Send us Fan Mail

Celebrity culture was born not in Hollywood, but in the inky columns of newspapers, each inch building a new kind of fame. Society pages gave way to syndicated gossip that could rewrite a person’s fate before noon. I trace the rise of gossip columnists as they transformed into entertainment kingmakers, focusing on the trailblazer who set the standard: Louella Parsons. At her height, her name was as powerful as a studio head’s, and her blessing could make or break a career.

We journey with Parsons from small-town Illinois to the bustling streets of Chicago and New York, where she is swept into William Randolph Hearst’s world, a place where publicity, privilege, and allegiance quickly intertwine. I unravel the infamous “yacht incident” and explore why its ripples endure—not just for the drama, but for what it reveals about which stories see daylight, which are hidden, and who ultimately bears the cost. For anyone fascinated by film history, old Hollywood, media ethics, or the origins of celebrity journalism, this is where the threads come together.

Louella and the Eastland Disaster.

Then the thread returns to the 1915 Eastland disaster in Chicago and the way its stories keep slipping out of view. A 1926 trade journal reveals Parsons once covered Eastland families directly, visiting small homes and collecting grief-filled personal histories, a side of her that complicates the “queen of gossip” persona. I added Louella’s connection to the Eastland Disaster to her bio on Wikipedia—a platform that also reminds us that citing sources is essential to preserving history.

If this sparked something for you, subscribe or follow, share the episode with a friend who loves old Hollywood or Chicago history, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Resources:

• "The History of Gossip Columns "Shondaland
• “Louella Parsons.” Wikipedia
• Louella Parsons Show, November 9, 1947. Internet Archive. Accessed April 29, 2026
• Women in Advertising and Journalism,” Editor & Publisher, August 14, 1926, page 34.

Additional Music:

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

Send us Fan Mail

The Eastland disaster struck Chicago in 1915, but the real tragedy unfolded in silence as the stories of its people faded, uncited and forgotten. I am gathering the scattered threads from 1935 newspaper interviews and tracing the digital footprints of four survivors. While today’s online summaries barely scratch the surface, a wealth of details lies hidden: firsthand quotes, obituaries, work records, and the subtle hints that let genealogy work its quiet magic, transforming names into living stories.

We begin with Rose Smoller, whose journey after the Eastland emerges in decades of dedication at Western Electric and her leadership with the Telephone Pioneers of America. Next comes Ethel Stephenson, who recalls the disaster through the sharp lens of childhood, and whose later role as a business methods investigator at Western Electric reveals unexpected glimpses into the dawn of scientific management and the origins of modern systems work. These details breathe life into the past, reminding us that context is what keeps history from dissolving into a mere list of names.

Frank Terdina’s story pulls us into the moment of survival, then propels us through a lifetime devoted to safety and civic duty, his obituary curiously silent about the Eastland. Jennie Turbov’s path, tangled with mismatched immigration records, shifting names, and a puzzling marriage timeline, proves that research thrives even when certainty slips away. The lesson is clear: Question Everything!

If you feel drawn to Chicago history, the Eastland disaster, Western Electric, or the detective work of genealogy and archives, let this be your reminder: the records are still waiting, ready to be brought back into the light.

Subscribe or follow. What’s the last family story you discovered that the official record almost missed?

Resources:

• “The Eastland Disaster—20 Years Ago Next Wednesday: Survivors Recall the Deeds of Heroism,” by Joseph J. Dugan, Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), July 21, 1935, p. 3.
• “Recount Harrowing Scenes: Twenty Years Ago Today-Horror of Eastland Disaster,” Berwyn Life (Berwyn, Illinois), July 24, 1935, p. 1

Additional Music:
License: Title Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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

Send us Fan Mail

A faded, barely readable newspaper scan kept the Eastland Disaster survivor stories tucked away for decades, hiding them in plain sight. When a clearer copy finally surfaced, it was like prying open a sealed time capsule. We dive into two interviews from 1935, marking twenty years since the SS Eastland tragedy in Chicago. What leaps from the page is vivid and unfiltered: a heated argument at the gangplank, the sharpest screams, the moment the deck lurches, and the heart-stopping decisions that separate survival from loss.

We immerse ourselves in the voices of Western Electric workers and passengers—Rose Smoller, Walter H. Flinn, Lisle (Lysle) Goyette, Ethel Stephenson, Jennie Turbov, William Kaunt, Frank Terdina, and Charles Borovansky. Their memories shrink the disaster to the scale of white-knuckled hands clutching rails, bodies squeezing through cabin windows, and floating debris that transforms into lifelines. The trauma lingers, echoing for decades as nightmares and a lasting fear of water. The Berwyn Life account adds unforgettable color: Terdina pausing at the edge, reluctant to ruin his new suit, only to be ensnared by ropes underwater as the Eastland crashes down.

