Wow! Unbelievable! Thank you so much for putting your golden heart 🧡to work for these forgotten people. It makes me wonder how many people living in rest homes for a few years without any relatives or friends visiting them and when they die they continue to be forgotten? 😞
I’ll check into my county and the neighboring ones. Bless your heart. ✨✨💖✨✨
Jenna, this is so important to know and to be aware of. I had no idea that there was such a thing.
I also want to reach out to you because I feel this would have been a shock for you, you knew this person in some way, and they were unclaimed. I am sending you a hug.
In honour of the beautiful powerful work you do. xxx
Sam, I'm just now seeing this beautiful comment of yours. Thank you so much for the hug! You are such an incredibly thoughtful person with a gorgeous heart. It was a bit of a shock for me to discover that Dorcine had been unclaimed. It made me sad, but I'm also so grateful to her for showing me this whole situation. It's an honor for me to be able to the dead where I can.
Jenna, thank you for writing about this and for the useful links.
I have been doing genealogy for many years, and managed to track down my great grandfather who was also an "unclaimed" person. No one in the family knew what happened to him. "He went out for a pack of cigarettes, and he never came back."
It turns out, he had traveled from Kentucky to Oregon and died there with no relatives for authorities to contact. This was during the Depression, and he was buried with no headstone in Potter's Field in a small cemetery in southern Oregon. Through my investigation, I managed to find the cemetery and visited the site, unmarked, to tell him that his great-granddaughter had stopped by to meet him.
Oh my goodness, this brought tears to my eyes! Thank you for sharing this beautiful story with me, Louise. You helped your great-grandfather in such a profound way.❤️ And I bet that was a transformative trip to the cemetery for you too. Isn't it interesting how many grandfathers went out for a pack of cigarettes and never came back? I'm so curious about what drew your great-grandfather all the way to Oregon from Kentucky. Surely they had cigarettes in Kentucky 😁.
Jenna, your essay came to me at just the right time. I've been researching my uncle's life, disappearance and death. I joined NamUs and began a 'missing person' case on him (unfortunately to open a case requires a bit more info than I have at this time -- but it will remain in 'draft' form on my account!).
I contacted the county in which he last lived and I'm currently corresponding w/ their coroner's office, although this particular county seems a bit tight-lipped about how they manage the unclaimed. So, we will see where it goes...
I am SO glad you shared this...as so many have said here in the comments...this is important work.♡
Oh wow, Jessica, this is amazing! Let me know if I can do anything to help specifically with your uncle. I don't understand the coroner's reluctance to give out info. There seems to be an automatic veil of secrecy around the unclaimed dead that confuses me. Seems like they'd have a better chance of being claimed if everyone knew about it. Perhaps in some cases (maybe with your uncle?) there is an unsolved element that could explain keeping things under wraps. Anyway, please do keep me posted! ❤️
Oh Jenna, this feels like such important work, in my ignorance I never imagined there would be so many lost souls out there waiting to be guided home. You know when sometimes, when something or someone touches your heart with their kindness despite any lack of real connection, you can’t stop the tears… well, that’s me, right here, right now… bless your sweet soul for this. 🥲🕊️♥️xxx
Reading your beautiful compassionate words here DOES help, Susie! ❤️❤️❤️ I have to confess to being completely ignorant of the ways the unclaimed dead are handled in any other country but the U.S. But, prayers are universal, right? I believe that even thoughts about them in a very general sense helps tremendously.
Thank you for bringing our awareness to the unclaimed dead, Jenna, for your kindnesses and care, and for showing us a path. I will include the unclaimed dead in daily prayer.
Wow! Unbelievable! Thank you so much for putting your golden heart 🧡to work for these forgotten people. It makes me wonder how many people living in rest homes for a few years without any relatives or friends visiting them and when they die they continue to be forgotten? 😞
I’ll check into my county and the neighboring ones. Bless your heart. ✨✨💖✨✨
Thank you, Charlotte! 🤗❤️ That's a great question about people in rest homes! I'm going to look into that further. Thank you for that lead!
What an amazing post and resources, thank you for pointing us toward these folks, who deserve so much more. This is important work!
Thank you so much, Katy! ❤️❤️❤️
Jenna, this is so important to know and to be aware of. I had no idea that there was such a thing.
