Stories That Live In Us

Iowa: A Love of Food and Family (with Rosie Grant) | Episode 90 Dec 18, 2025

When archivist Rosie Grant stumbled upon a gravestone with a spritz cookie recipe carved into it, she had no idea it would change her life. What began as a TikTok curiosity during her cemetery internship became a viral phenomenon and, eventually, a groundbreaking cookbook celebrating 50 recipes from gravestones across America.

Rosie shares her remarkable project "To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes." We discover how her library science background and passion for community archives led her to document not just recipes, but the rich stories of the people behind them. From Maxine's Christmas cookies in Iowa, and the German tradition of hanging cookies on the tree, to intimate oral history interviews with dozens of families, Rosie reveals how food connects us across generations.

You'll hear about Rosie's journey from cemetery intern to bestselling author, her dedication to both grandmothers who shaped her understanding of food and family, and the surprising ways these gravestone recipes are inspiring living families to preserve their own food traditions. Whether it's Iowa's community-minded spirit or the universal power of recipes to keep memories alive, this conversation reminds us that the stories we share around the table are the ones that truly live in us.

Guest Bio:
Rosie Grant is a writer, researcher, and archivist whose work explores the intersections of archives, folklore, and family storytelling. She is the creator of @GhostlyArchive, where her exploration of gravestone recipes and the histories behind them has reached hundreds of thousands of followers across social media. TO DIE FOR is her first book.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Wisconsin: Great Grandmothers and the Great Migration (with Dani Allen) | Episode 89 Dec 11, 2025

When Dani was in eighth grade, she watched her grandmother wash and braid her own mother’s hair. In that moment, she was witness to a ritual passed on through generations of Black women.

Join me as Dani Allen, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition at Ancestry, shares her family's journey from the Deep South to Wisconsin during the 1930s and 40s as part of The Great Migration. Together we explore how her grandfather's search for work in the auto industry led their family north, the tumultuous marriage that nearly ended in tragedy, and the newspaper clipping that finally confirmed whispered family stories.

From her great-grandmother's striking blue eyes and the meaning behind hair care rituals, to her weekly Zoom calls with her 90-year-old grandmother filled with freshly discovered stories, Dani reveals how intergenerational connections shape identity and preserve legacy. She shares how these discoveries help her two-year-old granddaughter understand the resilient women whose strength flows through her veins. Dani’s story reminds us that family history isn't just about the past. It's about the bonds we nurture today that will live on in generations to come.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

California: Stars Shooting Out of Silence (with Candace Dixon Horne) | Episode 88 Dec 04, 2025

When Candace Dixon-Horne's husband bought AncestryDNA kits in 2018, she hesitated before sending hers in. Raised by a single mom in Arkansas, Candace spent her entire life with her mom as the only blood relative she knew.

One DNA match changed everything. A simple Google search led to names she recognized, faces that looked hauntingly familiar, and a connection to California's golden age of cinema that seemed too extraordinary to be real. I talk with Candace about the moment she realized the story she'd found was actually her story, and how meeting her biological father's family for the first time revealed generations of Hollywood history, creative passion, and family connections spanning from the silent film era to today.

This episode explores how DNA can unlock not just names and dates, but entire worlds of family legacy and how discovering where you come from can transform your understanding of who you are.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Minnesota: Santa Claus, a Corn Cob Pipe, and Nellie Oleson (with Lisa Elzey) | Episode 87 Nov 27, 2025

What if your family's pioneer past looked exactly like your favorite childhood TV show? When Lisa Elzey discovered her great-great-grandfather's story, she realized she'd been watching his life every Monday night on Little House on the Prairie. Complete with homesteading, hand-hewn cabins, and a white beard down to his belly.

In this episode, Lisa shares how a purple-inked memoir written by her great-grandmother's half-sister unlocked the story of Johann Heinrich Seba, a German immigrant who arrived alone at 18, hacked through Minnesota wilderness for a mile and a half in a single day, and became so beloved his community lowered flags to half-staff when he died. For decades, Lisa and her mother searched for his origins in Germany, writing letters to archives and scrolling through endless microfilm reels. Then in 2016, a single search on Ancestry revealed not just where he was from, but a family secret hidden in Lutheran christening records that changed everything they thought they knew.

Discover how one ancestor's story can bridge four generations of women, why a steeple clock matters more than any antique collection, and what happens when patience meets the right record at exactly the right time.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Oregon: Trail of the Unclaimed | Episode 86 Nov 20, 2025

When Phyllis Zegers discovered her cousin died alone in Oregon State Hospital in the 1890s, she never imagined it would lead to reconnecting hundreds of families with their forgotten ancestors. In this episode, Phyllis shares how her genealogy research uncovered 3,500 unclaimed cremains at the hospital—and how she's worked tirelessly to honor each person by researching their stories and finding their living relatives. From sending surprise letters that reveal family secrets to sprinkling ashes at a beloved fishing hole, Phyllis demonstrates the profound impact one genealogist can have. Her work reminds us that every name in a record represents a real person whose story deserves to be told, and that sometimes the most meaningful family history work happens when we look beyond our own family tree to honor the forgotten.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Kansas: A Calling From the Ancestors (with Calvin Osborne) | Episode 85 Nov 13, 2025

Calvin Osborne, a Washington D.C. attorney and Civil War reenactor, spent nearly three decades studying African American military history before Ancestry researchers revealed a stunning discovery: his great-great-grandfather, William Lacey, was a soldier in the First Kansas Colored Troops, the very first Black men to fight in the Civil War. In this powerful conversation, Calvin shares how a 1989 viewing of the movie Glory sparked an unstoppable passion that led him from battlefield reenactments to uncovering a love story that began in slavery, survived the chaos of border wars, and created a legacy that would span generations. His book, Contraband Hearts, tells the story of William and Lucinda. These two teenagers escaped enslavement together, fought for freedom in Kansas, and built a family that would eventually reach back across time to inspire their descendants. Sometimes our ancestors don't just leave us stories. They call us to find them.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

West Virginia: Fame or Infamy in the Mountain State (with Mallory Peterson) | Episode 84 Nov 06, 2025

When Mallory Peterson discovered she had Scottish ancestry instead of Cherokee heritage, she uncovered something intriguing that has captured her imagination. In the little town of Martinsburg, West Virginia she found a spy. And not just any spy but 17 year old Belle Boyd, the infamous Confederate spy known as "Cleopatra of the Secession."

In this episode, I sit down with Mallory, a young genealogist whose complicated family story—raised by grandparents, not meeting her biological father until 14—fueled her passion for discovering the ancestors she never knew. Her journey into her family tree uncovered the migration patterns of her Scottish forebears, those rebellious, storytelling souls who settled in the Appalachian Mountains and brought their fierce independence with them.

Together, we explore how Belle Boyd's story reveals the Scottish tendency toward stubborn conviction, the complicated legacy of being on the wrong side of history, and why some ancestors capture our imagination despite their flaws. From Civil War espionage to stage performances reliving her "glory days," Belle's life demonstrates that family history isn't always comfortable but it's always worth discovering.

What stories of courage, rebellion, or notoriety might be hiding in your family tree?

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Nevada: The Well-Worn Path | Episode 83 Oct 30, 2025

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Nebraska: Connecting to the Land Through Stories (with Greg Wagner) Oct 23, 2025

When Greg Wagner's great-great-grandmother made her dying wish to be buried not in a cemetery but beneath an oak tree on their Nebraska homestead, she planted more than roots in the soil. Greg is a sixth-generation Nebraskan whose family has maintained the same land for 158 years through blizzards, armed robberies, and economic crashes. As someone who's spent 46 years caring for Nebraska's natural resources through the Game and Parks Commission, Greg brings a unique perspective on how place shapes family identity. We explore how his grandmother's death in 2005 launched his genealogical journey, uncover the resilience required to keep land in a family for over a century and a half, and discover why every single Wagner descendant has chosen to remain in Nebraska. This conversation reveals how the stories we inherit from our ancestors become the compass that guides future generations home.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Colorado: Braving the Wild Frontier (with Chris Trainor) | Episode 81 Oct 16, 2025

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

North Dakota: Creating Community (with Sarah Walker) | Episode 80 Oct 09, 2025

When Sarah Walker's grandfather checked his mail one last day before leaving for World War I, he discovered a neighbor had intervened to keep him home—a bachelor farmer needed on the home front. That single act of community support changed everything.

Sarah Walker, Head of Reference Services at the North Dakota State Archives, shares her grandfather's journey immigrating at age 10 from Germany through Russia to North Dakota's farmland. We explore how tight-knit immigrant communities preserved their language and customs across generations, and why Sarah's career as an oral historian feels like the natural continuation of her family's story-keeping tradition.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

South Dakota: Finding the Girl in the Middle (with Marni Sandweiss) Oct 02, 2025

When historian Marni Sandweiss discovered an 1868 photograph of six prominent Civil War generals standing around an unnamed Indigenous girl, she couldn't let go of one haunting question: Who was she? In this episode, Princeton University Professor Emerita Martha "Marni" Sandweiss shares how she identified the child as Sophie Mousseau and uncovered a remarkable story of survival, identity, and resilience spanning generations on the Northern Plains. Through meticulous research combining written records, oral histories, and collaboration with Sophie's descendants, Marni reveals how one photograph connects to broader themes of mixed-race identity, territorial boundaries, and the power of naming the unnamed in history. Discover how this truffle-hunting historian transformed an anonymous face into a fully realized person whose story matters—and why every name in your family photographs deserves to be remembered.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Montana: Love, Loss, and Everything In-Between (with Mary Anne Mercer) | Episode 78 Sep 25, 2025

💕 When Mary Anne Mercer discovered her great-grandmother's diary in a trunk that had sat untouched since 1915, she knew she had found something extraordinary.