Then we pause to face a sobering truth about the Eastland Disaster’s history: so many names have faded from the digital record, or appear without stories or sources, making them nearly impossible to trace. We share what we’ve uncovered, what still slips through our fingers, and how this podcast is becoming a living archive for the Eastland’s forgotten voices. If the Eastland Disaster, Chicago history, survivor stories, or the craft of family storytelling resonate with you, subscribe, share this episode, and leave a review to help keep these memories alive.

Resources:

• “The Eastland Disaster—20 Years Ago Next Wednesday: Survivors Recall the Deeds of Heroism,” by Joseph J. Dugan, Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), July 21, 1935, p. 3.
• “Recount Harrowing Scenes: Twenty Years Ago Today-Horror of Eastland Disaster,” Berwyn Life (Berwyn, Illinois), July 24, 1935, p. 1

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

Send us Fan Mail

We explore three gripping firsthand accounts from eyewitnesses to the Eastland disaster, shared with the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald on July 26, 1915 — just two days after the tragedy. These accounts appeared once in print and then vanished from public memory for over a century.

One witness represented an early film company, another worked for a garment company, and the third was employed by a lumber, sash, and door dealer. Three people from very different worlds who happened to be in Chicago on that fateful morning.

Their words paint scenes of frantic rescue, packed bridges, and tense moments on the riverbank — revealing how trauma ripples outward, touching even those who had "no friend or relative in the catastrophe." Some accounts are graphic, and we want to be upfront about that. Yet to truly preserve history, we share these raw, lived experiences.

I also explore why the roster of names and stories continues to grow. Now at 176 and counting, these are voices that have slipped through the cracks of modern retellings — and restoring them matters for public memory, genealogy, and family history. When we welcome these forgotten witnesses back, the Eastland disaster transforms from a distant headline into a shared story of lives forever altered in a single Chicago morning.

One witness's connection to the United Photo Plays Company opened an unexpected window into Chicago's thriving early film scene. We explore the city's remarkably active studios, the impact of World War I on American filmmaking, and a question that lingers: Could this connection mean there are hidden photos or footage of the Eastland disaster still waiting to be found?

Resources:

• Encyclopedia of Chicago
• Encyclopedia Dubuque
• “Vivid Picture of Eastland Tragedy,” Dubuque Telegraph-Herald (Dubuque, Iowa), 26 July 1915.

Additional Music:

License: Title Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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

Send us Fan Mail

History sometimes fades not from lack of evidence, but because the path connecting the pieces is broken. The Eastland disaster records are overflowing with accessible online material, yet large parts of this story have drifted out of modern retellings. I’ll share a research discovery that changed my entire plan for this week.

I’ll take you inside the system I improvised to untangle the patterns that kept repeating before my eyes. Together, we’ll confront the problem of “thin” profiles that reduce real lives to mere names, and the Franken-article phenomenon, where pieces of biographical details are stitched together without verifiable sources. I’ll show how citations are not just technicalities, but the lifeblood of trust in history and genealogy. When citations vanish, so do the original voices behind every record, making it nearly impossible to advance the research. Then there’s the photo problem: images of Eastland victims and survivors circulate without credit, breeding mislabels and confusion.
Then comes the most startling revelation: the people left out. By digging through sources like Chronicling America, FamilySearch, Google Books, and HathiTrust, so far, I have uncovered 158 witnesses, survivors, victims, journalists, photographers, and others who appear in original accounts but are missing from online platforms.
This discovery raises a thorny question: how do we count the victims of major disasters—especially when the event took place over 100 years ago? At the very least, it should be a multidisciplinary conversation that includes historians specializing in labor, immigration, and maritime history, credentialed genealogists who know how to follow an evidentiary trail, and medical historians who understand trauma and delayed mortality. This responsibility should not rest with a single individual or organization. To illustrate this, I end with the story of Hancock Harmon, a first responder whose bravery was once celebrated, whose later illness was tied to the disaster, and whose name faded from history—until now.

If you are interested in Chicago history, storytelling, and genealogy, tune in to this episode.

Resources:

• Buried by Omission: The Eastland Victim Who Disappeared
• Survived But Not Saved: The Lingering Legacy of the Eastland Disaster
• Additional Music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0
  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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

Send us Fan Mail

A single local magazine from over 100 years ago contains details of the Eastland disaster you can’t unhear—and yet, it is rarely referenced. The July 30, 1915 issue of Forest Leaves (Forest Park, Illinois) is a treasure trove. It includes firsthand accounts from those who boarded the SS Eastland expecting a Western Electric picnic and instead found themselves trapped by a sudden roll, crushed by crowds, with broken railings and impossible rescue choices at the portholes. It left at least one woman black and blue all over.

From these pages, we begin the work of transforming nameless survivors and cold statistics into living, breathing individuals. We listen to the voices of Martha Bross, Emma Bohles, Mary Klemp, Minnie and Anna Clausen, and Gertrude Utescher. Their stories unfold as we follow the threads of census records, immigration hints, naturalization forms, workplace connections, and sprawling family trees.

