Monday, August 18, 2008

Child on the Titanic reidentified

Here is a tips from Collen Fitzpatrick the forensic genealogist.

A body of an unknown child who perished on the Titanic has been reidentified.
Among the around 1500 people who perished on the Titanic were several children.
Around 300 bodies of Titanic victims were recovered and some of them buried in Halifax at the
Fairview Lawn Cemetery
Many of the victims were unidentified. Especially one of a little boy captured peoples imagination and a memorial was erected over him. No one knew his name. But for many years it was thought by some that is was the body of Gösta Pålsson a 2 year old swedish boy who died with his mother and 3 siblings in the sinking.
In 2002 the childs body was dug up very little was left only a pair of small theeth. using DNA the body was identified as a little finnish boy Eino Panula who also died with his mother and siblings. However the DNA result and other circumstances made some researchers unsure about the identification and further research and testings have now reidentified the body
as that of Sidney Leslie Goodwin a 19 month old english boy.Who also died with his family on the Titanic. The first misidentification may partly have come from that the scientist were under some pressure from TV who was making a documentary about the case.

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