The following is a press release written by the folks at the (U.S.) National Archives and Records Administration:

Treaty of Paris The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, between the American colonies and Great Britain, ended the American Revolution and formally recognized the United States as an independent nation. The three American negotiators – John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay – proved themselves ready for the world stage, achieving many of the objectives sought by the new United States. Two crucial provisions of the treaty were British recognition of U.S. independence and the delineation of boundaries that would allow for American western expansion. As the National Archives Museum prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, we will debut a new museum experience. The American Story, opening October 23, 2025, will give insight to several important moments throughout our nation's history. Treaty of Paris, September 3, 1783, page 15. NAID: 299805 Remembering the 369th Infantry Regiment On September 3, 2025, World War I soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 369th Infantry Regiment, commonly referred to as the Harlem Hellfighters, were posthumously honored during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony for their duties and service.  The history of this regiment is well researched and documented. The 369th proved the skeptics wrong and went on to achieve a remarkable combat record: they served more time in continuous combat than any other American unit (191 days on the front), the longest of any unit; never lost a man captured; never lost a foot of ground to the Germans; and was the first Allied unit to cross the Rhine River during the Allied offensive. The National Archives holds a collection of information related to the 369th Infantry Regiment. To learn more, visit the National Archives website. The 369th Infantry Regiment, commonly referred to as the Harlem Hellfighters, seen on board the USS Stockholm on February 12, 1919, as the soldiers awaited disembarkation in New York City. NAID: 2643128 2025 Summer Film Series Celebrating Music America Exhibit Concludes at George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum is wrapping up its 2025 Summer Film Series on Friday, September 12 at 7 p.m. ET with a showing of the musical animated movie, “Sing” (2016). The 2025 Summer Film Series has featured family-friendly musical movies to coincide with the Library’s latest exhibit, Music America: Iconic Objects from America’s Music History. Music America tells the story of how music has informed, interpreted, and inspired America’s identity since its founding, as part of the National Archives’ celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. Visitors can view legendary objects from icons such as Johnny Cash, Sam Cooke, Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Tupac Shakur, and more. Along with interactive audio recordings from throughout history, the numerous one-of-a-kind artifacts demonstrate the depth, breadth, and great productivity of American musicians. This exhibit will be on display in the Ansary Gallery of American History through January 5, 2026.

Join us for a writing workshop presented by up-and-coming local author Lily Meade. Using her book The Shadow Sister as an example, Lily will guide participants through the process of using personal family history as inspiration for writing fictional stories.

Lily has two published works to date, The Shadow Sister and her most recent book, The Hex Girls: A Rogue Thorn, a Scooby Doo novel.

Space is limited. Admission is $10. This workshop is suitable for ages 16 years and up.

For questions please email info@tacomahistory.org or call (253) 472-3738.

This workshop is generously sponsored by Tacoma Creates.

Tickets on sale now: https://tacomahistory.ludus.com/20049702

More than 40 years after a woman's body was found near the Chattahoochee River, Cobb County Police said its cold case detectives have finally identified her.

Veronica Jane Miller, of Mableton, was about 20 years old when she died, police said. Her death has been ruled a homicide by the Cobb County Medical Examiner.

In 1984, authorities discovered a body in the river, but investigators were not able to identify her or determine the cause of her death. DNA testing also didn't yield any results.

Cobb Police said detectives worked with Othram Labs, using advanced genetic genealogy. They were able to find a possible half-sister, which led investigators to a break in the case, confirming Miller's identity.

According to Othram, forensic evidence was submitted in 2022. Scientists were able to build a DNA profile. Its website states genealogists work to come up with leads to identify Miller.

As for Cobb Police, the department said the case remains under investigation.

New Hampshire State Police say the final unidentified victim in the 1985/2000 Allenstown homicide case -- or the Bear Brook Murders -- has been identified. 

The final unidentified victim, previously known as the “middle child” has been identified a Rea Rasmussen. 

Rasmussen was born in 1976 in Orange County, California. 

