Marking the 80th anniversary of the White Buses rescue mission, the Swedish Red Cross and the Swedish Holocaust Museum have launched a new digital platform bringing together stories, photographs and documents from one of the most significant humanitarian operations of the Second World War. 

During the final months of the Second World War, the Swedish Red Cross led the White Buses mission, which brought around 15,000 people — many rescued from Nazi concentration camps — to safety in Sweden. 

“The White Buses operation is one of our largest and best-known humanitarian efforts. Through this collaboration, we can share important stories from both those who were rescued and those who made the operation possible,” says Ulrika Modéer, Secretary General of the Swedish Red Cross. 

The new website also includes educational resources and was accompanied by a public program series that was hosted at the Swedish Holocaust Museum.  

“The White Buses are a key part of Sweden’s history. Making these stories accessible helps us understand both the courage and complexity of humanitarian action during wartime,” says Katty Hauptman, Director of Swedish Holocaust Museum. 

Explore the material 

The Clinton Public Library will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil its new Memory Lab: The Maker Space of Memories, beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14.

The Memory Lab is a community resource designed to help preserve personal and recorded histories.

This addition was made possible through a grant from the Clinton County Development Association and support from the Friends of the Clinton Public Library.

The library is at 306 8th Ave. S.

The ceremony is scheduled for 5-6 p.m., with light refreshments.

Guests are invited to explore the Genealogy Department and preview the Memory Lab equipment during a lock-in from 6-8 p.m.

Registration is required.

Call 563-242-8441.

I’ve lived in Delaware County for more than 15 years. Many of the regular events of the area are traditions my family has adopted, as well. I have never missed a December First Friday tree lighting, even one year when a bad bout of winter illness threatened it. Farmers Market is a must-do for those beautiful summer Saturdays. But one tradition has remained on my to-do list until this year – attend the Veterans Day parade.

The Delaware Veterans Parade drove, walked, marched, and cycled through downtown Delaware on Saturday, Nov. 2. I was pleased to see hundreds of marching band members, service organizations, community members and businesses supporting and driving the veterans through our downtown. It was incredibly worthwhile to take a mere hour of my day to thank the brave souls whose selfless sacrifices last a lifetime.

This Tuesday, Nov. 11, we celebrate Veterans Day at the Delaware County District Library. Our locations will close for the holiday, but our resources are available 24/7 and are worth a look.

The Delaware County District Library has an ongoing project called Delaware County Veterans and Heroes, which seeks to gather, preserve, and make accessible the experiences of all county veterans. If you, a relative, or someone you know has served in any branch of the armed forces and has a connection with Delaware County, add your story to our collection at www.delawarelibrary.org/services/veterans. The growing collection currently hosts over 600 records of service for Delaware County men and women.

Additionally, the library subscribes to Fold3, an online subscription service powered by Ancestry.com that provides a vast collection of military records, documents, photos and stories. Fold3 will help you discover and share stories about your heroes and the families that supported them. With DCDL’s access to Fold3, you can combine records found on the site with what you have in your own albums and shoeboxes to create an online memorial for someone who served.

A search of Fold3 with my grandfather’s name brought back his WWII draft registration card. It’s amazing what this one, double-sided piece of information can tell me about my grandfather from a single moment in time.

To learn more about veterans and understand the experiences of military veterans, try one of these stories.

• “The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America’s Most Famous Hispanic War Hero” by William Sturkey. The dramatic life of Vietnam War hero Roy Benavidez, revealing how Hispanic Americans have long shaped U.S. history.

• “Soldier Girls: The Battles of Three Women at Home and at War” by Helen Thorpe. Describes the experiences of three women soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq to reveal how their military service has affected their friendship, personal lives and families, detailing the realities of their work on bases and in war zones and how their choices and losses shaped their perspectives.

• “Tuesday’s Promise: One Veteran, One Dog, and Their Bold Quest to Change Lives” by Luis Carlos Montalván. A highly decorated captain in the U.S. Army, Luis Montalván never backed down from a challenge during his two tours of duty in Iraq. After returning home from combat, however, his physical wounds and crippling post-traumatic stress disorder began to take their toll. Then Luis met Tuesday, a sensitive golden retriever trained to assist people with disabilities. This is the story of how two wounded warriors, who had given so much and suffered the consequences, found salvation in each other.

• “Unbroken Bonds of Battle: A Modern Warriors Book of Heroism, Patriotism, and Friendship” by Johnny Joey Jones. Suffering a life-changing injury while deployed in Afghanistan, Jones faced a daunting recovery. But coming home would have been much harder without the support of his brothers and sisters in arms. Through unfiltered and authentic conversations with American heroes in every branch of service, Joey tackles the big questions about life, loss, and, of course, hunting.