Mary Anne, an accomplished author and former international health expert who worked in Nepal and Africa, returned to her Montana ranching roots to uncover a remarkable love story. Through a combination of family interviews, a preserved diary, and treasures from a century-old trunk, she pieced together the journey of Florrie—a young nurse from London whose path led to the isolated Montana plains. Working alongside the stories of her grandfather Andy, a former Wyoming cowboy turned rancher, Mary Anne discovered how family artifacts can reveal not just facts and dates, but the beating hearts of people who lived extraordinary lives. As she shares her process of turning fragments into a full family narrative, you'll understand why some stories demand to be written down and preserved for future generations.

💭 Have you ever wondered what stories might be waiting in your own family's forgotten treasures?

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Washington: Replanted Roots Now Evergreen (with Cyndi Ingle) | Episode 77 Sep 18, 2025

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Idaho: Unboxing Gems of the Past (with Jen Iverson) | Episode 76 Sep 11, 2025

🎵 When Jen Iverson said "What I wouldn't give to hear Grandpa's music again," she had no idea what she was about to discover just two days later. Join me as Jen Iverson, a Gen X mom and passionate family historian, shares an incredible story of musical discovery that transformed her family's connection to their Idaho heritage. We explore her great-grandfather Arnold Steed's forgotten legacy in Pocatello and how one unexpected find in a nursing home room became the bridge connecting four generations of her family. From migratory beekeeping adventures to multi-generational traditions at Island Park, Jen reveals how music became a powerful time machine to her ancestors' hearts. You'll hear why sometimes our most precious family treasures are hiding in the most unexpected places, just waiting to remind us of the voices we thought we'd lost forever.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Wyoming: Tumbleweed Ties That Bind (with Lindy Nielsen) | Episode 75 Sep 04, 2025

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Utah: Walking Where They Walked (with Michelle Ercanbrack) | Episode 74 Aug 28, 2025

When Michelle Ercanbrack volunteered for a Mormon pioneer trek, she thought she'd be helping teenagers learn history. What she discovered instead was a missing piece of her own family story that had been hiding in plain sight for decades.

Michelle, a BYU family history program graduate and former Ancestry researcher who worked on television shows like "Who Do You Think You Are," joins me to share how sometimes the most meaningful genealogical discoveries happen not behind a computer screen, but when you physically stand where your ancestors once stood. Her emotional experience retracing her ancestor’s journey through the Wyoming wilderness to Utah reveals why knowing the facts of a story and truly understanding its impact are two completely different things.

Her ancestor, Mary Ann Malley, was a widowed single mother facing impossible choices and learning more about her life led Michelle to understand that even professional genealogists can overlook the most meaningful connections in their own family trees. Her story challenges every family historian to ask a simple but powerful question: What happens when you stop researching your ancestors’ lives and start walking where they walked?

This episode will leave you questioning whether you truly know your family's stories or if you're ready to discover what you've been missing.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Oklahoma: Two Genealogists and a DNA Match (with Nicka Sewell-Smith) | Episode 73 Aug 21, 2025

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

New Mexico: Centuries of Stories (with Stephen Torres) | Episode 72 Aug 14, 2025

When Stephen Torres's grandfather told him "one of your forefathers was the first European to set foot on New World soil," young Stephen was skeptical—until his college history research revealed a truth that changed everything.

Stephen shares what it means to have 400 years of unbroken family history in New Mexico's Taos Valley. From growing up with 50+ cousins to living with his storytelling grandfather, Stephen's family represents something rare: deep, unshakeable roots in one place. When genealogical research through Catholic Church records revealed remarkable connections to pivotal moments in American history, Stephen discovered his grandfather's stories held more truth than he'd ever imagined.

This is a story about the power of place, cultural continuity, and what happens when family roots run so deep they become inseparable from the very soil of home.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Arizona: Hidden Gifts of Healing (with Lisa Louise Cooke | Episode 71 Aug 07, 2025

When Lisa Louise Cooke walked into her estranged grandmother's house in Arizona, she had no idea she was about to discover the key to healing a decades-old family rift. Lisa Louise, host of the long-running Genealogy Gems podcast, shares how following an unexpected inner voice led to finding a hidden quilt that would transform her relationship with her father forever. After years of separation following her parents' messy divorces, a mysterious feeling in her grandmother's bedroom guided Lisa Louise to uncover not just a family heirloom, but a handwritten note that became the bridge to reconciliation. This powerful story reveals how our ancestors sometimes speak to us through the most unexpected discoveries, and how listening to those quiet promptings can heal wounds we thought were permanent. Whether you're dealing with family divisions or simply wondering how the past can inform the present, Lisa Louise's journey from disconnection to deep relationship will remind you that it's never too late for healing when we're willing to trust our instincts and follow the voice that guides us home.
Learn more about Lisa Louise and Genealogy Gems here:
https://lisalouisecooke.com/

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Alaska: Treasured Pieces from the Last Frontier (with Jay Marquiss) Jul 31, 2025

🏔️ When Jay Marquiss sat down for breakfast at a Southern Utah ranch house, he had no idea a casual conversation would unlock a 130-year-old family mystery.

Jay Marquiss, a third-generation Alaskan, grew up expecting to spend his entire life in the Last Frontier. But when his wife experienced her first Alaskan winter, their plans changed forever. Now living in Utah, Jay thought he'd left Alaska behind until an unexpected encounter with a former missionary revealed an incredible connection that had been hiding in plain sight for decades.

In this episode, you'll discover how Jay's family tradition became something much more significant than anyone imagined. From gold rush miners to modern-day missionaries, this story demonstrates how the most precious family legacies often travel in the most unexpected ways. Jay shares how he's transformed this discovery into meaningful connections with his children, grandchildren, and dozens of young people, creating new traditions that honor both past and present.

Through tales of Alaska's wilderness, family adventures, and serendipitous encounters, you'll see how sometimes our most treasured family heirlooms aren't stored in attics. They're living pieces of history that continue to grow and connect hearts across generations.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Hawaii: Woven Together in the Aloha State (with Mike Daniels) Jul 24, 2025

What happens when cultures collide and choose connection instead of conflict?

To launch our America 250 series and Season 2 of the podcast, I sit down with Mike Daniels — former mayor of Pleasant Grove, Utah and a dear colleague from our early days at Ancestry — to explore his family’s extraordinary journey to and through Hawaii. From war and immigration to love, loss, and discovery, Mike shares how his family’s story became a living example of what it means to build unity through difference.

“It is a melting pot, and it's really possible for people to live together in peace.”

Along the way, we talk about picture brides, holiday feasts with 50+ cousins, and a name change that reshaped an identity. This heartfelt conversation about belonging, resilience, and multicultural legacy reminds us how place becomes a character in our family stories—shaping not just where we come from, but who we become.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

America 250: A Journey Through 50 States and 50 Stories That Live In Us (Season 2 Trailer) Jul 22, 2025

What if the story of America isn't just in history books, but living right now in your family tree? As we approach America's 250th birthday in 2026, I'm taking you on an extraordinary journey across all 50 states through the intimate family stories that shaped our nation. Starting in July 2025, Season 2 of Stories That Live In Us will reveal how your ancestors' choices and experiences are still echoing through your family today.

Over 50 weeks, we'll travel from Hawaii to Alaska, Arizona to Oklahoma, following each state's admission to the union in reverse order. You'll discover tales of immigration, migration, courage, and community. These moments of resilience that defined entire families and continue to influence generations. These aren't stories about famous names and places; they're about real families whose experiences show us that American history lives in our DNA, our traditions, and our family trees.

Whether you're a longtime listener or just discovering the transformational power of family storytelling, this season will inspire you to see your own family history with fresh eyes. Because every family tree holds stories connected to places and times that can fuel your imagination, inspire your resilience, and deepen your family connections.

Join me as we discover, from sea to shining sea, the stories that live in us—and learn how your family's journey is beautifully woven into the larger American story.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Waiting to Be Found (with Hopwood DePree) | Episode 68 Jul 17, 2025

🛏😴 What if you found out that the bedtime stories you were told as a kid were really true?

When Hopwood DePree finally traced his unusual first name to its origins, he discovered something extraordinary: a 600-year-old ancestral estate in England that had been waiting centuries for him to find it. When Hopwood, author of "Downton Shabby," began exploring the childhood stories he dismissed as fairy tales, it led to the adventure of a lifetime. From growing up in Michigan, embarrassed by his name to dedicating his life to restoring Hopwood Hall Estate in Middleton, England, his journey reveals how our ancestors' stories can literally reshape our entire lives. You'll hear about secret priest holes, hidden tabernacles, and the moment he realized his grandfather's "bedtime stories" about a castle were actually family history waiting to be reclaimed.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

A Life Changing Adventure (with Diana O'Connor) | Episode 67 Jul 10, 2025

🌍 After decades of dead ends and false leads, one $27 payment to a county archive changed everything for Diana O'Connor. She didn’t just get a record. She got a photograph that made her weep with recognition.

