way down to 3x3 as long as they're in good condition. And if you have some pictures that are starting to fade and things like that, don't think, "Oh, I can't do these." No, this is a good time to do your faded ones, because we're going to stop them from fading anymore. We'll give you a digitized copy of all of them. And then whether you want to do it next week or next year or ten years from now, you'll have the high definition file that you can go in and do color correction. Or if you say, "Hey, this is over my head. I don't want to be involved in it." You can email it back to us and then we can do the color correction as well. Fisher: Now what kind of dpi are we talking about? Tom: It’s usually about 1200 dpi. Fisher: Oh that's good! Tom: Oh yeah! It’s a really high dpi. Fisher: It’s solid, yeah. So I've done this recently, of course, I've gone ahead, all of my old home movies and videos digitized. So I've got like 110 of them on disk. I don't even know what's on them all, because I didn't even know what was on the videos when I gave them to you in the first place. The joy of it, though, is I can take them one at a time, maybe one a week, right, and transfer it in some way and edit it down to just each individual thing. We'll, here's a birthday on this video, that's separate from the time we got to meet Joe DiMaggio over here or something like that. I mean, you can separate them all out. And so, with photographs, it would be much the same. You can digitize them all. And then when you get around to it, you're there. And what a great opportunity this is… Midway, Utah, November 11th? Tom: 11th and 12th, correct. Just go to FamilyHistoryExpos.com and you can sign up for the convention if you want to go to that as well. And just remember, like you just mentioned, it’s good to get this stuff done. And I've even had people tell me that they're going to go on a long trip, so they get videos, photos, all these things scanned, and then they sit in the back with the kids and put the DVD in, and they're sitting there writing notes. So when they're driving down the highway they can sit there and watch the thing, instead of watching Aladdin or something with their kids. They can say, "Oh, yeah, this is grandma." and talk to their kids. And make sure you have your iPhone or a tape recorder running, so when you're explaining all this stuff to your kids, you've got it down. And then later on you can make a slideshow with your narration for your great, great grandkids who will never know you, but they'll be able to hear your voice describing who these people are in the photos, who they are in the videos. It just makes it so nice. Fisher: Boy! What a great idea! And you know, trapping the kids, I love that! [Laughs] Tom: [Laughs] It’s great! We're going to be doing a whole bunch this next year in 2017 working with our Going Postal stores. So we're going to have a lot of fun in 2017. Fisher: All right, Tom. Thanks for dropping by. See you next week. Tom: We'll be there. Fisher: And this segment of the show has been brought to you by FamilySearch.org and RootsMagic.com. Hey, thanks again to our guest, Loretta Evans, for coming on and talking about "circumstantial evidence." Does it really add up? And to Bill Habermann from Washington State, talking about the cemetery he adopted and how you might be able to do something of the same. Hey, and don't forget, if you're going to become your family's family history expert, you need to sign up for our free newsletter, The Weekly Genie. Do it at ExtremeGenes.com or our Facebook page. Talk to you next week. And remember, as far as everyone knows, we're a nice, normal family!

I take a look back at my favorite moments of 2014. It was a good year, and we met a lot of really interesting people. We hear from Cecilia Illesiu of Carolina Ballet, Leo Suarez of The Raleigh Connoisseur, Hopscotch festival co-founder Greg Lowenhagen and design guru Matt Munoz, former Raleigh design officer Mitchell Silver, poet Dorianne Laux, novelist Kim Church, Oakwood Cemetery exec. director Robin Simonton, my friend and colleague Josh Kleinstreuer, filmmaker Neal Hutcheson, and my radio buddy Richie Reno.