The Story Catalog
This is not an archive in the usual sense.
What you’ll find here is a living catalog of Lost & Found Stories – deeply researched historical narratives told in parts, discovered through newspapers, letters, court records, logs, and the stubborn human habit of leaving traces behind.
Some of these stories unfold over weeks or months; others arrive as shorter features. They span rivers and railroads, courtrooms and kitchens, disasters and quiet acts of kindness. What they share is a commitment to following the record where it leads, honoring real lives as they were lived, and letting the past speak in its own voice.
Each title below links to a short description and selected reader reflections. From there, you can jump directly to the opening installment of the story itself. Think of this as a card catalog for narrative history – browse, follow your curiosity, and step into whatever story calls you next.
New stories will continue to be added. Older ones may deepen and grow.
Welcome to the Box.
Azubah Freeman Ryder • Call Me a Bastard • Chicago’s First Chauffeuse Hits the Road • Death at 816 Whitcomb Road • Don’t Poke the Rhino • Four Bullets at Baler Bay • Hawthorne’s Miss Betsey • Old Maids, Oilfields and a German Chocolate Cake • Rose Hayward and the Cholera Ship • The Curious Case of Eddie Krajic, Alexander Webster & Judge Adolph Sabath • The Epic Canoe Journey of George W. Gardner • The Incorrigible John George • The Nashville Santa Stories • The Show Must Go On • The Stocking on Car No. 7 • The Strange Adventures of Captain Cook • When Americans Sought Comfort in Spiritualism •
Azubah Freeman Ryder
Word Count: ~86,000 words
Reading Time: ~6 hours
Chapters: 20 part + bonus content
Story Description
Born just months after American independence, Azubah Freeman Ryder spent nearly 105 years living alongside a nation still learning what it meant to exist. Raised on the Maine frontier in the aftermath of the Revolution, her life unfolded amid migration, loss, religious revival, civic education, war, and remembrance. Drawing from family records, contemporaneous newspapers, census data, and commemorative accounts, this narrative reconstructs how national events were experienced far from centers of power—in cabins, schoolhouses, churches, and homes along the Penobscot River. Rather than tracing political decisions or battlefield outcomes, this Finding America piece follows one ordinary life moving through extraordinary time, revealing how Americans encountered independence not as an abstract ideal, but as a series of lived uncertainties, shared rituals, and enduring commitments carried forward across generations.
What Readers Have to Say
“Following Azubah's early life pulled me into the post-revolutionary period effectively using this third-person sympathetic point-of-view. Looking forward to reading more.” J.S.
“What a great story of faith.” P.M.
Call Me a Bastard
Word Count: ~86,000 words
Reading Time: ~6 hours
Chapters: 20 part + bonus content
Story Description
The remarkably true story of Aimee Henry and Mary Martha Parker, two Gilded Age women locked in an epic battle of belonging. Spanning more than a century of scandal, secrets, intrigue, deception and defiance, their tale is a vivid reminder that “truth will tell” in the end.
What Readers Have to Say
“This should be required reading for genealogists and historians. Sooner or later you will stumble into family secrets and there is a skill for navigating the facts, lies and emotions of relatives. Well done!” D.S.
“Thoroughly captivated by the episodic storytelling! Didn’t want it to end as it has been a pleasure to read.” J.S.
Chicago’s First Chauffeuse Hits the Road
Word Count: ~4,000 words
Reading Time: ~18–22 minutes
Chapters: 1 part
Story Description
In 1912, Julia Sullivan – a nationally recognized athlete and lifelong competitor – set her sights on an entirely new frontier: the driver’s seat of a Chicago taxicab. At a time when professional driving was firmly claimed as a man’s domain, Julia entered the mechanical shops of the Walden Shaw Livery Company determined to master engines, street maps, and city traffic. Newspapers dubbed her Chicago’s first “chauffeuse,” closely tracking her training, testing, and early fares with fascination. Set against an era of gendered expectations, public anxiety about taxi travel, and the modern city’s rapid transformation, this story traces how one woman’s ambition intersected with industry innovation and international influences. Drawing on contemporary reporting and advertising, it captures a brief, electric moment when mobility, independence, and women’s work all accelerated – one motorcar ride at a time.
What Readers Have to Say
“A nice, neat story that, by the end, I’m ready to re-read.” B.T.