Diana grew up knowing almost nothing about her family history. Her father was placed in foster care at two years old when his mother died. He then died tragically young and Diana’s own mother’s death followed a short eight years later. With virtually no family stories, no extended relatives, and no sense of her roots but armed with a single legal document and unshakeable curiosity, she embarked on a journey that would transform her from a woman with no family connections into someone discovering an abundance of Irish cousins and ancestral homes.

Diana shares the emotional highs and lows of researching her Irish heritage, discovering orphanage records, connecting with cousins across continents, and finally standing in the cemeteries of County Tyrone and County Mayo where her ancestors are buried.

This episode is a heartfelt reminder that even the smallest clues can lead to life-changing discoveries. And that it’s never too late to find your people.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Gathering and Connections (with Betheny Tomseth) | Episode 66 Jul 03, 2025

🎂 What do cake and cemeteries have to do with one another? Maybe not much but both have quite a bit to do with family history.

Betheny Tomseth, known on Instagram as @BethenyCakes, takes us on a journey through her family’s complex history. From the mysterious circumstances surrounding her great-grandfather Omer's hunting accident in 1921 to the Scottish immigrant family she discovered buried together in an Ogden cemetery. We explore how a 140-year-old cake recipe connects generations of women who understood that food brings families together.

As the middle child in a family of 14, Betheny shares how her great-aunt Edith's stories about a grandmother who died in childbirth became family treasures, and how her genealogist sister Rebecca's Christmas gift may be the most meaningful one she’s ever received. Our conversation celebrates the beautiful ways our ancestors continue to gather us together.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Wonderful Grandmothers (with Aimee Cross) | Episode 65 Jun 26, 2025

When Aimee Cross discovered her French ancestor's will in a 1904 newspaper, she found something more precious than gold - a grandmother's heartfelt advice to her children. Professional genealogist Aimee Cross joins me to share how her second great-grandmother Estelle Dumont left behind more than an estate. She left a legacy of wisdom that continues to shape her family today. From Pierre Dumont's journey from France to the goldfields of California, to Estelle's courageous choice to run a business as a widowed mother in 1897 San Francisco, this story reveals how family wisdom survives even when original documents don't. Discover how one woman's deathbed counsel speaks directly to today's grandmothers and learn why the most powerful family stories often hide in the most unexpected records.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

These Are My Kinfolk: A Juneteenth Reunion (with Linda Epps Parker) | Episode 64 Jun 19, 2025

Linda felt there was "something special" in her dad's family but couldn't get answers. She never imagined a single phone call would connect her to relatives she'd never met and a Civil War-era ancestor whose story would change how she celebrates Juneteenth forever.

In this deeply moving episode, I sit down with Linda Epps Parker, whose connection to the Hawkins Wilson documentary reveals the extraordinary power of genealogy to heal generational separation. Linda shares her journey from growing up with unanswered questions about her father's Southern roots to discovering her relationship to Hawkins Wilson, the formerly enslaved man whose 1877 letter became the centerpiece of an award-winning film from Ancestry.

What else Linda discovers feels less like coincidence or chance and more like ancestral guidance. This episode beautifully demonstrates how family history research can move us from longing to belonging, creating profound connections that span generations.

Link to Hawkins Wilson film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wDwDR6yjhk

Link to Episode 11:
https://www.cristacowan.com/blog/the-letter-that-waited-how-one-ancestry-tree-uncovered-a-155-year-family-story

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

An Honest Witness | Episode 63 Jun 12, 2025

What if one of history's most famous authors unknowingly documented your ancestor's immigration journey? In 1863, my three-times-great-grandmother Rachel Smuin sailed from England to America aboard the Amazon—and Charles Dickens was there to witness it all. Expecting to find chaos and disorder among 800 Mormon emigrants, Dickens instead discovered remarkable organization, cheerfulness, and dignity that completely challenged his preconceptions. His detailed letter about that day provides an incredible window into Rachel's actual crossing experience, from the crowded London docks to the careful inspections before departure. I'll read you Dickens' account and share how I discovered this hidden gem that brings my ancestor's journey to life. This episode will inspire you to search for the contemporary records, newspaper articles, and historical accounts that might capture your own family's pivotal moments in surprising detail.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Through the Eyes of a Child ( with Tamara Buzyna Adams) | Episode 62 Jun 05, 2025

🚢 When 11-year-old Lydia escaped Russia on the last evacuation ship in 1920, she began documenting her extraordinary journey in beautiful handwritten diaries.

Tamara Buzyna Adams discovered her grandmother’s childhood diaries during COVID lockdown. What started as a mother-daughter translation project unveiled an incredible story: a young girl who lived on a refugee ship for two and a half years, finding joy and wonder even amid the chaos following the Russian Revolution.

Through meticulous research, Tamara pieced together not just dates and places, but a moving story of childhood resilience. Her most surprising discovery came when she decided to research the mysterious friends Lydia mentioned throughout her diaries - children with nicknames like "Zhenya" and "Kolya."

Lydia's story reveals how family histories preserved through a child's innocent perspective can illuminate our ancestors' humanity and inspire resilience across generations.

_____
Visit Tamara's website to see pictures of Lydia and her friends and for information about her book, Last Ship to Freedom: https://www.tamarabuzynaadams.com/

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Even in the Face of Injustice | Episode 61 May 29, 2025

What if your ancestors' darkest moment could teach you the most about resilience?

While chasing down a DNA match with my dad, I uncovered a shocking story about two sets of my 8x great-grandparents that kept me awake all night. Roger and Anne Park and Andrew and Olive Smith were Quakers who fled England seeking religious freedom in colonial New Jersey, but found decades of land disputes and corrupt officials instead. When my 7x great-grandfather John Park and his brother-in-law, Thomas Smith faced an impossible choice - pay twice for land they already owned or lose everything - their response involved tar, feathers, and a decision that haunts me as I consider how we respond to injustice today. This discovery reminded me why family stories matter: they teach us resilience even when our ancestors made questionable choices, and show us we can choose to be better in the face of hardship.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

The Ache Is Still There (with Tara Hall) | Episode 60 May 22, 2025

When Tara Hall discovered her great-uncle Norman had been shot down in WWII, his story became an enigma that haunted her family for generations. In this poignant episode, my Ancestry colleague Tara shares how Norman joined the Army Air Corps as a navigator, following in his older brother's footsteps. Shot down over Germany on just his third mission, Norman's body remained unidentified for twelve years, leaving his family in painful limbo. Through military records and precious letters, Tara uncovered not just how Norman died, but glimpses of who he truly was—a young man who secretly read poetry and promised his father, "Don't worry about me, Dad." As we approach Memorial Day, this story reminds us of the profound ripple effects war creates across generations, and how family history transforms enigmas into cherished ancestors whose memories provide strength and resilience.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

I Can See All The Story (with Lisa Elzey) | Episode 59 May 15, 2025

When Lisa Elzey discovered her grandfather flew on a B-17 bomber during D-Day, she knew there was more to uncover…
In this continuation of last week's DNA revelation, Lisa shares how researching her grandfather's war buddies unveiled an extraordinary military legacy. From discovering rare crew photos to uncovering first-hand accounts of a harrowing mission that earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, Lisa's persistence reveals how the stories of those around our ancestors can illuminate their lives. Together we explore how researching the network of people surrounding her grandfather transformed fragments of information into a rich narrative that brought her mother to tears—proving that sometimes the most powerful family connections emerge when we look beyond the family tree.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

I Can Live With the Truth (with Nidel Day) | Episode 58 May 08, 2025

When DNA results revealed a puzzling Quebec connection in Lisa Elzey's family tree — everything she thought she knew was called into question...
Join me for an intimate conversation with my podcast producer Lisa and her mother Nidel as they unravel a family mystery that remained hidden for over seven decades. Witness how modern genealogy technology unlocked memories long forgotten and reshaped Nidel's understanding of her identity at age 74. This powerful story explores how unexpected discoveries can bring clarity rather than chaos, and how it's never too late to embrace the truth about where we come from. Their journey reminds us that sometimes the stories that live in us are waiting for the right moment to unfold.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

One Year Anniversary - I'm So Glad You're Here | Episode 57 May 01, 2025

For one year straight, I've shared stories that remind us we're all connected through the messy, beautiful threads of family history — and today, I'm celebrating YOU. Recorded live at RootsTech 2025, this anniversary episode is a reflection of the incredible stories we've uncovered together, from my great-great-grandmother Carrie to DNA discoveries that led to phone calls from heaven. In this special episode, I'm revisiting seven of my favorite moments from the past year and sharing the behind-the-scenes impact each story had on me, on my guests, and on you. From discovering how a kitchen table can become a family's gathering place for connection to the family of seven sailing through storms, you'll hear what made these episodes unforgettable — and why your own family stories might be closer than you think. Whether you've been listening since day one or just discovered this podcast, join me as we reflect on how family stories aren’t just about the past - they’re about creating connections that last generations. And, get a sneak peek at our exciting America 250 project coming in year two of the podcast.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

We Wear a Poppy (with Simon Pearce) | Episode 56 Apr 24, 2025

When Simon Pearce discovered his great-great-uncle Howard's name on a casualty list from WWI, his heart skipped a beat — launching a 20-year quest to piece together the life of a man he never met but now feels deeply connected to... In this moving conversation, Simon, an Ancestry military history expert, shares how Howard's service from China to Gallipoli and ultimate sacrifice in 1915 created ripples through generations of his family. Together we explore how a single postcard, a war diary, and a sister's poignant poem in her autograph book transformed Howard from a name on a memorial to a cherished family member. This episode reminds us that family stories don't end with death, but continue to shape identity, create connection, and inspire purpose across generations — sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Marry a Genealogist (with Irene Hantman) | Episode 55 Apr 17, 2025

💕 When a stranger asked Irene Hantman about Arthur Kurzweil's lecture at a Jewish genealogy conference, she never imagined it would change her life forever...

