Libsyn Directory

AF-1132: Murder, Mayhem, and Infamy in the Family Tree

Release Date: 08/08/2025

AF-1152: Genealogy Mythbusters: Did Ellis Island Really Change Your Ancestor’s Name?

Ancestral Findings - Genealogy Podcast

Family stories have a way of becoming family legends, and one of the most common you’ll hear in genealogical circles is this: “Our ancestor came through Ellis Island, and the clerks changed the family name because they couldn’t spell it.” It’s dramatic, almost cinematic. Imagine the scene—ships crowding New York Harbor, weary travelers clutching suitcases, and an impatient official scribbling down a “new” surname that forever altered the family’s story. But here’s the reality: Ellis Island clerks did not change names. The truth is both less theatrical and more...

AF-1151: Nela Park in Cleveland, General Electric’s Landmark of Light | Postcards from the Past

Ancestral Findings - Genealogy Podcast

This postcard shows Nela Park in Cleveland, Ohio, home to the General Electric Company’s experimental headquarters. More than just an industrial site, Nela Park became one of the most famous research campuses in the United States. It represented innovation, wartime contributions, and the lives of thousands of Cleveland-area families. Mailed in 1944, the card also carries a personal note that connects the grand story of science and industry to the smaller, everyday rhythms of life... Podcast Notes: Ancestral Findings Podcast: This Week's Free Genealogy Lookups: Genealogy Giveaway: ...

AF-1150: Bridgeport and the Island: Wheeling, West Virginia | Postcards from the Past

Ancestral Findings - Genealogy Podcast

This vintage postcard captures a sweeping view of Bridgeport, Ohio, and Wheeling Island in Wheeling, West Virginia. The Ohio River bends through the middle of the scene, crossed by several bridges that carried workers, families, and goods from one side of the river to the other. Postcards like this were small treasures of the early 20th century. They preserved local landmarks, and today they serve as important historical records for genealogists and historians alike... Podcast Notes: Ancestral Findings Podcast: This Week's Free Genealogy Lookups: Genealogy Giveaway: Genealogy eBooks: ...

AF-1149: Chester Park Cincinnati History | Postcards from the Past | Ancestral Findings Podcast

Ancestral Findings - Genealogy Podcast

Cincinnati has always been a city that valued its public spaces, and one of its most fascinating historic gathering places was Chester Park. While the postcard image gives us only a glimpse of a statue in a pavilion with the clubhouse in the background, the story of Chester Park goes much deeper. For decades, it was one of Cincinnati’s favorite spots for leisure, recreation, and community life. To understand its history is to open a window into how people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries lived, worked, and played. Chester Park was established in the 1870s, during a period of...

AF-1148: The Heart of Cincinnati at Fountain Square | Postcards from the Past

Ancestral Findings - Genealogy Podcast

Every city has a spot that feels like its true center, the place where people gather and memories are made. For Cincinnati, that place has always been Fountain Square. It’s where families have met up for generations, where kids toss coins into the water, and where people pause for a moment to take in the rhythm of the city. This old postcard brings that feeling back, showing the Tyler Davidson Fountain—better known as the Genius of Water—standing tall in the middle of downtown... Podcast Notes: Ancestral Findings Podcast: This Week's Free Genealogy Lookups: Genealogy Giveaway: ...

AF-1147: Chimney Rock History and Memories | Postcards from the Past | Ancestral Findings Podcast

Ancestral Findings - Genealogy Podcast

Chimney Rock is one of those places that’s impossible to forget once you’ve seen it. Rising more than 200 feet into the air, that massive granite column looks like it’s reaching up to hold the sky. With an American flag at the top, it feels like a landmark that was always meant to be there—solid, steadfast, and full of meaning. Nature shaped it, but for us, it’s been a source of inspiration, a family destination, and even a Hollywood filming location. The postcard I’ve got here captures Chimney Rock sometime around the middle of the last century. On the front, you see it rising...

AF-1146: Second Lives: Closing Thoughts on the Veterans Who Came Home

Ancestral Findings - Genealogy Podcast

If you’ve followed this series from the beginning, you already know this wasn’t really about war. It was about what came after. The quiet years. The long drives to work. The nights spent filling out pension forms by lamplight. The new marriages, new names, new babies, and sometimes, the distance — emotional or physical — that never fully closed. I’ve spent years digging through military records, just like you. But I’ve come to realize that a veteran’s service file is only half the story. It might tell you where someone was stationed or what battles they were in, but it...

AF-1145: Rekindling a Forty-Year Quest for Family Origins

Ancestral Findings - Genealogy Podcast

“Many thanks, Will. You have rekindled my 40-year quest to find my family origins. Your weekly letters are greatly appreciated.” – Bryan When Bryan wrote those words to me, they carried more than gratitude. They spoke of a lifetime spent searching, hoping, sometimes pausing, and then returning again. A forty-year quest is no small thing. It’s the better part of a life, and it reminds me of why we keep at this work. Family history isn’t only about names and dates; it’s about our connection to those who lived before us, and it’s about the journey we ourselves take while searching...

AF-1144: Morgantown’s Futuristic Ride | Postcards from the Past

Ancestral Findings - Genealogy Podcast

Some postcards capture landscapes or landmarks; others capture a moment of pride. This one from Morgantown, West Virginia, does both. On the front, a yellow Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) car glides along its elevated guideway, the Appalachian hills forming a textured backdrop. On the back, a handwritten date—October 3, 1994—sits alongside the publisher’s mark from Paige Creations and a credit to photographer Janet Paige Bonsall. For me, those small touches are what make postcards feel like secret storytellers. Podcast Notes: Ancestral Findings Podcast: This Week's Free Genealogy...

AF-1143: 10 Perfect Genealogy Projects for September | Ancestral Findings Podcast

Ancestral Findings - Genealogy Podcast

The air is crisp, the leaves are beginning to turn, and children have returned to their classrooms. It’s September, and what better time to reconnect with your family history? Genealogy isn’t just a summer vacation activity; each season offers its own unique opportunities to explore your past and build your family tree. As you swap out your summer decor for autumnal wreaths and pumpkins, consider diving into these ten genealogy projects tailored for September. Each one offers the chance to learn something new about your ancestors and make meaningful progress in your research... Podcast...

More Episodes

Every family has secrets. But some secrets are darker than others—and some leave behind headlines, scars, and a trail of records in their wake. Murder cases, unsolved crimes, public hangings, or even whispered suspicions didn’t just mark the individual involved. They reshaped entire branches of the family tree.

If you’ve ever come across an ancestor who vanished, changed their name, or whose family stopped mentioning them entirely, there’s a chance something more serious was involved. And even if the person wasn’t guilty, their name may have been dragged into scandal or tragedy, leaving behind a legacy that was deliberately erased—or quietly hidden in the pages of forgotten records.

This final installment in the series explores how to trace ancestors connected to serious crimes, what kinds of records exist, and how to approach these discoveries with care, curiosity, and truth.

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