She was the biological daughter of Terry Peder Rasmussen, the man responsible for the murders and who died in prison in 2010, and Pepper Reed, who has not been seen since the late 1970s. 

New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit partnered with the DNA Doe Project in 2024 to reinvestigate the unidentified child using advanced genetic genealogy. Through extensive DNA analysis and genealogical research, she was identified as Rea Rasmussen. 

This identification wraps up a more than 40-year search to give names to all four victims found in Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire.

“This case has weighed on New Hampshire and the nation for decades. With Rea Rasmussen’s identification, all four victims now have their names back. This development is the result of extraordinary perseverance by law enforcement, forensic experts, and our Cold Case Unit,” N.H. Attorney General John Formella said in a press release. “Our commitment to uncovering the truth, no matter how long it takes, remains unwavering. We continue to seek answers about the disappearance of Pepper Reed.”

In 1985, the remains of an adult woman and a young girl were discovered in a barrel in Bear Brook State Park. In 2000, a second barrel containing the remains of two more girls was found nearby. The victims were determined to have been killed in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

The case was unsolved until 2017 when investigators linked a genetic genealogist’s clues to Terry Rasmussen, also known as Bob Evans, a serial killer who died in a California prison years earlier.

In 2019, three of the victims were identified as Marlyse Honeychurch and her daughters, Marie Vaughn and Sarah McWaters, last seen in California in 1978. The fourth victim, Rasmussen’s biological daughter, remained unidentified until now.

New Hampshire State Police say though all four Bear Brook victims have now been identified, the investigation into the disappearance of Pepper Reed, Rea’s mother, remains active. Authorities believe she may have also been one of Rasmussen’s victims. 

Investigators are asking for any information about the whereabouts and fate of Pepper Reed, who was last seen in the 1970s, and Teddy Rasmussen’s movements between 1974 and 1985, particularly in New Hampshire, California, Arizona, Texas, Oregon and Virginia.

Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact:

• New Hampshire Cold Case UnitPhone: (800) 525-5555 / (603) 271-2663Email: coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)Phone: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)Email: ncmectips@ncmec.org

The Madison County Historical Society’s Annual Family History Walk will take place along St. Louis Street in Edwardsville, Illinois, on Saturday, September 13. Participants will meet at the West End Service Station at the corner of St. Louis and West Streets in Edwardsville, at 10 a.m. The restored station is now the City of Edwardsville’s Route 66 Tourist Information Center. Parking is available at First Baptist Church at 534 St. Louis Street.

After a brief introduction, a guide will lead participants to ten St. Louis Street homes where actors portraying former residents of the houses will greet them. The first stop after the West End Service Station will be at Hadley House where Julia Hadley Griffin will talk about the “Marriage Triangle,” consisting of three generations of homes on the same corner, the E. M. West House, the Hadley House, and the Burley-Griffin House. The walk does not include entrance to any of the houses.

The History Walk began many years ago as a program for Edwardsville second graders. The students would tour Edwardsville’s Main Street. In 2022, MCHS brought back the tradition and invited families to participate in the walks which are held in different neighborhoods each year. This year, St. Louis Street was chosen because it is a National Historic District recognized for its beautiful and varied architecture. This is a free event offered by MCHS to build awareness of and interest in the community around us.

Allow two hours to complete the walk.

For more information, contact the Madison County Historical Society at 618-656-1294 or visit the MCHS website at https://madcohistory.org/. 

When

Saturday, September 13 2025 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

 Sign in to be reminded

Where

Venue: Madison County Historical Society

801 N. Main Street, Edwardsville, IL 62025

The genetics testing company 23andMe asked a federal bankruptcy judge to approve a $50 million settlement to resolve claims from a 2023 data breach that exposed genetic and other personal information of about 6.4 million U.S. customers.

A preliminary settlement was filed late Thursday night in St. Louis bankruptcy court, where 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in March.

Lawyers for the company said the settlement would set up a $30 million to $50 million fund and resolve a "substantial majority" of U.S. claims from the data breach, which began in April 2023 and lasted about five months.