In this heartwarming episode, I talk with Irene, an accomplished genealogist and longtime editor of Avotaynu journal, about her 40-year journey through Jewish family history. She shares how receiving the book "From Generation to Generation" sparked a lifelong passion that ultimately led to love when she met Jerry at a conference in Los Angeles.

Irene's story weaves through her early discoveries at the National Archives, uncovering the mysteries of her grandmother's citizenship, and navigating the complexities of Jewish surname changes. But what makes her journey truly special is how genealogy brought her not just family connections, but unexpected romance at age 60.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

All I Need is a Warm Glass of Milk (with Brian Donnelly) | Episode 54 Apr 10, 2025

🍀 When Brian Donnelly's grandfather calmly announced he was having a heart attack, nine-year-old Brian's only instruction was to fetch a warm glass of milk…
In this heartwarming episode, I chat with the Ancestry Chief Commercial Officer about family remedies that become inside jokes and DNA discoveries that challenge family lore. Brian shares how his Irish identity was upended when his DNA results revealed more Scottish ancestry than expected, and how a single photo from his great-uncle's military regiment opened doors to remarkable connections. You'll discover how family history research rekindled Brian's relationship with a long-disconnected aunt and how he's passing down meaningful stories to his three young children. Whether it's warm milk for heart attacks or aloe for sunburns, every family has their cure-all traditions that become part of their unique language and connection.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Ancestors Are Complicated (with Anne Mitchell) | Episode 53 Apr 03, 2025

When Anne Mitchell discovered a tattered family Bible with a handwritten account of an ancestor eagerly joining the Confederate Army in 1861 it changed how she understood her family history. Now, it has also changed how millions might discover their own histories. Anne shares the story of her ancestor John Calvin Gillespie—from excited Confederate soldier to "galvanized Yankee" to a man whose tragic end made headlines across America. Her deep dive into her family's Civil War connections (with ten direct ancestors who fought in the conflict!) ultimately inspired her work as a product manager at Ancestry® developing the new Networks feature. In our conversation we explore how confronting complicated truths about our ancestors can lead to personal transformation and why understanding past generations might be a key to understanding ourselves today.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Project Managing the Saga (with Nicka Sewell-Smith) | Episode 52 Mar 27, 2025

When Nicka Sewell-Smith set out to find her great-grandmother Easter's maiden name, she never imagined it would lead to uncovering 10,000 descendants from a single enslaved community...

In this moving conversation, genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith returns to share how her search for one ancestor evolved into the groundbreaking "Trask 250" project. By meticulously tracking enslaved families from the 1850s through freedom, she's reconstructed a community that remained connected across generations. Nicka reveals how a chance cemetery visit, a cartoonist cousin with perfect recall, and strategic spreadsheet management helped piece together a family narrative that spans from pre-Revolutionary African ancestors to modern DNA connections. Her story demonstrates how determined research can transform overwhelming historical data into powerful family connections that bring pride and healing to thousands of descendants.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

The Irish Experience (with Kyle Betit) | Episode 51 Mar 20, 2025

🍀 When I gathered around a traditional peat fire in Galway with a group of descendants of the Irish Diaspora, I experienced my ancestors' world in a way records alone could never reveal…

In this episode, I chat with Kyle Betit, professional genealogist and heritage travel expert, about the power of connecting with ancestral places. Kyle shares how his grandmother inspired his lifelong passion for genealogy, leading to extraordinary discoveries across Europe. We reminisce about an unforgettable journey through Ireland we took together, exploring living history sites and museums that provide crucial context for understanding our ancestors' lives.
Kyle also reveals how DNA testing is opening new paths for heritage connections worldwide. Maybe even to - one day - help me break through my own O’Brien brick wall.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

It's Like Genealogy 3.0 (with Jenn Utley) | Episode 50 Mar 13, 2025

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

For a Wise Purpose (with Steve Rockwood) | Episode 49 Mar 06, 2025

When Steve Rockwood discovered his ancestor's journal as a child, he never imagined how family stories would shape his future as President of FamilySearch International. In our conversation, Steve reveals how a 7th-generation Bostonian's writings sparked his sense of belonging, while his Danish great-grandmother's solo journey across the Atlantic became the untold DNA story he treasures most. Steve shares how a recent family history trip with his 93-year-old mother brought "Grandma Chandler" to life through forgotten newspaper accounts—proving that records kept "for a wise purpose" reveal their value generations later. Whether you're building your family tree as a "driver" or enjoying discoveries as a "passenger," Steve's insights on capturing character stories and engaging today's "most journaling generation" will transform how you share your family's legacy and keep your growing family connected through powerful stories.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Live Undaunted (with Lisa Valentine Clark) | Episode 48 Feb 27, 2025

Have you ever wondered what story you'd tell if you knew your time was limited? Lisa Valentine Clark's husband faced this exact question when diagnosed with ALS. In this powerful conversation, Lisa reveals how Christopher's decision to document his life story created an unexpected treasure their five children now cherish like scripture. We explore the unexpected parallels to her grandmother’s life and how that provided strength when she needed it most. She shares the profound shift in perspective that comes when witnessing a complete life story, and how intentional choices shape our family narrative. Lisa's approach to reframing tragedy challenges us all to consider: how will the stories we leave behind shape future generations? Discover why laughter through tears might just be the most important emotion in preserving your family's authentic legacy.
Follow Lisa:
https://www.instagram.com/thelisashow

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Daddy Was an Outlaw (with Jackie Dorothy) | Episode 47 Feb 20, 2025

A childhood memory of two sisters arguing at a kitchen table leads historian Jackie Dorothy to uncover an astounding truth — her great-grandfather wasn't just any Wyoming cowboy, he was part of Butch Cassidy's infamous Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. As an award-winning historian and member of the Northern Arapaho tribe, Jackie shares how she pieced together newspaper clippings, tribal records, and family stories to reveal her ancestor's double life: respected family man by day, outlaw by night. Through her research, she discovered that Wyoming wasn't just a setting for outlaw tales — it was a refuge where people came to reinvent themselves, often leaving their true identities buried in the past. Join us for a fascinating exploration of how one family's "shameful secret" transformed into a celebrated piece of Wyoming history, and discover how your own family legends might hold more truth than you imagine.
Listen to Jackie's podcast Pioneers of Outlaw Country

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Their Love Stories | Episode 46 Feb 13, 2025

Do you know how your parents met? Research shows this simple story could be the key to building family resilience — and in this intimate solo episode, I open up about three generations of love stories that shaped my own family's legacy.

From my grandparents’ powerful wartime romances to my parents' whirlwind 19-day courtship, each story reveals how family connections are forged in both dramatic and everyday moments. Along the way, I explore fascinating research from Emory University showing why these origin stories matter so much, regardless of how they end.

Join me as I demonstrate how uncovering and sharing your family's love stories — whether epic or understated — can strengthen bonds across generations and create a deeper sense of belonging for everyone in your family tree.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

The Magic Part Is The Listening (with Natalie Zett) | Episode 45 Feb 06, 2025

When journalist Natalie Zett received a mysterious family manuscript, she had no idea it would lead her to her long-lost Aunt Martha – a 19-year-old victim of the tragic 1915 Eastland disaster in Chicago. What began as a deeply personal quest to understand her aunt's story transformed into a mission to preserve the forgotten stories of over 800 souls lost that day. Through a combination of journalistic expertise, genealogical research, and what she calls "listening to the departed," Natalie shares how she's uncovering the human stories that have been overshadowed by the famous shipwreck. Listen as we explore how family history research can bridge generations, heal old wounds, and sometimes give voice to those whose stories are waiting to be told.

