Stories That Live In Us

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…

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 mysteriou…

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…

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 reu…

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 Yo…

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…

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 b…

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 be…

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 des…

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 inex…

"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…

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…

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…

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 l…

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…

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…

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 seem…

"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…

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 DreamWo…

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 dec…