Three ladies snap a picture together. A century later, researchers take a closer look and are totally blown away

Although stunned with this new discovery, the scientists carved for more information that could help them further in their research. It was on this path to further discovery that they would unwittingly stumble on more shocking finds. Within months, Sonja found herself knocking on the door of Rachel Horton, Pearl Turner’s daughter, now in her 70s.

The elderly woman welcomed her into a modest living room, decorated with family photographs spanning generations. Rachel held the enhanced image of her mother as a child in trembling hands. Mama never knew why she outlived all her siblings, she said quietly.

She used to say she was just stubborn. Sonja smiled. Stubborn, yes, but also special in ways she couldn’t have known.

Your mother’s body had a unique way of handling the mill conditions that we’re only understanding now. Rachel touched the photograph gently. The trip down memory lane was bittersweet.

She told Sonja all about her childhood, at least what she remembered of it. Pearl Turner married her father, Frank Jenkins, when she was 19. The pair were laborers and as such lived lives that were centered around the mill.

When her elder sister, Sarah, was born, Pearl quit her job at the mill. Three years later, Rachel arrived in the family cementing their unit of four. Growing up, the girls never lacked much.

Their house and school were catered for by the owners of the mill. Also, everyone knew everyone in this close-knit neighborhood. Rachel described a no other, stating how they could pool resources for neighbors in need with no strings attached.

Life was refreshing for them. But unfortunately, there were hurdles along the way, especially for Pearl, who struggled with breathing problems from time to time. Rachel grew up witnessing her mother’s persistent ill health.

While her father continued to work the mill, Pearl always stayed at home, devoting her time to gisting with friends and knitting clothes for Rachel and Sarah. It was always a pitiful sight to behold. Rachel confessed that she barely knew anything about her mother’s family.

Stories about her father’s family were as clear as day. However, her mothers were always shrouded in pain and darkness. Almost everyone in Pearl’s side of the family had died by the time Rachel was born.

After putting up a fatal battle with the gout, Pearl’s father kicked the bucket. Pearl’s mother, out of shock, died of a stroke weeks later. Sarah was only two years old when this series of misfortune happened…