• “Service: A Navy SEAL at War” by Marcus Luttrell. The author turns his focus from his own experiences as a combat-trained Navy SEAL to the nature of service on America’s battlefields and the soldiers who give their lives to defend their nation and each other.

• “The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers” by Elizabeth Cobbs. In 1918, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sent 223 women to France. They were masters of the latest technology: the telephone switchboard. General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, demanded female “wire experts” because without communications for even an hour, the army would collapse. Against the political backdrop of 1918, these competent and courageous young women swore the Army oath.

If you have a question that you would like to see answered in this column, mail it to Nicole Fowles, Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015, or call us at 740-362-3861. You can also email your questions by visiting the library’s web site at www.delawarelibrary.org or directly to Nicole at nfowles@delawarelibrary.org. No matter how you contact us, we’re always glad you asked!

After 57 years, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office has finally identified the victim in a 1968 homicide case that baffled investigators for decades. Officials confirmed that forensic genealogy led to the identification of the woman as Myrtle Holcomb, born in 1919.

According to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, deputies discovered the burned remains of a woman in a field near Lake Wheeler Road and Ten Ten Road on April 28, 1968. Witnesses had reported a fire in the same area the night before. Despite extensive investigations and later DNA testing, the woman’s identity remained unknown for more than half a century.Investigators renewed efforts in 2004 when new information pointed to a local resident, Robert Reagan, as a suspect, though no arrest was made due to his death in the 1990s. In 2024, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office partnered with Astrea Forensics and First Genes LLC, submitting a DNA sample that led to the identification of Holcomb through genetic genealogy.

Sheriff Willie Rowe said the discovery “provides long-sought answers” for Holcomb’s family and “reassurance that she has not been forgotten.” The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and Office of the Chief Medical Examiner also assisted in the decades-long case.

Officials emphasized that the findings not only close a historic case but also showcase how forensic advancements continue to bring justice to unresolved crimes.

Presented by the library’s Special Collections staff and members of the Ranger Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), these events are free, open to the public, and appropriate for all levels of interest and experience. All levels will learn something new!

Join us for a Research Huddle in the Special Collections Room! In sports, a huddle is when players gather in a circle to strategize, motivate, or celebrate. We think genealogists should do the same!

This is the perfect opportunity to dig into your personal history and tell your family’s story. Use the library’s print collections and research databases to progress with your fact-finding. We’ll gather to use library resources, share our successes, learn from fellow researchers, and overcome our research stumbling blocks!

The huddles will be held in the Special Collections Room. Bring your research, questions, and willingness to help others! We will also be offering our usual genealogy lectures throughout the year. 

Registration is not required. All ages and experience levels are welcome.

Presented by the library’s Special Collections staff and members of the Ranger Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), these events are free, open to the public, and appropriate for all levels of interest and experience. Everyone will learn something new!

Questions? Email Katie Czajkowski at cfczajkowski@cityofportsmouth.com.

To commemorate Remembrance Sunday, TheGenealogist has released 1,090,293 new Casualty List Records from The First World War, covering the period 8th April 1918 to 4th March 1919, completing their coverage of the War Office Casualty Lists. This significant addition helps researchers and families trace those who were killed, wounded, reported missing, or taken prisoner in the later part of the First World War.

TheGenealogist's Head of Content, Mark Bayley, commented:

“On Remembrance Sunday, as we honour the fallen, it’s also a time to think of those who returned with wounds both seen and unseen. This release enables researchers to follow relatives throughout the conflict, right up to its end and trace the impact it had on them and their families.”

This release includes:

• Comprehensive coverage: 1,090,293 records spanning 8th April 1918 to 4th March 1919.

• Searchable detail: Name, rank, regiment/unit, and (where recorded) service number, place, and nature of casualty, such as killed, wounded, missing, prisoner of war, and died of wounds.

• Derived from the official War Office Weekly Casualty Lists published at the time, with later corrections where available.

• This completes the collection of War Office Weekly Casualty lists and brings the total Casualty List records on TheGenealogist to over 4.5 million

The new records are available now to Diamond subscribers at TheGenealogist.co.uk.

These newly added records include a number of notable names, among them the author C. S. Lewis. Read more about his wartime experience here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2025/cs-lewis-8787/

Don’t miss out! For a limited time, you can subscribe to TheGenealogist for just £129.95 - Save Over £100

Not only will you get a lifetime discount, but you'll also receive a 12-Month Subscription to Discover Your Ancestors Online Magazine worth £36 and a research pack worth over £30 containing a Regional Research Guide Book, Seven Generation Log Book, Relationship Calculator, Census Age Calculator and a ticket to The Family History Show Online 2026.