More than 250,000 claimants, mostly in the United States, submitted proofs of claim, the lawyers said. The settlement also lets class members enroll for five years in a program known as Privacy & Medical Shield + Genetic Monitoring.

A $30 million settlement had been reached last September, before the bankruptcy, and won conditional approval from a San Francisco federal judge in December.

According to court papers, the revised settlement "closely tracks" that accord, but adds $20 million after a nonprofit controlled by founder Anne Wojcicki bought, opens new tab 23andMe's assets for $305 million in July, resulting in more assets.

Proceeds from the sale "remain the only source of monetary recovery" for data breach victims, a factor weighing "heavily" in favor of settlement approval, 23andMe's lawyers said.

The settlement also resolved accusations that 23andMe did not tell customers with Chinese and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry that the hacker appeared to have targeted them, and posted their information for sale on the dark web.

The case is In re 23andMe Holding Co, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Missouri, No. 25-bk-40976.

The New Bern Historical Society is proud to announce the launch of its new Digital Archive, now available through the Society’s website. This exciting resource provides the entire community with unprecedented access to more than 2,500 items from the Society’s collection, which currently includes rare images and in the near future will include historic documents and treasured artifacts.

For the first time, students, researchers, educators, genealogists, and history enthusiasts can explore New Bern’s past from anywhere, at any time. The Digital Archive represents a major step forward in the Society’s mission to preserve and share the stories of our community.

“We are thrilled to open this archive to the public,” said Anthony Giardino, Executive Director of the New Bern Historical Society. “This project allows us to connect more people to New Bern’s rich history and ensures that these valuable resources are preserved for generations to come.”

The archive is designed to serve as a hub for research, education, and discovery. Users can browse and search the collection, gaining deeper insight into the people, places, and events that shaped New Bern and Craven County. This project is the result of a shared vision from the Historical Society Board of Directors, hundreds of hours of volunteer work and expertise, and a generous start-up grant contribution from the Craven County Independent Insurance Agents Association.

The Historical Society invites the community to explore this valuable resource and encourages donations to support the ongoing growth of the Digital Archive. Contributions will allow the Society to continue adding materials, enhancing image quality, and improving the user experience for future generations.

The Digital Archive is accessible now at: [archives.newbernhistorical.org/s/Archive/page/welcome]

For more information about the Digital Archive, or to make a donation, please visit the link or contact the New Bern Historical Society at 252-638-8558 or adminoffice@newbernhistorical.org.

In January 1977, the partial skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found in Lee County, Arkansas. Lee County is a rural area along the Mississippi River on the east side of Arkansas and is near Tunica, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee. Several law enforcement agencies responded to the scene and began collecting evidence and investigating. The remains were determined to belong to a man, likely between 16 and 30 years old, who likely died between 1972 and 1977. Despite a lengthy investigation, the man could not be identified and became known as Lee County John Doe (1977). In May 2009, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP5181.

In 2024, the Arkansas State Police submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the man. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the man. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement.

Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. Reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be Charles Howard Wallace. If he had been alive when his remains were found, he would have been around 21 years old. Arkansas State Police officials said the last contact Wallace’s family had with him was in the fall of 1974 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was in his late teens when he disappeared and had been seeking treatment at a halfway house in downtown Memphis.

Individuals who have taken a consumer DNA test can aid ongoing forensic investigations by joining the DNASolves database. Expanding the pool of available DNA data increases the likelihood of successful identifications, helping to reunite families with their missing loved ones and resolve cases that have remained unsolved for years.

The identification of Charles Wallace represents the 7th case in the State of Arkansas where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Visit DNASolves to learn about other Arkansas cases where your support can help bring long-awaited answers to families.

Belfast:  The Dr Éamon Phoenix Foundation, a charity established to preserve and build upon the legacy of the late historian, today launched a new archive of On This Day articles on Irish history – including the use of AI to allow readers to listen to Dr Phoenix ‘reading’ his columns.

The daily archive series, in partnership with the Irish News, republishes historical On This Day columns created by Dr Phoenix over more than three decades.

It also features a new innovation – the use of artificial intelligence cloning technology to recreate Dr Phoenix’s distinctive voice. It is hoped this will help bring the articles to life and reach new audiences.

