When feisty nine-year-old Charlotte DeGrey hears the Mormon missionaries proclaim, ”The church of Jesus Christ has been restored,” she is confused. "Where has it gone? It is preached every Sunday in our drafty old church now isn’t it?” She soon finds her world turned upside down when her mother and older sister become interested in the new religion being preached in the little coal mining town of Dudley, England, in 1851. Soon the family is not only ostracized but also persecuted. While she is intrigued with the new religion, she steams with resentment at their treatment by the community that threatens to plunge her family into poverty. Her journey toward her own acceptance is filled with adventures and heartbreaks. Many new challenges present themselves as she tries to curb her temper and somehow fit into each new place, from England to a year in Boston and on to Zion. Based on a true story written by journalist Christie B. Dalley. In this episode, Christie speaks with Sam Payne about bringing Charlotte's story to life and narratives derived from the family tree. You can find copies of Charlotte's Way on amazon.com.

Other stories about family history included in this episode:

Frogs' Legs

A story about an annual gathering of the Blake Alston family, and folklore passed down through the generations. Learn more about Charlotte Blake Alston by visiting www.charlotteblakealston.com

The White Comanche of the Plains

Donna Ingham shares the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, also known as Naduah, an Anglo-American Texas woman in the 1800s who was adopted into a Comanche tribe. Find more of Donna Ingham's work at www.donnaingham.com