Explore these new records and start your genealogical journey today with TheGenealogist by claiming this offer here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBCL1125

Offer expires 31st January 2026.

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and Lloyd George Domesday collections.

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections, amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

As the nation prepares to mark Remembrance Day, a newly uncovered wartime diary is shedding light on the extraordinary courage of ordinary civilians who lived through the Blitz.

The diary, written by Marion Marden, a mother from East London, was discovered by leading probate and genealogy firm Fraser and Fraser during their investigation into an unclaimed estate.

The London-based firm specialises in tracing missing heirs, identifying rightful beneficiaries and reconnecting unclaimed estates with family members. Beyond offering fascinating insights into life during the Second World War, the diary’s discovery also enabled surviving relatives to be traced, revealing previously unknown family connections.

Ben Cornish, a Case Manager at Fraser and Fraser, said: “When we began this case, we expected a routine investigation into an unclaimed estate.

“What we found instead was a personal record of the Blitz from the perspective of an ordinary London family. It is a rare and valuable insight into civilian life during the war.”

The diary offers a vivid and deeply personal account of wartime life on the home front. Spanning 1941 to 1944, Marion’s writing captures the daily realities of raising a young family under the constant threat of bombing.

“I wish this war was over,” she wrote in one entry. “We lost 28 planes with men. The children full of Vim. Frank has a very bad cold. Did my washing.”

Her words reveal the ordinary human side of the war that official records rarely capture. She describes sleepless nights in air raid shelters, the struggle to find food during rationing, and the devastating bombing of a dance hall in Palmer’s Green that killed 43 people.

The diary was uncovered while Fraser and Fraser researchers were tracing the heirs of Myrta Marden, Marion’s daughter, who died in 2019 with no known relatives.

Through detailed genealogical work, the team identified living beneficiaries across the UK, France and Australia. During their research, they discovered references to Marion’s wartime writing, which had survived in archival collections and online through excerpts shared by a war diary enthusiast.

Isha Adams, Research Manager at Fraser and Fraser, said: “Personal accounts like Marion’s remind us that history is not only written in official records.

“Her diary captures the endurance of those who held families and communities together in extraordinary circumstances.”

Valerie Smith, a war diary collector who has studied hundreds of wartime journals, said: “Marion’s writing reflects what many people experienced but few recorded.

“It is both matter of fact and emotional. Her words show the balance between ordinary domestic life and the constant awareness of danger.”

As Remembrance Day approaches, the rediscovery of Marion’s diary serves as an important tribute to the millions who endured the war from their homes, often without recognition.

“Documents like this remind us why what we do matters,” Isha added. “Our work is about reconnecting families, but it’s also about preserving memories. Stories like Marion’s ensure that ordinary people are remembered for the extraordinary things they lived through.”

The story will also feature in an upcoming episode of Lineage, airing on 6 November, which follows Fraser and Fraser’s work uncovering remarkable personal histories.

Fraser and Fraser regularly undertakes similar genealogical and historical research on a pro bono basis. This includes their work featured in The Fallen Soldier, which explored the story of a Second World War serviceman.

It was a vicious attack that has haunted Belleville, Ont., for more than two decades: a woman sexually assaulted and beaten inside a hotel change room during a festival weekend in the summer of 2000.

Nearly 25 years later, DNA evidence found on a cigarette butt helped police identify the man responsible.

William Dale, 54, was arrested in Kewsick, Ont., in April. On Sept. 18 he pleaded guilty to assault and sexual assault, receiving a sentence of more than 12 years in prison.

A crime woven into the city's fabric

Insp. Jeremy Ashley said the Belleville Police Service never gave up on the case, praising the tenacity of investigators while acknowledging the shadow it cast over the city for years.

"It was so such an incredibly violent attack on a stranger and in ... what you would think would be a safe place," he said in an interview with CBC.

"It's just one of those really unique cases in the sense of it weaved itself into the history and fabric of this police service and the community at large."

Some of those threads and their ties to Belleville are "pretty remarkable," according to Ashley.

He first covered the attack as a reporter at the local newspaper, interviewing detectives before becoming an investigator himself.

Then there's Grant Boulay, the forensics officer who collected DNA evidence at the crime scene in 2000.

Twenty-five years later, Boulay's daughter, Det.-Const. Andrea Boulay, led the team that arrested Dale, according to Ashley.

The case is a testament to the persistence of investigators and the power of new technology to solve crimes. It's also evidence of the lasting impact the brutal attack has had on a person's life.