Death at 816 Whitcomb Road
Word Count: ~3,400
Reading Time: ~60–70 minutes
Chapters: 4 parts + Margin Notes
Story Description
In January 1926, a Collinwood, OH neighborhood awoke to a deeply unsettling mystery inside a locked home where multiple members of the Arturo Fulvi family were found dead. As doctors, chemists, and police scrambled for answers, competing theories – poisoning, bootleg wine, carbon monoxide, even foul play – circulated through the city. Drawing from local reporting and forensic records, this narrative reconstructs the slow, methodical attempt to understand what happened and why the evidence proved so confounding. Rather than offering easy conclusions, it follows the people and institutions grappling with uncertainty in real time, revealing how communities respond when fear rises faster than facts.
What Readers Have to Say
“One thing I particularly appreciate is the way you frame the events using the medical and police language of the early 20th century. It lends the post a genuine sense of authenticity and reminds us how different forensic science was in the past. Your choice of topics continues to impress me, and I look forward to seeing how this one unfolds.” P. A.
“What an incredible piece of research that you have pulled together here Lori. The finished story only really accounts for 5% of the research that goes on behind the scenes with a story like this. You have really done an incredible job. I really understand how a true crime story can drain you and your reluctance to take on another one. This really is investigative journalism at its absolute best!” P. C.
Don’t Poke the Rhino
Word Count: ~12,000
Reading Time: ~50–60 minutes
Chapters: 2 parts + Margin Notes
Story Description
On a November morning in 1874, New Yorkers opened their newspapers to a shocking headline: wild beasts had escaped the Central Park menagerie, leaving death and chaos in their wake. Citizens barricaded their homes, businesses shuttered, and the city braced for disaster – until readers learned the entire ordeal was an elaborate newspaper fabrication. This piece unpacks how the hoax took shape, why it spread so quickly, and what it revealed about 19th-century journalism, public trust, and the mechanics of mass panic. A study in media mischief and human vulnerability, it follows the story from the newsroom that created it to the public that believed it.
What Readers Have to Say
“What a stellar example of how gullible we humans are in the face of sensational news that stokes our basest fears and how loathe some of us are to admit that we have been fooled. Thanks for a great and timely story, Lori!” R.S.
Four Bullets at Baler Bay
Word Count: ~12,500
Reading Time: ~50–60 minutes
Chapters: 3 parts + Margin Notes
Story Description
In 1899, 18-year-old sailor Arthur Venville left Oregon aboard the U.S. gunboat Yorktown, eager to support his family and see the world. During a patrol near Baler Bay in the Philippine-American War, he was severely wounded in an ambush that left several men stranded under enemy control. What happened afterward became a tangle of conflicting reports, anxious telegrams, and official silence. Drawing on naval correspondence, newspaper coverage, and the relentless efforts of a mother determined to learn the truth, this narrative follows the long search that grew around one missing American teenager and the questions his disappearance forced the nation to confront.
What Readers Have to Say
“Your stories make me love history even more!” M.C.
“You’re a master of the craft. I feel like I need to sit and knit next to the wireless.” B.T.
“As always, beautifully crafted and meticulously researched.” K.R.
“This is a love story for all the mothers of missing warriors. Such a pleasure to read your work.” J.S.
Hawthorne’s Miss Betsey
Word Count: ~2,000- 2,400 words
Reading Time: ~10-12 minutes
Chapters: 1 part
Story Description
A passing line in an 1895 newspaper notice led to the rediscovery of Elizabeth Ann “Betsey” Tarbox, a Maine orphan raised by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s uncle. This narrative traces her childhood, the tragedy that brought her into the Manning household, and the small ways her life intersects with Hawthorne’s fiction. Blending genealogy, literary history, and archival clues, the story examines how a real girl’s name traveled into one of America’s classic story collections – and how the faintest documentary traces can reshape our understanding of familiar literature.
What Readers Have to Say
“The story of the children orphaned in the blizzard haunts me. Oh my, I knew none of this and found it captivating.” J.S.
Old Maids, Oilfields and a German Chocolate Cake
Word Count: ~2,700–3,000
Reading Time: ~12–15 minutes
Chapters: 1 story + historical sidebar recipe
Story Description
Florence Lee Davis of Denton, Texas, built a rich, self-directed life during an era when unmarried women were often defined by what they lacked. A dedicated teacher in oilfield towns and big cities alike, she returned home as a respected community figure and embraced a label society both mocked and celebrated: “old maid.” Through local features, mid-century cultural history, and family memories, this piece explores how Florence carved out stability, joy, and tradition – including her beloved German Sweet Chocolate Cake – at a time when women were expected to follow a narrower path.
