Episode 192 - Perfectly Preserved 19th Century Child Found in Back Yard, Identified and Reburied With Dignity

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. Fisher begins, revealing David's growing fan club, from which one member deemed him the "Paul McCartney of genealogy!" Fisher then delves into the ransomware attacks that are currently sweeping the world and gives advice on how to protect your data. (One item: Get rid of XP!) Then Fisher and David talk about a historic Jewish synagogue in New York that was burned by a teenage arsonist this past week. But it wasn't always a synagogue. Hear about Fisher's 19th century family ties to this now lost building. David then talks about a woman who found a 70 year old letter found in a stair in her house, some of the content of that note, and her lengths to find the family it came from. Then, it's another birthday for America's oldest living veteran, Richard Overton. You won't believe how old he is, and to what he attributes his longevity. David's blogger spotlight this week is on the writer who calls herself "Dear Myrtle." Go to blog.dearmyrtle.com, home of "Monday's With Myrt."

Then, Fisher begins his two part visit with Elissa Davey, founder of "Garden of Innocence," an organization dedicated to dignified burials for abandoned children. Elissa talks about the event in the 1990s that brought her to the realization that she needed to start a group to help in these situations. Then, last year, came the situation she never dreamed of. A small casket with windows was found buried in a back yard in San Francisco on the former site of a cemetery. The man who made the find peered through the window and saw the perfectly preserved body of a little girl. From there, the journey of the girl, assigned the name "Miranda Eve," led to Elissa and Garden of Innocence, who not only went about reburying the girl, but also finding her true identity. Elissa describes all that went into both tasks.

Then, Tom Perry from TMCPlace.com, the Preservation Authority talks Viewmasters, 110 negatives, circular negatives, and other unique 1970s era items. Some were commercial (think Yellowstone tours) but some were used to preserve family images. If you have items such as these and want to scan them yourself, Tom will tell you how it's done.

That's all this week on Extreme Genes, America's Family History Show.