Listen to Natalie’s podcast at:
FlowersInTheRiver.com

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Not A Secret Anymore (with Linda Goldman and Milly and Marty Mandel) | Episode 44 Jan 30, 2025

"There must be a mistake - I know all my first cousins." When Linda Goldman responded to an unexpected DNA match, she had no idea how wrong she was. Join me for a remarkable conversation with 100-year-old Millie Mandel, her son Marty, and cousin Linda as they share how DNA testing unveiled a century-old family secret that would transform two families who had lived parallel lives, unaware of their deep connection. This story of discovery, sacrifice, and unexpected joy reminds us that it's never too late to uncover the stories hiding in our family trees.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Mess in His Wake | Episode 43 Jan 23, 2025

When family relationships shatter, the ripples can span generations. In this deeply personal episode, I uncover the story of my great-great-grandfather Park Cowan, whose choices left a wake of heartbreak, bigamy charges, and newspaper headlines across the Midwest in 1901. Through historical records and family lore, I piece together how his abandonment impacted three generations - from my resilient great-great-grandmother Carrie to my own grandfather's commitment to break the pattern. You'll discover how family stories, even the messy ones, can lead to healing and redemption. Join me in exploring how confronting our family's past challenges can transform our present relationships and shape a different future for those who come after us.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Bit by the Bug (with Emily Pulham) | Episode 42 Jan 16, 2025

When a 12-year-old girl watched her grandmother work at a microfilm reader, she couldn't have known she was witnessing the beginning of her own family history journey. Now a young mother of three, Emily Pulham has transformed her passion for genealogy into a profound gift - a book preserving her Danish grandmother's incredible stories of life during WWII, immigration to America, and the power of family bonds that span generations. From burning Nazi documents to surviving 10-hour interrogations, these stories became more than just historical accounts - they helped Emily understand herself and her place in her family's story. Join me for this touching conversation about how documenting family stories while our relatives are still with us can heal generational disconnections and create lasting legacies that will outlive us all.

Follow Emily on Instagram @organized.with.emily

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Operation Pedro Pan (with Elisa Seeherman and Yda Okurliand-Pack) | Episode 41 Jan 09, 2025

When cousins Elisa and Yda finally met in person, they uncovered more than their shared DNA – they discovered how a desperate effort to save Cuban children from Castro's regime had shaped their family's destiny. Through meticulous research and a surprising DNA match, Elisa connected with a branch of her Jewish family she never knew existed, leading to the discovery of their role in Operation Pedro Pan – one of the largest child refugee operations in American history. In this moving episode, Yda shares her experience as one of over 14,000 Cuban children who left everything behind, armed with only a small token to identify them upon arrival in the United States. Their story reminds us how DNA testing can reveal not just family connections, but also uncover profound chapters of history that continue to shape families across generations.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

An Opportunity for Connection | Episode 40 Jan 02, 2025

When my mom was just 17, she lost her father – but 50 years later, DNA revealed an unexpected gift...

In this deeply personal episode, I share how an ordinary AncestryDNA test revealed an extraordinary family secret. What began as a potentially devastating discovery became a beautiful experience that brought four women (in their 60s and 70s) closer together. As the story unfolds, you'll see how even the messiest parts of our family stories are an opportunity for connection. Join me as I explore how DNA testing can unlock forgotten stories, heal old wounds, and create new bridges between generations that transform both our past and future relationships.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Thanks for the Memories (with George Ott) | Episode 39 Dec 26, 2024

What happens when you present Bob Hope with his family history, and he has no joke to crack? In this episode, professional genealogist George Ott shares moving stories from his decades-long career, including unforgettable moments with Hollywood legends Bob Hope and Jimmy Stewart, who both found themselves brought to tears by discoveries about their family histories. Having started his career in 1975, George reveals how family connections can transcend fame, fortune, and even family feuds - from courtroom battles over cherished samplers to emotional reunions between long-lost siblings. His remarkable stories demonstrate that whether you're a celebrated entertainer or someone searching for your roots, family history has the power to touch hearts and bring people together. Join me for this touching exploration of how the stories that live in us can surface in unexpected and powerful ways.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

It Doesn't Take A Lot (with Jason Terry) | Episode 38 Dec 19, 2024

When a 20-year-old WWII pilot makes fudge in a POW camp on Christmas Day, he teaches a lasting lesson...

Jason Terry shares how his grandfather's small act of kindness in a German prison camp during WWII sparked a family legacy of service that spans generations. Through stories of answered prayers, harrowing escapes, and a precious Red Cross package shared with fellow prisoners, we discover how even the smallest gestures can create lasting impact. This moving conversation reveals how family stories shape our values and how service to others becomes a cherished inheritance passed from one generation to the next.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Finding Heroes (with Wayne Abbott and David O'Keefe) | Episode 37 Dec 12, 2024

Have you ever wondered if there are forgotten family heroes in your past? In this episode, documentarians Wayne Abbott and David O'Keefe reveal how combining historical records, artifacts, and family research can bridge generational gaps and uncover powerful family stories. Through their work on Ancestry's "Finding Heroes" podcast, they share emotional moments of families discovering ancestors they never knew – including a son who finally connected with the father he never met through a simple military artifact. Their work shows how even the smallest historical discoveries can transform family relationships and create lasting legacies for future generations.

💭 Which of your ancestors' stories are waiting to be discovered in your family tree?
Watch Wayne & David's latest podcast episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQbfCatul_w

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

A Phone Call From Heaven (with Jenny Ashcraft) | Episode 36 Dec 05, 2024

When Jenny Ashcraft joked with her dying father about needing a 'cell phone call from heaven' to start family history... that's exactly what she got. Just days after her father's funeral, a mysterious package arrived from a stranger who felt compelled to send her family records after reading her father's obituary. Follow Jenny's journey from a reluctant beginner to becoming part of the Ancestry team, including an incredible series of discoveries in Pennsylvania that proved family history is full of divine coincidences. This episode shows how even those who feel intimidated by family history can find themselves drawn into a puzzle more rewarding than they ever imagined.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Sometimes You Don't Like the Answer (with Lisa Elzey) | Episode 35 Nov 28, 2024

Two genealogists discover they might share a Mayflower connection - but there's a twist.
In this special Thanksgiving episode, my producer Lisa Elzey and I explore our connection to America’s founding story, take a memorable trip to Plymouth Plantation, and learn that sometimes uncovering the truth means letting go of cherished family lore. Through our journey, we reveal how the real power of family history lies not in the famous names on our family tree, but in the authentic stories we uncover along the way.
Curious about the truth behind your own family legends? Find guidance and story prompts inspired by this episode at CristaCowan.com/blog.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Back to the Cherokee Nation (with Nicka Sewell-Smith) | Episode 34 Nov 21, 2024

Not everyone stumbles on a photo of a relative hanging in a hotel bathroom, but Nicka Sewell-Smith isn’t just anyone. And, that’s not even the most interesting story she has to tell. From family reunions to battles for tribal citizenship, Nicka reveals an American tale that challenges common narratives about Native American and African American history. Her persistence and use of modern technology helped her document more than 4,000 descendants of formerly enslaved ancestors and uncover her family’s deep ties to the Cherokee Nation. Join us as she shares these extraordinary discoveries.
Follow Nicka:
On Instagram @NeekSmith

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

The Fabric of Who You Are | (with Diahan Southard) | Episode 33 Nov 14, 2024

Have you ever thought about how deeply you can trace your roots with just a simple DNA test?

Listen in on my conversation with Diahan Southard, a trailblazer in consumer genomics and the founder of Your DNA Guide. She takes us through her story, starting as a microbiology student at Brigham Young University, continuing to her work with Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, leading to her pioneering role in the field of genetic genealogy education. Sparked by the advice of a high school English teacher and a fascination with archaeogenetics, Diahan has not only played a role in advancing the field, she has also experienced the personal and emotional impact of DNA discoveries in her own family. In this episode, she shares her journey and invites us to discover the unexpected stories hidden within our own DNA.
Follow Diahan:
YourDNAGuide.com
Instagram

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Dad, I Want to Know About the War (with Becky Ellis) | Episode 32 Nov 07, 2024

For 43 years, Becky Ellis's father refused to speak about his World War II service — until one conversation at age 89 changed everything. What started with a simple "Dad, I want to know about the war" led to seven years of profound revelations that transformed not just their relationship, but Becky's understanding of herself. As her father finally shared his experiences as a Staff Sergeant in the 104th Infantry Division, she discovered how his 172 days of continuous combat shaped both his approach to parenting and her own life. Through their journey from silence to storytelling, Becky learned that sometimes the most powerful family connections emerge when we're brave enough to ask the hard questions and patient enough to listen to the answers.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Not Much of a Saint | Episode 31 Oct 31, 2024

Does the veil between worlds thin as October turns to November? I certainly think so.

Born on All Saints Day, my birthday celebrations always mingled with Halloween festivities. But, it was my 18th birthday, spent cleaning up a vandalized cemetery that changed my perspective. Then, my 47th birthday spent experiencing Día de los Muertos in Mexico City and the dozens of birthdays in between that shaped my understanding of how these religious and cultural celebrations are a powerful way to connect generations.
Join me as I explore the fascinating intersection between my birth date, my calling as a genealogist, and the belief that during these autumn days, the veil between past and present grows uniquely thin. This personal story reveals why I believe there are no coincidences when it comes to our connections with family history.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

La Cugina d'Americana (with Suzanne Russo Adams) | Episode 30 Oct 24, 2024

A young girl sits at her Italian family's dinner table, absorbing stories of sea monsters, witches, and prohibition-era St. Louis — while her cousins run off to play. Today, that curious child has become Director of Brigham Young University’s Center for Family History and Genealogy.