I also want to reach out to you because I feel this would have been a shock for you, you knew this person in some way, and they were unclaimed. I am sending you a hug.
In honour of the beautiful powerful work you do. xxx
Sam, I'm just now seeing this beautiful comment of yours. Thank you so much for the hug! You are such an incredibly thoughtful person with a gorgeous heart. It was a bit of a shock for me to discover that Dorcine had been unclaimed. It made me sad, but I'm also so grateful to her for showing me this whole situation. It's an honor for me to be able to the dead where I can.
Jenna, thank you for writing about this and for the useful links.
I have been doing genealogy for many years, and managed to track down my great grandfather who was also an "unclaimed" person. No one in the family knew what happened to him. "He went out for a pack of cigarettes, and he never came back."
It turns out, he had traveled from Kentucky to Oregon and died there with no relatives for authorities to contact. This was during the Depression, and he was buried with no headstone in Potter's Field in a small cemetery in southern Oregon. Through my investigation, I managed to find the cemetery and visited the site, unmarked, to tell him that his great-granddaughter had stopped by to meet him.
Keep up the good work you are doing!
Oh my goodness, this brought tears to my eyes! Thank you for sharing this beautiful story with me, Louise. You helped your great-grandfather in such a profound way.❤️ And I bet that was a transformative trip to the cemetery for you too. Isn't it interesting how many grandfathers went out for a pack of cigarettes and never came back? I'm so curious about what drew your great-grandfather all the way to Oregon from Kentucky. Surely they had cigarettes in Kentucky 😁.
Ha ha ha. Yes, I'm sure they did. Here are a few more details about that story: https://open.substack.com/chat/replies/3d3f29a1-54aa-478b-b310-c0b0a5d7d2c4
Jenna, your essay came to me at just the right time. I've been researching my uncle's life, disappearance and death. I joined NamUs and began a 'missing person' case on him (unfortunately to open a case requires a bit more info than I have at this time -- but it will remain in 'draft' form on my account!).
I contacted the county in which he last lived and I'm currently corresponding w/ their coroner's office, although this particular county seems a bit tight-lipped about how they manage the unclaimed. So, we will see where it goes...
I am SO glad you shared this...as so many have said here in the comments...this is important work.♡
Oh wow, Jessica, this is amazing! Let me know if I can do anything to help specifically with your uncle. I don't understand the coroner's reluctance to give out info. There seems to be an automatic veil of secrecy around the unclaimed dead that confuses me. Seems like they'd have a better chance of being claimed if everyone knew about it. Perhaps in some cases (maybe with your uncle?) there is an unsolved element that could explain keeping things under wraps. Anyway, please do keep me posted! ❤️
Oh Jenna, this feels like such important work, in my ignorance I never imagined there would be so many lost souls out there waiting to be guided home. You know when sometimes, when something or someone touches your heart with their kindness despite any lack of real connection, you can’t stop the tears… well, that’s me, right here, right now… bless your sweet soul for this. 🥲🕊️♥️xxx
I wish I could help
Reading your beautiful compassionate words here DOES help, Susie! ❤️❤️❤️ I have to confess to being completely ignorant of the ways the unclaimed dead are handled in any other country but the U.S. But, prayers are universal, right? I believe that even thoughts about them in a very general sense helps tremendously.
Thank you for bringing our awareness to the unclaimed dead, Jenna, for your kindnesses and care, and for showing us a path. I will include the unclaimed dead in daily prayer.
Thank you so much, Renee! This means the world to me!
🙏❤️
Powerful piece, powerful work. What a journey to be taken on, leading you to this significant service. Beautiful... ♥️
Thanks, Julie! This work is really near and dear to my heart.
This is a wonderful effort, Jenna, what a great way to honor these souls and your practice. 💜
Thank you, Troy!❤️
You continually amaze and inspire me!!!! XOXOXOXOXOXXOXO
Thank you, Rom! Right back at you!
Beautiful service Jenna, thank you so much for sharing your compassionate heart ♥️ it’s a true gift
Thank you so much, Christine! I feel exactly the same about you and your work. 🤗❤️
Wow! What a kind service. I had never thought about this. Thank you, Jenna, for your loving care and your example. ❤️
Thank you, Tara!