On This Day is an ongoing daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. It was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022.

The articles will be published daily on the Foundation’s website and promoted across social media.

Éamon’s wife, Alice Phoenix, said: “We’re very excited to begin republishing Éamon’s On This Day columns starting from today.

“We’re starting from columns originally published in 2020 that look back at 1920 and 1970, two critical years in Irish history. Other years will be added in the future.

“This means Éamon’s editing and analysis of the key stories of each day will now be available and searchable on the internet for students, researchers and the public to inform their knowledge and understanding of Ireland’s history.”

Speaking at the launch in the Irish News offices in Belfast city centre, Mrs Phoenix added: “We are very grateful to the Irish News for not just giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns, but to actively assist us in publication.

“Knowing that Éamon’s On This Day work will now be reaching a wider audience means so much to myself, the Phoenix family and the Foundation.

“As the published content builds day by day, it will add greatly to the publicly available research material on Irish history and will help the Foundation’s objective to promote mutual understanding and reconciliation in Ireland through the study of history.”

The Foundation has received funding from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust for the project.

Mrs Phoenix, who is chair of the Foundation, added: “Eamon had a distinctive voice that was much loved by many, and we are delighted to use AI voice cloning to bring these articles to readers in his unique ‘voice’.

The voice cloning was trained using hours of recordings of Éamon’s voice and has been greeted as a faithful reproduction of his soft but expressive tones.

Paul Connolly, of SmartVideo Ltd in Belfast, worked with the Foundation to deliver the On This Day and voice cloning project.

He said: “A written column is very valuable; an audio voice adds intimacy and enriches the experience.

“It will also allow us to reach new audiences – not least as we can curate and package his work, for example a podcast of all On This Days from 1920, or we can choose historical themes.

“In a world where information can be manipulated, the role of trusted institutions has never been more crucial.

“By combining technology with respect for primary sources and scholarly integrity, we can show that history remains both trustworthy and alive.”

The Foundation’s website – www.eamonphoenixfoundation.com – features tributes, images and videos of Dr Phoenix, other archive records of his work and details the Foundation’s mission.

The Irish News, with whom Dr Phoenix had a close relationship, had already donated material from its archives, including photos and articles.

The plan is to add further to the archive of Dr Phoenix’s work over time, to build a substantial body of his legacy.

RCGS' 7th ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP WORKSHOP

Secure Register Online: Registration Link 
Date & Time: Saturday, October 4th, 2025, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM p.m. WI time.
Cost: Paid Registration Required - all proceeds go to RCGS' scholarship fund.
Location: Join us at the Milton House Museum or view live on your Home PC or Smartphone with the Zoom app

 (see Zoom presentation link, below).

Program Presenters:

  Genealogy 101 - The basics plus expert pointers and 10 traps to avoid
      Dave Bradford, RCGS board member & webmaster
  Goodrich & Davis Families - Finding & using records to document lives
      Keighton Klos, Executive Director, Milton House Museum
  UW-Whitewater Archives - Exploring and using historical Rock County area photos, files & documents
      Jennifer Motzko, Archivist, Anderson Library, UW-Whitewater
  Fifty Fun Genealogy Activities - Family Fun, Famous Kin & Look-alikes & A.I. Photo Frolics

      Dave Bradford, RCGS board member & webmaster

How to Attend

: This Zoom presentation can be watched live at the second level Tomah Room of the Milton House Museum, 18 S. Janesville St., Milton, WI (map) at the scheduled time. Ample parking, handicap access, elevator, snacks, soft drinks and door prizes are included.  The Zoom link, and handout link below also allow participation from your home PC, Mac, or smartphone.

• Zoom Link & Passcode:  Provided with paid registration
• Register Securely Here: Registration Link

A video recording of this presentation may be seen later in the Members-Only area of the RCGS website.

Download the full Workshop Brochure below in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format: 

https://www.rcgswi.org/uploads/6/4/0/0/64001321/rcgs_scholarship_workshop_brochure_oct_4_2025.pdf