Join me as Suzanne Russo Adams shares how listening to her grandfather's colorful tales sparked a lifelong passion that took her back to her family’s tiny Sicilian fishing village and around the globe to more than 100 archives worldwide. Between stories of immigrant resilience, mafia connections, and serendipitous research discoveries, Suzanne reveals how understanding her Italian roots helped her create deeper family bonds across generations. Whether your ancestors left carefully documented paper trails or whispered stories around the dinner table, this episode will inspire you to dig deeper into your family's unique narrative.

Learn more about Suzanne and the BYU Center for Family History and Genealogy:
https://history.byu.edu/directory/suzanne-adams

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Why Didn't We Know This Story (with Gayle George) | Episode 29 Oct 17, 2024

What if uncovering a family story you never knew could change the way you see yourself and the world? In 2019, Ancestry's documentary Railroad Ties revealed how the Underground Railroad connected descendants of the enslaved with those who fought for their freedom. Before listening to this powerful conversation, watch the film.

My guest Gayle George's journey began with a surprising invitation to be part of this documentary. What she discovered – from emotional court records of her great-grandmother to unmarked family graves – transformed her understanding of home, belonging, and legacy. Today, through the Weems the People Foundation, she helps other families uncover and preserve their own powerful stories.

This episode will inspire you to look deeper into your family's untold stories and the profound impact they can have on future generations.

Discover more about Gayle's work and the legacy of her ancestors at WeemsThePeople.org and Awakeningho.me.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

I Had Come Home | Episode 28 Oct 10, 2024

When someone asks where you're from, do you think of a place or the people? For me, that question took on new meaning when I unexpectedly burst into tears on a Glasgow train platform, feeling an inexplicable sense of coming home. In this episode, join me as I share the story of my three times great-grandfather, Samuel Mulliner, who left Scotland for Canada in 1830 and eventually made his way down into the U.S. and across the country with the Mormon pioneers. Through discovering thousands of living descendants, retracing his footsteps in Edinburgh, and understanding his legacy in Utah's early settlements, I've learned that "home" lives in both the places we inhabit and the stories we inherit. His remarkable tale of sacrifice, entrepreneurship, and faith – from his Scottish roots to his pioneering spirit in America – illuminates why family history holds such a profound place in my heart – and might just inspire you to explore what "coming home" means in your own family story.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Be At The Things That Matter Most (with The Cowan Niblings) | Episode 27 Oct 03, 2024

"Cowans show up for each other!" When seven cousins gather in a podcast studio after their Alaskan adventure, this family motto comes alive...

Join me and "the niblings" – my six nephews and one niece – just hours after returning from their first cousins-only cruise. From Corbin's birthday fireworks to Andrew's legendary seven-pancake breakfast, and Kaitlyn finding her place as the only girl among six boys, discover how a week at sea strengthened bonds that will last a lifetime. Through stories of Disney traditions, teenage solo adventures, and promises of future world travels, we explore how showing up for the moments that matter creates an unshakeable family foundation.

Whether they're giving one-word answers (they're teenagers, after all) or sharing heartfelt memories, these seven unique personalities demonstrate that family connection isn't just about being related – it's about being present.

Featuring Corbin (20), Gabe (18), Levi (16), Kaitlyn (14), Asher (14), Andrew (12), and Phin (11).

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Moments of Really Beautiful Things (IAJGS LIVE) | Episode 26 Sep 26, 2024

What do Lake Como, Italy, a Jewish genealogy conference, and a surprise discovery in Chicago all have in common? They're woven together in a story that reminds us why family history matters — a story I shared in front of a live audience in August 2024 at the 44th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy in Philadelphia.

Listen in as I recount one of the most impactful moments of my genealogy career, when a determined French woman waited hours to talk to me at a similar conference back in 2012. Our time together was about more than just finding records. It was about restoring hope. Through this story, you'll discover how sometimes the most meaningful family connections emerge when we least expect them, and why no one is truly alone once we start uncovering our family stories.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

A Whole Other Tree of Possibilities (with Todd Godfrey) | Episode 25 Sep 19, 2024

What if solving your family history was like tackling a 5000-piece puzzle without the box? For Todd Godfrey, Vice President of Global Content at Ancestry, this metaphor became startlingly real when a high school yearbook photo revealed his biological mother's face – and his own features staring back at him. While Todd leads the team digitizing billions of historical records that help others solve their family puzzles, his personal journey as an adoptee required patience, persistence, and careful consideration. From discovering his German-Russian heritage through naturalization records to thoughtfully navigating relationships with both his adoptive and biological families, Todd's story reminds us that sometimes the most meaningful discoveries unfold at their own perfect pace. Each record, each DNA match, each careful choice about connection represents another piece falling into place, creating a picture more complex and beautiful than he could have imagined.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

HBO Gift Lounge | Episode 24 Sep 12, 2024

It’s Emmys Weekend in Los Angeles. What does that have to do with family stories?

Well, back in 2018, Ancestry hosted a luxury gift lounge during a Hollywood award show weekend. Unlike typical gift lounges where celebrities grab swag, snap photos, and move on, we offered them a different experience. A chance to connect with their past. We transformed a fancy hotel suite, complete with a grand faux tree, and gave the stars an opportunity to dive into their family history with DNA kits and expert on-site guidance.

It was fun (and a little surreal) to watch people I had only seen on TV light up with excitement when I helped them make discoveries about their family. But, the true highlight came when a towering actor from HBO’s Ballers sat down with me to start exploring his family tree. The emotional experience he had, right there in that bustling Hollywood hotel, taught me a meaningful lesson about the healing and connecting power of family history.

Tune in to hear how exploring your family tree can turn from simple curiosity to a profound, life-changing experience. Because family history isn't just about filling in names on a chart; it's about understanding where—and who—we come from, and finding the Stories That Live In Us.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

You Lose Them Twice (with Julie Taggart) | Episode 23 Sep 05, 2024

We call ourselves Gen X women but many of us are quickly becoming the “sandwich generation.” It’s a term that invokes feelings of being squeezed between raising children, welcoming grandchildren, and caring for aging parents all while juggling never ending demands on our time and emotions.

With six children ranging in age from 11 to 21 and a mother succumbing to dementia, my friend (and cousin) Julie Taggart, is managing this season of her life so beautifully. That doesn’t mean it isn’t hard. Sometimes heartbreakingly so. But, her focus is firmly fixed on faith and family allowing her to find meaning through the experience.

And family history plays a major role in how she navigates the constant transitions in her life by giving her perspective and opportunities to deeply connect with her family - past, present, and future.

Listen in on our conversation to hear how we discovered we are related and the role a family tree chart played in that discovery and, more importantly, in the family culture Julie has created.

*****

Order your own fill-in-the-blank family tree chart (and use the code I mention in the episode to get free shipping): FamilyChartmasters.com

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

From People Who've Done Hard Things (with Jordan Lundskog) | Episode 22 Aug 29, 2024

When Jordan Lundskog lost his beloved grandfather at age 16, he discovered that family stories aren't just tales from the past – they're bridges between generations. Now a product manager at Ancestry® and father of young children, Jordan shares how uncovering his grandfather's high school football photo sparked an unexpected journey through time. From Civil War ancestors who stood up for their beliefs to Swedish immigrants who crossed oceans alone at age ten, each discovery has shown him that telling our children they can do hard things becomes profound when we can point to the ancestors whose blood flows in their veins. Join me for a touching conversation about how family stories shape us, inspire resilience, and transform abstract history into deeply personal legacy.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Turn It Into the Wind (with Erik and Emily Orton) | Episode 21 Aug 22, 2024

Ever wondered what it takes to turn an ordinary life into an extraordinary adventure? When former Broadway professional Erik Orton suggested his family of seven live on a sailboat for a year, it seemed impossible — until his daughter asked "do you really have the guts to do it?" Join me for an inspiring conversation with Erik and Emily Orton, authors of "Seven at Sea," about how they intentionally craft their family's story and navigate life's storms together. From late-night squalls in the Caribbean to teaching their children to be the "navigators" of their own lives, the Ortons share powerful insights about choosing your direction even when you can't control the wind. Discover how asking "what could go right?" transformed their family culture and learn practical ways to help your own family write a meaningful story together. This episode will inspire you to look beyond what feels safe and imagine the possibilities waiting on the other side of fear.
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About Erik and Emily:
Erik Orton is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer. Emily Orton is an educator, author and public speaker. Their life design framework mutes fear and accelerates growth. They are parents to five adult children, including their youngest with Down Syndrome. They raised their family in upper Manhattan for 23 years where Erik worked on such shows as Wicked, Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera. When their kids were 6-16 years old, Erik and Emily bootstrapped life aboard a fixer upper sailboat in the Caribbean. They sailed as a family from St. Martin back to New York City. Their memoir about the experience (Seven at Sea) is a New York Times Top 10 Travel book. After life on the boat, they continued to travel the world with their children through Europe, the South Pacific, Africa, and across North and South America in planes, trains, boats and vans. They are the co-founders of The Awesome Factory, a coaching and travel adventure company that leads retreats and sailing adventures all over the world.
Find Erik and Emily at: Website
Book - Seven at Sea
Podcast: What Could Go Right

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Open Heart, Open Mind, Open Ears (with Maria Mendoza) | Episode 20 Aug 15, 2024

"What's it like holding and looking at your own DNA?" This simple question about her newborn son sparked something profound in Maria Mendoza, who grew up adopted. Years later, a DNA test revealed not just her ethnicity, but an entire family — including her biological father and eight half-siblings — living just fifteen minutes away.