Victim tried to forgive

According to a victim impact statement, the survivor of the assault had tried to forgive the man who attacked her. People had advised her to consider him dead, and she said it was easier that way.

"[H]ere he is come back to life and the worst of the fear is right here with him," her victim impact statement reads. A publication ban prohibits reporting of any information that could identify the victim.

The attack happened on the morning of July 9, 2000, during a waterfront festival in Belleville, according to an agreed statement of facts read in court.

The woman went for a swim at the Ramada Inn around 6:10 a.m. While doing laps in the pool, noticed a man — later determined to be Dale — smoking and watching her from a nearby balcony.

He had made me feel that any random stranger might hurt me, but it was him I feared the most.- Victim impact statement

After finishing her workout, the woman saw the man again, this time inside the hotel's fitness area. She asked if he was a guest there, and he replied that he was.

The woman headed to the change room, turned on the shower and heard the door open behind her as Dale entered.

She tried to get past him, but Dale grabbed her and hit her in the head six times as she started to yell and fight back.

During sentencing, Dale disagreed with the number of blows, arguing through his lawyer that he'd only hit the victim once.

Court heard he then dragged her to the lockers and tore off her bathing suit. The woman pretended to pass out in hopes Dale would leave, but he pulled her into a toilet stall where he sexually assaulted her.

He sexually assaulted her a second time before stealing the watch off her wrist and leaving, according to court documents.

The woman wrapped herself in a towel and ran to the front desk where she collapsed. Emergency crews arrived to find her with a cut lip and abrasions and bruises on her arms, legs and back.

Police found palm prints on the stall door, and DNA on a cigarette butt found on the stairs near where Dale had been smoking. There was more DNA on toilet paper left at the scene of the attack.

Then, decades passed.

The case has haunted the community Belleville for 25 years, according to an investigator. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

A break in the case

In 2018, Ashley heard how DNA had been used to track down and capture the Golden State Killer, one of California's most prolific serial murderers and rapists.

Ashley, a forensic officer at the time, wondered whether the same technology could help solve the cold case in Belleville.

He got in touch with a lab called Othram Inc. and a not-for-profit called Seasons of Justice, which funds investigations after all other options have been exhausted.

According to a news release from Belleville police, it was the first time the organization had ever bankrolled an investigation outside the continental U.S.

In 2021, police began using genetic genealogy to identify the man whose DNA they’d found.

That led them to a distant relative of Dale's who had uploaded their DNA to genealogy sites, and who had given consent for law enforcement to compare their DNA to DNA taken from crime scenes.

Police were able to identify Dale as a person of interest in November 2024.

Police surveilled him, eventually securing a fresh cigarette butt he’d discarded. DNA from the butt was compared to the material recovered at the hotel years earlier, and investigators determined it was "one trillion times" more likely that Dale was the source than someone unrelated to him.

Dale was arrested, and a month later police matched his palm prints with those left on the bathroom stall years earlier.

The victim impact statement filed by the woman he attacked describes the lasting impact of that crime.

“I am in prison,” the woman wrote, explaining that the attack left her feeling shame, anger, bewilderment and sorrow over lost relationships — but most of all, fear.

"He had made me feel that any random stranger might hurt me, but it was him I feared the most." she wrote.

Police hope outcome offers comfort

Ashley, the Belleville police inspector, said he wants the victim to know she was "front and center of every investigator's thoughts when we took this on and when we kept with it."

He said it's only the first or second time these methods have helped solve a case in Canada while the victim is still alive.

"I can't speak to what closure is, but hopefully it gives her some measure of comfort to know that this person was identified, arrested, charged, convicted and now is in jail for a very long time," he said.

Discounted Vivid-Pix Memory Station and Caregiver Bundles Help Families Scan, Reminisce, and Reconnect During the Holidays

Savannah, GA, November 5, 2025 — Vivid-Pix www.vivid-pix.com, a leader in AgeTech that helps people relive and preserve memories, is supporting caregivers, individuals living with memory loss, and organizations that support those communities during November National Family Caregivers’ and Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Vivid-Pix is donating $100,000 in software, photo Reminiscence Therapy (pRT) education, and Memory Cards™ to senior centers, senior living communities, libraries, archives, museums, and related organizations across the U.S. The company is also offering holiday discounts for its most popular caregiver solutions with coupon code: Holiday2025.

“Caregivers describe how a single photo or familiar song can turn a quiet afternoon into a shared story,” said Rick Voight, CEO of Vivid-Pix. “Our goal is to make those moments easier to spark and simpler to save—so families can reconnect, again and again.”

