🎂 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 ...
Jul 03, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 66
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...
Jun 26, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 65
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 u...
Jun 19, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 64
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 incre...
Jun 12, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 63
🚢 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 res...
Jun 05, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 62
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 fac...
May 29, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 61
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 uncov...
May 22, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 60
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 liv...
May 15, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 59
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 discoverie...
May 08, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 58
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-t...
May 01, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 57
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 ...
Apr 24, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 56
💕 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 An...
Apr 17, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 55
🍀 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 milit...
Apr 10, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 54
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 te...
Apr 03, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 53
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. N...
Mar 27, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 52
🍀 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 ...
Mar 20, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 51
〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 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 turn your family discoveries into a beautiful conversation piece? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a...
Mar 13, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 50
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 ...
Mar 06, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 49
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 perspectiv...
Feb 27, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 48
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 ...
Feb 20, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 47
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 ...
Feb 13, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 46
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 shar...
Feb 06, 2025•43 min•Season 1Ep. 45
"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 t...
Jan 30, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 44
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 disc...
Jan 23, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 43
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, ...
Jan 16, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 42
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 ...
Jan 09, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 41
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 ...
Jan 02, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 40
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 ...
Dec 26, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 39
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 stor...
Dec 19, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 38
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 m...
Dec 12, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 37