Join us as Maria shares how she navigated this delicate journey with grace, leading to eighteen precious months with her biological father before his passing at 96. Her story reminds us that family discoveries can happen at any time, and that approaching them with an open heart can transform uncertainty into beautiful connection.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Laugh 'Til We Cry (with Scott Seiffert and Lisa Dyson) | Episode 19 Aug 08, 2024

When animation executive Scott Seiffert learned that generations of his family drank at bars and told stories in Montana, something clicked into place about his own storytelling journey... At DreamWorks Animation, Scott shepherds stories for the screen, while his wife Lisa, a middle school librarian and actress, brings stories to life for her students. Together, they've created a home where laughter, games, and storytelling are cherished traditions – from reading Edgar Allan Poe to their young daughter to fierce gin rummy competitions that continue today.

Through family history research for HGTV's "Revealed," they discovered surprising roots and inherited traits: Lisa's Albanian heritage (which Scott won't let her forget), Scott's Finnish connections that explained an old family nickname, and perhaps most importantly, a legacy of humor, timing, and connection that stretches back generations. Their story reminds us that who we are echoes far beyond our immediate family – in ways that can make us laugh until we cry.

Join me for a joyful conversation about how sharing stories – whether around a cabin piano, a game table, or a modern dinner table free of phones – keeps families deeply connected across time.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Families Have Always Been Messy | Episode 18 Aug 01, 2024

What happens when an 18-year-old girl questions her faith in 1727 England? For my ancestor Margaret Lawrence, that choice set off a chain of events that would echo through generations. I've spent decades unraveling the true story behind our family's romanticized tales of her journey to America – and what I discovered was far more complex than the simple story of stolen bread that I heard as a child.

In this deeply personal episode, I share how my investigation into Margaret's life revealed the often messy reality of family history: religious conflict, desperate choices, exploitation, and ultimately survival through her descendants. By piecing together court records, prison logs, newspaper accounts, and DNA evidence, I finally uncovered the truth about this mysterious woman who sparked my early fascination with genealogy.

Through Margaret's story, we explore how family narratives evolve over time, what details we choose to share or hide across generations, and why uncovering the full truth – however difficult – helps us better understand both our ancestors and ourselves.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Police Don't Have Nothin' On Me (with Rusty Wright and Lisa Elzey) | Episode 17 Jul 25, 2024

What if the secrets to your family's past were hidden in plain sight, waiting to be discovered in the most unexpected places - like a county jail?

When U.S. Marshal Rusty Wright set out to learn about the grandfather he never met, he never imagined discovering that his own ancestor had once faced off with law enforcement. What begins as a simple inquiry unfolds into an epic journey from the Oregon Trail to Prohibition-era Florida, revealing a family's saga of resilience, loss, and eventual reconnection.

Joining us is Lisa Elzey, my podcast producer and Senior Story Producer at Ancestry, whose expertise in transforming historical records into compelling family narratives helps unlock the story of Rusty's grandfather Leland. We follow the clues from a single draft card to unclaimed ashes, revealing how each discovery can open doors to deeper family connections.

Through DNA matches and dusty records, Rusty not only uncovers his grandfather's colorful past but also forges new bonds with relatives he never knew existed. His story reminds us that every family tree contains surprising twists - and that sometimes, our most meaningful discoveries come from the simplest questions.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Fearless Women (with Cathy Hughes) | Episode 16 Jul 18, 2024

When children are raised knowing the stories of the strong, fearless women in their family tree they are more likely to feel empowered to chase their own dreams.
Raised with tales of the trailblazing women in her family, Ms. Cathy Hughes, founder of Urban One and the first African American woman to head a publicly traded corporation, drew strength from her formidable foremothers to overcome daunting obstacles. But it was the untold story of her great-great-grandmother, Charlotta Pyles—an enslaved woman who engineered her family's escape with the help of unexpected allies—that profoundly shifted her perspective and inspired her to reshape her own legacy.
This newfound insight into Charlotta's courage and resourcefulness inspired Ms. Hughes to extend her influence beyond her immediate achievements, mentoring the next generation of women leaders and redefining what it means to be a powerful woman today. Discover how the legacy of bravery and resilience has empowered Ms. Hughes to forge paths for others, just as it did for her.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Familial Sudoku (with Josh Harman) | Episode 15 Jul 11, 2024

Do you revel in solving a good brain teaser or completing a crossword puzzle? Climbing your family tree can feel a little like piecing together a tricky jigsaw. But what happens when solving the puzzle reveals a blind great-grandfather who built houses single-handedly and inspired generations?

Early in his career, Josh Harman was a young, slightly overconfident, product manager at Ancestry who thoroughly enjoyed solving technical problems but thought genealogy was boring. He didn't understand the obsession. Listen in as he shares some of the transformative moments that helped him evolve from seeing family history as mere "familial Sudoku" to discovering the profound stories that shaped his identity. This journey not only changed his professional outlook but reshaped his understanding of what it truly means to be a Harman.

Join us to explore how piecing together your own family history can deeply connect you with your past and illuminate your place in your family narrative. That process will light up your brain as much as any puzzle – and might just change how you see yourself.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

What Is Your American Story? (with Mary Tedesco) | Episode 14 Jul 04, 2024

How did a simple search on Ancestry.com spark a lifelong passion, a stronger mother-daughter bond, and a stint as a host on a popular genealogy television show?
Mary Tedesco's journey began with discovering her Italian grandparents' passenger lists, but it led to something far more meaningful—a shared mission with her mother to uncover their deep American roots.

In this special Independence Day episode, Mary reveals how documenting their Revolutionary War ancestor, George Brenner, brought her closer to her mother through their work with the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Their story beautifully weaves together recent immigration and colonial heritage, showing how family history can bridge generations and strengthen bonds. From coordinating a nationwide mask-making project during the pandemic to preparing for America's 250th anniversary celebrations, Mary demonstrates how understanding our past can inspire meaningful service in the present.

Whether your ancestors arrived on the Mayflower or came through Ellis Island (or anywhere in between), this conversation will inspire you to discover and share your own American story.
Join us for a celebration of lineage and liberty that bridges generations and ignites the spirit of connection.

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Mary's Bio:
Mary Tedesco is a professional genealogist, speaker and former Co-Host of the PBS television series “Genealogy Roadshow.” She actively volunteers with the Daughters of the American Revolution, currently serving as the National Chair of the Insignia Committee and Massachusetts State Vice Regent. Other volunteer positions include: Councilor of New England Historic Genealogical Society and Texas Genealogical College (TGC) board member and chair of the Scholarship Committee. Mary holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, a BA in Mathematics from Boston University and a certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University’s Center for Professional Education.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Their Stories in Their Words | Episode 13 Jun 27, 2024

In 1891, Martha Mills Brown wrote a heart-wrenching letter to her children and grandchildren, detailing her family's harrowing experiences during the Civil War in Northwest Arkansas. I discovered this remarkable first-hand account through an Ancestry hint while researching my own three-times great-grandfather, "Uncle Jimmy" Lawrence. What began as a simple census record showing a family between 1860 and 1870 revealed an extraordinary story of survival, displacement, and resilience. Join me as I share Martha's powerful testimony in her own words, illuminating how seemingly simple genealogical records can hide profound family stories – and how a single document can transform our understanding of both our ancestors and historical events.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

We're Doing This Together (with Steve Cowan) | Episode 12 Jun 20, 2024

Every Sunday night at 9:30 PM, my dad and I meet virtually to solve family history mysteries together — a tradition we've kept for over seven years, no matter where we are in the world. A tradition that has transformed our relationship from father-daughter to best friends. In this deeply personal episode, I introduce you to my dad, Steve Cowan. He is one of the storytellers who shaped my own journey into storytelling. Listen in as he shares how his journey into genealogy began at age five, sitting at his great-grandmother’s feet during family reunions. From growing up surrounded by hundreds of cousins to our weekly late-night DNA research sessions, we explore how sharing family stories becomes a powerful tool for connection. Oh, and don’t worry about keeping track of the host of characters in our family story. What matters is experiencing a love for family so contagious, you’ll be inspired to discover and share your own family’s stories.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Continue to Say His Name (with Kelley Dixon-Tealer and Alva Marie Jenkins) | Episode 11 Jun 13, 2024

In 1865, Hawkins Wilson, a Texas freedman, wrote letters searching for the family he was torn from as a young, enslaved boy more than 24 years earlier. Though time and distance separated them, his childhood memories remained vivid as he wrote to his "dearest relatives" through the Freedmen's Bureau, sharing the man he had become. His heartfelt letters remained unanswered in the Bureau's files for over 155 years - until his descendant Kelley Dixon-Tealer started a family tree on Ancestry.