“I can’t tell you how many people come into the Thrive Center and say, ‘I never captured those stories of my dad or my grandfather and I wish I had done that,’” said Sheri Rose, CEO of the Thrive Center, a nonprofit innovation center focused on wellness and aging in Louisville, Kentucky.

Vivid-Pix is donating:

• 400 Caregiver Holiday Packages.
• Software and Education: Vivid-Pix Memory Station™ Software and the pRT Education & Training Course for Families & Friends, as well as CEU training for Nurse and Dementia Caregivers, based on ongoing research conducted by Vivid-Pix in collaboration with the National Institute for Dementia Education (NIDE) Standards of Excellence Council, CERTUS Institute, and others (see: https://nid.education/nide-publications.html).
• Memory Cards: Printed cards that pair meaningful images with memory prompts to encourage conversation and connection (learn more at:  https://www.vivid-pix.com/memorycards/).

How to register for donations:

• Go to: https://www.vivid-pix.com/caregiver-giveaway/ and complete entry form.
• 300 donations will be given to not-for-profit organizations.
• 100 giveaways will be given to for-profit organizations.
• Donations will be received by year-end.

Organizations and communities collaborating:

• Allen County Public Library/Senior Living: https://www.vivid-pix.com/acpl-agingwell/
• National Genealogical Society/Aging Well Initiative: https://www.vivid-pix.com/ngs-symposium/
• International African American Museum/Community Centers: https://iaamuseum.org/event/iaam-history-free-document-scanning-day-wadmalaw-island/

Holiday discounts for families and caregivers – enter code in cart Holiday2025:

• Caregiver Holiday Package: $50 off (regular price: $249.95) includes Vivid-Pix Memory Station Software that works with most scanners/all-in-one printers, pRT Education & Training, and Memory Cards for 10 printed cards.
• Memory Station Scanner and Home/Standard Software Bundle: $50 off (regular price: $899.95). Simple intuitive design allows older adults and others to scan, restore, and record audio memories, saving photos, documents, and memorabilia for their use and future generations.
• Memory Station Software Home/Standard Edition: $40 off (regular price: $199.99).
• Memory Cards: $10 off (regular price: $39.99) 10 cards to pair meaningful images with memory prompts.
• Offers valid: 11/1/25 –1/5/26.

“This holiday season, a single photo can bridge what memory forgets. When used as a cue, it doesn’t just recall the past, it rekindles connection, emotion, and belonging,” said Dr. Joshua J. Freitas, Ph.D., M.Ed., BC-Ded.

Holidays are when families gather, and when photos, songs, and keepsakes can unlock memories. Vivid-Pix solutions are used in 1,000+ U.S. shared-use locations and tens of thousands of homes in 120+ countries, helping individuals and organizations revive faded memories. For more information, see: https://www.vivid-pix.com/giftguide/ or https://www.vivid-pix.com/.

About Vivid-Pix

Vivid-Pix invents and harnesses technologies, making it simple for individuals, families, and organizations to relive memories. Their motto, “Don’t Let Your Memories Fade™,” describes the importance of photos and activities that nurture brain health, improve cognition, assist family historians and caregivers, and create connections. Vivid-Pix integrates their photo Reminiscence Therapy (pRT) research and family history activities into products and services for simple operation, to have fun, and age well. Vivid-Pix software is installed in over 1,000 libraries in America and in use in over 120 countries, improving faded photos and documents and securing memories. Vivid-Pix CEO Rick Voight has been involved in memory industries for four decades. For more info, see https://www.vivid-pix.com, https://www.vivid-pix.com/pocketrn/, https://vivid-pix.com/reminisce, https://vivid-pix.com/education, and https://vivid-pix.com/memorystation.

The Lawrence County Historical Society launched its newly expanded membership program, introducing enhanced benefits for individuals and families along with a new business membership option.

Members have access to archives and genealogy resources, including Ancestry.com and NewspaperArchives.com; complementary mansion tours; the Time Travelers program; a discount on purchased items and a quarterly newsletter.

Individual and family memberships now include free or discounted admission to exhibits and events; early access to special programs; invitations to member-only receptions; and discounted or free annual rental of the mansion or annex.

Businesses receive print and digital public recognition, benefits for employees, and event sponsorship opportunities.

“These new membership levels allow us to say thank you in more meaningful ways to our supporters,” said David Dean, board president of the Historical Society.

For more information or to become a member, call (724) 658-4022 or visit www.lawrencechs.org.

“We are especially excited to welcome business partners who can play a vital role in preserving our shared heritage while connecting their business to the community in a lasting way.”