What Readers Have to Say
“What a great theme you have skillfully woven in the Old Maid’s Day story.” C.M.
“Love your storytelling. I feel like I’m hearing you read it out loud while I read it.” D.A.
Rose Hayward and the Cholera Ship
Word Count: ~14,500
Reading Time: ~55–65 minutes
Chapters: 4 parts + Margin Notes
Story Description
In the summer of 1892, pianist Rose Case Hayward boarded the Hamburg–American liner Rugia expecting a comfortable Atlantic crossing. Instead, she found herself amid a cholera outbreak that transformed the ship into a floating quarantine zone. As illness spread through steerage and rumors rippled across the decks, Rose and her fellow passengers confronted disquieting questions about privilege, responsibility, and safety. Reconstructed from newspaper reports, medical records, and maritime accounts, this story follows Rose through uncertainty, delayed landings, and the mounting tension between public health officials and passengers caught in the middle.
What Readers Have to Say
“The “othering” is chilling. Understandable in many ways, and still chilling. You’ve built tension beautifully!” N.W.
“As always your stories grab hold of me. And now to wait but I know it will be worth the wait.” J.J.
“Thank you for digging up and writing up these great stories!” V.O.
The Curious Case of Eddie Krajic, Alexander Webster & Judge Adolph Sabath
Word Count: ~3,800
Reading Time: ~15–20 minutes
Chapters: 1 part
Story Description
When 13-year-old office boy Eddie Krajic marched into a Chicago courtroom seeking his unpaid wages, he set in motion an unusual encounter among three very different men: a determined child laborer, a once-promising attorney struggling to rebuild his life, and a judicial reformer at the start of a long public career. Through newspaper accounts and legal records, this story explores a moment when courage, hardship, and opportunity briefly intersected—revealing how everyday lives brushed against the machinery of justice in turn-of-the-century America.
What Readers Have to Say
“The fact that you have broken down this whole research process for us really is a glimpse for everyone of what the whole research/writing process is all about. This is such a unique idea Lori, to come up with the idea of digging under the skin of a post really is niche, I don’t think I have seen this done before and I am absolutely loving it!!” P.S.
The Epic Canoe Journey of George W. Gardner
Word Count: ~12,000–14,000 words
Reading Time: ~50–60 minutes
Chapters: 9 parts
Story Description
On Thanksgiving Day 1883, Cleveland businessmen and canoe club officers George W. Gardner and William H. Eckman slipped their decked canoes into the Ohio River at Cincinnati and pointed them toward New Orleans. Following Gardner’s vivid log, this narrative traces their winter descent through fog, ice, shifting channels, and river culture – guided by steamboat pilots, rescued by lifesavers at Louisville, teased by captains, hosted by ferrymen, and welcomed into homes and cabins along the way. As they trade paddles for sails, fight headwinds behind the Mississippi’s islands, and briefly surrender their canoes for a steamboat berth, the river steadily reshapes their sense of risk, comfort, and companionship. Part adventure tale, part history of cruising canoes and river navigation, this is the story of two middle-aged “gentlemen from Cleveland” who chose challenge over comfort and let the river rewrite their idea of a good life.
What Readers Have to Say
“The adventures of these two daredevils is a delight to read.” J.S.
“This is an excellent, well-written, and well-researched serial. Only someone with a serious death-wish would attempt to navigate the Falls in a canoe. It’s an almost unbelievable account by the politician George W. Gardner. Lori Olson White brings it all to life with insight and exceptional writing skill. This is an absolutely compelling read!” C.P.
The Incorrigible John George
Word Count: ~8,000
Reading Time: ~35–40 minutes
Chapters: 4 parts
Story Description
John Mathias George spent decades testing the limits of his Alabama community’s patience – from youthful violence to moonshining to the shifting stories that helped him evade consequences. Using court files, prison records, pension applications, and local reporting, this piece follows how a man with a gift for self-reinvention moved through Reconstruction, Prohibition, and the early 20th century. As veterans’ groups, reformers, and neighbors crossed paths with him, a complicated portrait emerged of charisma, defiance, and the social structures that allowed one individual to skirt accountability again and again.
What Readers Have to Say
“This is incredible, Lori. You need to get this published into a wider circulation. Just amazing.” B.P.