In this moving episode, Kelley and her mother, Alva Marie Jenkins, share how discovering Hawkins' letters transformed their understanding of faith, family, and perseverance. With AncestryDNA and family history research, Hawkins’ descendants are now connected to extraordinary discoveries about his role in the first Juneteenth celebrations and his legacy as a minister. Walking in his footsteps through Galveston and Houston's Fourth Ward, they've found new meaning in their own journey and are ensuring Hawkins Wilson's story continues to inspire future generations.

📝For tips on how to have your own "Hawkins Wilson descendants" experience or to watch the film, visit our companion blog post at CristaCowan.com/blog.
🔗Visit Kelley's website to learn more about honoring the past, preserving the legacy and forging a brighter future: Hawkins Wilson Legacy

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

We'll Always Keep Searching (with Emily Paulson) | Episode 10 Jun 06, 2024

When Emily Paulson learned that nearly 72,000 WWII heroes remained unidentified, she found her calling...

Through her role as a contractor at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Emily combines traditional genealogy research and DNA science to identify more than 81,000 missing American service members who served from WWII through the Gulf War. As we mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, she shares the moving story of Second Lieutenant William McGowan, who left behind a young wife and a legacy of family service when his P-47 Thunderbolt was shot down in France. Emily reveals how dedicated teams work with families across generations to fulfill a sacred promise: that no service member will be forgotten. Her message of hope reminds us that every missing hero has a family waiting for their story to be completed.

Listen now to discover how modern genealogy helps bring our heroes home and write the final chapters of their remarkable stories.

📝 Read our companion blog post to learn more about the massive, ongoing efforts to bring closure to families and honor the memories of those who paid the ultimate price.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

One Person's Trash | Episode 9 May 30, 2024

When an unexpected email unearthed irreplaceable family heirlooms, it reminded me that people—including our own relatives—are often not quite what they seem.

My grandpa’s youngest sister, Aunt Madeleine, was always a bit of an enigma within our family—emotionally distant and reserved. More than once she said things that left us all a little stunned. Yet, certain discoveries suggest that perhaps family mattered to her more than I ever realized.

Family treasures not only tell stories; sometimes, the paths these treasures take are stories in themselves. Do you have a silent treasure keeper in your family? Join me as we explore the hidden depths and unexpected legacies that shape our family narratives.
📝 Want to uncover the silent treasure keepers in your own family? Visit CristaCowan.com/blog for this episode's companion blog post, where I'll share specific "Story Seeds" to help you discover your own family's hidden heirlooms. Plus, you'll get practical "Story Sparks" for using Ancestry tools to preserve the stories behind those elusive family treasures.

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🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

L'dor V'dor - From Generation to Generation (with Howard Hochhauser) | Episode 8 May 23, 2024

Serena never spoke of her life before she married into the Hochhauser family. They knew she was from Eastern Europe and, based on her age and immigration timing, had survived the Holocaust. But how she did so remained a story untold - until nearly two decades after her death, when newly available records from the Red Cross International Tracing Service revealed an extraordinary journey of survival that would transform her family's understanding of their quiet, loving grandmother. Join me and my guest Howard Hochhauser, Ancestry's Chief Financial Officer since 2009, as we piece together Serena's remarkable story of resilience - from surviving Auschwitz to rebuilding her life in America. Discover how uncovering one grandmother's untold past created ripples of strength and connection across four generations, embodying the Jewish principle of l'dor v'dor - from generation to generation.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

And Then I Heard A Meadowlark Sing (with Sunny Morton) | Episode 7 May 16, 2024

Genealogist Sunny Morton didn't even know someone was missing from her family tree until a single mention in an obituary led her to a Nun.

Sister Mary Bertilla. This single name sparked a search that revealed a remarkable woman who dedicated herself to faith and service. Her story, preserved in convent archives and captured in a touching obituary, opens a window into an extraordinary life of quiet sacrifice.

Across the U.S., more than 350,000 Women Religious - sisters and nuns - have left their stories in forgotten archives. These women's quiet contributions deeply shaped our nation. Though they may have no descendants to search for them, their records hold precious family connections waiting to be discovered.
📝 Visit the companion blog post at CristaCowan.com/blog to learn more about how this story connects to your own story.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

This Gathering Place (with Shelly Cowan) | Episode 6 May 09, 2024

Imagine sitting down at family dinner where a simple table becomes the heart of lasting traditions and deeper connections...

When my sister-in-law Shelly Cowan needed a bigger table for her five growing boys, she didn't just buy one – she built a 10-foot gathering place with her father. More than a decade later, that table has become more than furniture; it's transformed into sacred ground where daily questions, birthday traditions, and vulnerable conversations weave together the fabric of family bonds. In this episode, Shelly reveals how small, consistent practices – from sharing daily "highlights and lowlights" to telling birth stories at birthday dinners – have created such a powerful culture of connection that even her teenage sons linger at the table long after meals end.

Her story shows how intentional family spaces can bridge generational gaps and strengthen relationships, one meal at a time. Whether you're feeling disconnected from your growing family or searching for ways to create meaningful traditions, Shelly's practical wisdom will inspire you to transform everyday moments into lasting family connections. You'll discover that sometimes the most powerful family traditions start with something as simple as asking "What was the best part of your day today?"

📝 Ready to create your own meaningful family gathering place? Visit the companion blog post at CristaCowan.com/blog for my favorite 'Story Seeds' and practical tips to help you start (or refine) your own family traditions.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Out of Obscurity (with Kevin Giddins and Camlyn Giddins) | Episode 5 May 02, 2024

One child, 35 foster siblings, and an AncestryDNA test that changed everything...

In this moving episode, I sit down with Kevin Giddins and his filmmaker daughter Camlyn as they share their journey from being keepers of old secrets to tellers of powerful new stories. Through their father-daughter viewpoints, we witness how modern technology and cherished traditions blend to forge meaningful family connections. Their example of asking a simple question - "How is your world?" - shows us how to transform relationships across generations, turning hidden histories into shared stories that shape who we are.

Want to learn more about connecting with your adult children? Visit CristaCowan.com/blog for practical tips and story prompts inspired by this conversation.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

The Whole Tree (with Sunny Mahe) | Episode 4 May 02, 2024

From the sidelines of NFL stadiums to the heart of Tongan traditions... Meet Sunny Mahe, mother of ten and keeper of powerful family stories. In this intimate conversation with my dear friend, we explore how her family's defining moments—both joyful and heart-shattering—have shaped their unshakeable bonds. Through faith, resilience, and raw honesty, Sunny reveals how embracing all parts of our family story—even the painful ones—creates a legacy of hope that extends far beyond our earthly connections.

Want to learn how connecting with our ancestors’ stories can transform how we nurture relationships with our living family members? Visit CristaCowan.com/blog to find practical tips and story prompts from this episode.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Bliss It Was In That Dawn To Be Alive (with Eric Allen) | Episode 3 May 02, 2024

"They're going bad... these photos in your basement are actually eroding." When Eric Allen inherited thousands of family slides, he realized the urgent race against time to save precious memories. As a VP of Marketing at Ancestry, Eric knows all about encouraging people to preserve their family stories. But, his grandfather’s vast collection of deteriorating photos made it deeply personal. Now a passionate digital preservationist, Eric discovers that every image holds a story worth saving – from mysterious strangers in Hawaii to relatives who died too young to share their own tales. His mission to rescue these visual time capsules shows how technology can bridge generations and keep family stories alive.
Want to uncover similar stories in your own family? Visit CristaCowan.com/blog to find practical tips and story prompts from this episode.
📸 Follow Eric's preservation journey: Instagram.com/bliss_it_was

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Grandma's Love for the Theater (with Lisa Elzey and Will Swenson) | Episode 2 May 02, 2024

Ruth Hale, an icon in Utah theater circles, always dreamed her birth mother was an actress. But it wasn't until her grandson, Tony-nominated actor Will Swenson, took an AncestryDNA test at the urging of my producer, Lisa Elzey, that Ruth's story began to unfold. You won't believe what we uncovered during our five-year journey to solve this family mystery. Listen in as Will reacts to our shocking discovery that proves sometimes our deepest instincts about who we are are written in our DNA.
Want to uncover similar stories in your own family? Visit CristaCowan.com/blog to find practical tips and story prompts from this episode.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

The Story That Lives In Me | Episode 1 May 02, 2024

A 30-year quest to find my great-great-grandmother Carrie began with a teenage promise and a stack of yellow legal pads. Follow my journey from hand-cranking microfilm readers to the digital revolution that changed everything in genealogy. But in this deeply personal story, I discover that the most precious family treasures aren't found in courthouse records or online databases—they're in the stories that bring our ancestors to life. In this debut episode, I share how one mysterious ancestor shaped my path to becoming The Barefoot Genealogist.
Want to uncover similar stories in your own family? Visit CristaCowan.com/blog to find practical tips and story prompts from this episode.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

Stories That Live In Us | Trailer Apr 25, 2024

I created this podcast to inspire you to form deeper connections with your family - past, present, and future. All families are messy and life is constantly changing but we don’t have to allow that to disconnect us. I’ve spent my whole life discovering the power of family history and I know that sharing the stories that live in you can change everything.

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

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