Along the way, we confront the frustrations that haunt genealogists and historians: photos and stories drifting through the internet without a single citation, blurring the line between truth and myth. We notice, too, how a life-altering event can vanish from an obituary, as if it never happened at all.

We also share a practical research tip for anyone doing family history research: FamilySearch.org’s full-text search. Because it looks beyond indexed fields in digitized documents, it can surface records you’d never find with a standard search.

Resources:

• Forest Home Cemetery Virtual Tour
• Forest Leaves (Forest Park, Illinois), 30 July 1915, Vol. IX, no. 31; digital images, Google Books (https://books.google.com : accessed 26 March 2026)

Additional Music:

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

Send us Fan Mail

Uneven historiography (the history of history) rarely announces itself. It arrives as a confident paragraph with no citation, a quote stripped of its author, or a tidy summary that cannot be traced to the original record. What looks like settled history is often the residue of choices: what to compress, what to omit, whose account gets carried forward, and whose gets left behind. The record itself is not the issue. The problem is the hand that shapes it — the shortcut taken, the attribution dropped, the community written out in the name of a compressed story. And once those choices harden into repeated summaries, they stop looking like choices at all. They just look like facts.

I call these plausible mashups “Franken records” (inspired by Crista Cowan’s “Franken-people” reference) because they stitch together real fragments into something new, persuasive, and often wrong. To honor victims, survivors, and rescuers, we have to rebuild the evidence chain, not just repeat what a platform page says.

Speaking of Crista Cowan, I also share a lesson from her recent video: even experienced researchers miss details right in front of them. And sometimes new tools, like transcription features, reveal the blunders years later. That honesty models the mindset that keeps our research credible: question everything, re-read the document, and correct your tree or your narrative when the facts come calling.

Next, I revisit a misleading impression about the churches affected by the Eastland disaster: that only two congregations lost members. I name a much wider set of religious organizations that lost members at that time. I also explain how “narrative compression” can erase whole communities from the story. Then I walk through a real “de-franken” moment, using PERSI through the Allen County Public Library to find the original 1965 Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly article by Rev. Gothold G. Elbert and restore proper attribution.

I also share the gripping account of Jack Billow, a 15-year-old deckhand whose courage on that river was real—and whose story nearly wasn't.

Resources:

• Elbert, Gotthold G. “The Eastland Disaster.” Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly 38, no. 2 (July 1965): St. Louis, MO: Concordia Historical Institute.
• Billow, Jack J. “I Thought, ‘My God, The Eastland Is Lurching!’” Chicago Daily News, July 24, 1965, Panorama section, p. 55.
• Crista Cowan, “What’s New at Ancestry® | RootsTech 2026 | Ancestry®,” video, YouTube, posted by Ancestry, (Mar 13, 2026).
• Extra music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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

Send us Fan Mail

A missing citation can erase a life twice: once from the pages of history, and again from the digital world.

Highlights:

RootsTech 2026 recap: Actor and keynote presenter, Marlee Matlin, urged us to honor every life, ensure every story is searchable, and let every family tree reflect humanity’s full spectrum. Her words are simple, but their weight is profound.

These words linger, much like the sting of a lost argument, especially when your daily work unfolds in the shadow of Chicago’s 1915 Eastland disaster, where records remain fractured and too many public profiles mistake speculation for fact.

So what does good genealogical research really require? It means following the genealogical proof standard, using clear source citations, carefully evaluating evidence, and writing that does not just ask readers to simply “trust us.” We put these ideas to the test with the biggest problems in Eastland Disaster research: orphaned photos and biographies posted without sources, drifting online like ghosts who have forgotten their own names.

Reverse image search can help with the photos. It can also reveal just how fast a face gets mislabeled, copied, and confidently recaptioned across a dozen different websites. Add AI-generated images that look disturbingly authentic, and the stakes get higher by the minute.

At the center of it all is a case study: Tom Chakinis, Greek immigrant, Western Electric employee, Eastland survivor, and accidental victim of what I'm calling a "Franken record" — a nod to Frankenstein, and just as monstrous. This is a profile stitched together from mismatched parts. Paraphrasing, incomplete sourcing, no byline, and borrowed material that nobody thought to credit. It reads like a biography. It functions like a rumor. Even with good intentions, most of us who work in family history have created a Franken-person. Hopefully, we recognize it and apply the corrections.

I tracked this “biography” back to the original source — a *Chicago Tribune* article from August 2, 1979 — and make the case for why restoring the original text, context, and byline isn't a courtesy. It's an obligation. And course correction? Well, that just goes with the territory!

At its core, genealogical research is an act of respect—for the people we study, for the researchers before us, and for the families still searching for answers. The Eastland disaster took over 800 lives in minutes—and affected countless more. Each one deserves careful representation. Whether we are tracing a Greek immigrant through Chicago’s history or finding a Franken-record in our own work, the way forward is the same: cite our sources, name our sources, and make sure our research can be checked and continued by others. Every correction helps reclaim a story. Every citation connects us across time.

Resources:

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