Human remains that were found in March of 1989 by construction workers led to to the rediscovery of the cemetery — and ultimately the creation of the Read-Dunning Memorial Park to honor those who were buried there. View Full Caption Read-Dunning Memorial Park

DUNNING — It's a painstaking process, but Barry Fleig wants to unearth the dead.

Not so much dig-up from the ground, but from Chicago's past. Tens of thousands of the city's poorest and sickest residents were interred in a Dunning cemetery from the 1850s to the 1910s. Until now, no one knew who they were.

On today's DNAinfo Radio Extra, Heather Cherone explains how Barry Fleig, the former cemetery chairman of the Chicago Genealogical Society, is giving 8,000 forgotten souls a name:

For this story and many more, check out the DNAinfo Radio page.

Or you can subscribe to DNAinfo Radio's daily podcast via iTunes here.