“Your presentation of this slice of history was superb.” T
“Amazing story-telling about a truly irredeemable character. Check it out if already haven’t!” K.D.
The Nashville Santa Stories
Word Count: ~16,000
Reading Time: ~70–80 minutes
Chapters: 4 parts
Story Description
Between 1883 and 1886, The Nashville Banner published a series of anonymous Christmas stories that captured the city’s imagination. What began with a reporter’s moonlit encounter on a magical riverboat grew into an annual tradition filled with whimsy, wonder, and a cast of unforgettable holiday characters. But the stories’ power extended beyond their pages: Nashville’s children responded with letters, coins, and acts of generosity that turned fiction into a community ritual. Through newspaper accounts and surviving letters to Santa, this narrative traces how a small literary experiment shaped a city’s holiday season and why its spirit of kindness endures.
What Readers Have to Say
“Your writing is wonderful. It is a pleasure to read.” L.T.B.
The Show Must Go On
Word Count: ~12,000
Reading Time: ~45–50 minutes
Chapters: 4 parts
Story Description
From Madrid’s circus rings to Paris, Havana, Russia, and finally New York, Blanche Pouche Leon spent her life beneath the canvas of touring shows. A seamstress, performer, and mother who raised more than two dozen children on the move, she navigated the demanding, insular world of 19th-century circus families with grit and ingenuity. This narrative draws on interviews, vital records, and circus lore to portray the rhythms of traveling performers – the dangers, the dazzling moments, and the unseen labor that held it all together. At its heart is a woman who carried the weight of family and survival while the lights stayed bright and the show always continued.
What Readers Have to Say
“Beautifully written. I love the way you blend history, relationships, tragedy, emotion and so much more with the circus life.” N.S.
The Stocking on Car No. 7
Word Count: ~3,600
Reading Time: ~15–20 minutes
Chapters: 1 part
Story Description
In this intimate Christmas tale set aboard a Pullman sleeping car in 1893, a porter named George witnesses an unexpected miracle unfold somewhere between Denver and St. Louis. What begins as one little girl’s hopeful stocking hung outside her berth becomes a quiet act of kindness that spreads through the entire car—transforming a group of strangers into a fleeting, unexpected family. Seen through the porter’s eyes, this gently powerful narrative reveals the human connections formed in the close quarters of an overnight train, the unseen labor and longing of porters working far from home, and the way a child’s simple faith can soften even the hardest travelers. A story about generosity, dignity, and the small moments that remind us who we are.
What Readers Have to Say
“A wonderful Christmas story. It takes a child’s eyes to help see the meaning of Christmas.” PM
“This is a true gift—a story of a tiny Christmas miracle, narrated with great humanity by a Pullman porter. Historical fiction serving the highest of purposes in a troublesome world: the reinforcement of hope.” DK
The Strange Adventures of Captain Cook
Word Count: ~3,600
Reading Time: ~15–20 minutes
Chapters: 1 part
Story Description
In 1894, respected Civil War veteran and community leader Thomas Cook traveled to Indianapolis for a Masonic gathering and promptly vanished, sparking a months-long search that gripped Indiana newspapers. From river draggings to spiritualist predictions, the case drew intense speculation before Cook unexpectedly reappeared with a story of his own. What followed revealed tensions between personal honor, public duty, and small-town expectations. Using contemporary reporting and civic records, this narrative revisits a disappearance that unsettled a community and raised enduring questions about reputation and responsibility.
What Readers Have to Say
“I love the lost and found themes that reverberate in this story.” L. M.
When Americans Sought Comfort in Spiritualism
Word Count: ~10,000
Reading Time: ~40–45 minutes
Chapters: 2 parts
Story Description
In the upheaval surrounding the Civil War, many Americans turned to Spiritualism for solace, seeking messages from loved ones lost on distant battlefields. This narrative follows two influential figures at the movement’s center: trance medium Fannie Conant, whose published “communications” offered grieving families a voice on the other side, and photographer William Mumler, whose spirit portraits sparked fascination and controversy. Through newspaper accounts, trial records, and firsthand descriptions, the story explores a moment when faith, grief, science, and suspicion intertwined – and when Americans’ longing for connection reshaped the boundaries of belief.
What Readers Have to Say
“I love how you take us on a journey with each story. The clarity through which we’re able to get a glimpse into the lives of those that came before us is mesmerizing. Thank you.” R.R.
“These events that you find and turn into stories are remarkable, Lori.” M.K.R.