Roots: Everyone has a story.

In the latest episode of "Roots: Everyone has a story," my dear friend Jeiris Cook, a professional musician, joins me in the studio to share his journey, highlighting the profound influence of family and music in shaping his upbringing. Jeiris radiates positive energy as he reflects on the pivotal roles these elements played in his life, offering listeners a heartfelt glimpse into his experiences, including the quiet solace of his grandparents' home and the intrigue of his family's cemetery. Through our conversation, Jeiris's warmth and authenticity shine as he shares the deeply personal moment of meeting his father and half-sister for the first time in his pre-teen years, adding a poignant layer to his narrative. I'm thrilled to feature Jeiris on the podcast as we embark on a soul-stirring exploration of resilience, love, and the transformative power of music in Jeiris's remarkable journey. At the end of our interview, he also treats us to a live version of his original song called 'Charming'. Enjoy!

I'm honored to be joined by Drew Smith, one half of the 'Genealogy Guys' and host of the 'Genealogy Connection' podcast, who joined me to talk about the incredible growth that the genealogy world has seen over the last few decades. Drew also shares the incredible story of Mary Ann Reilly Smith, who was a self-made, and very successful, businesswoman in the late 1800s. It was an honor to be joined by Drew and talk about how the genealogy world has changed, yet very much stayed the same.

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For nearly 30 years, I have been trying to determine what happened to my maternal grandmother's 1st cousin, who was born Hazelbell Wasdyke in 1923. For many years, I knew in my heart that she was alive, and thanks to a great friend in New Zealand, I now know what happened to Hazelbell and her husband. Enjoy this episode as I discuss my own family research for a change. :)

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Growing up, Joanne always heard stories about her mother's favorite brother, Tony, who was mysteriously killed in World War 2. As an adult, Joanne made it her mission to make sure that her uncle received the ultimate honor for his service and sacrifice: A Purple Heart. My conversation with Joanne is an emotional one, but one that I really think you'll enjoy, as it speaks to one of the many reasons that we get started with family history research. Enjoy my conversation with Joanne Dembinski!

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While Dana was preparing for a family reunion in 2009, she began to put her family tree together. Now 15 years later, Dana has found multiple relationships for her great-grandmother, stories of boarding houses, and relatives that went from rags-to-riches, then riches-to-rags. Dana's use of DNA also helped her identify her actual great-grandfather, over 120 years after his death. Enjoy this wonderful conversation with Dana!

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While Lesley was enjoying Thanksgiving with her family, she heard her great uncle say that he wasn't allowed to talk about his grandfather. That was enough to set Lesley on a (now) 15-year journey in search of her great-great-grandfather, Frank W. Hawley, and his schemes, "business dealings", and more. This story is fascinating and is what we'd now refer to as a Ponzi Scheme. Enjoy my conversation with Lesley Sablatura!

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When Jennifer took a DNA test to simply check her ethnicity, she received some unexpected results, but didn’t even realize what her test showed, until she started getting messages from relatives that she didn't know. Her story brings several twists, so you won't want to miss this episode of 'Roots: Everyone has a story."

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In this episode, I talk to Debra Pavlicek, a family researcher based out of Port St. Lucie, FL, who set out on a 50-year journey to find her long lost sister. Her story is one of perseverance and is a perfect example of how no genealogist should ever give up. Her story brings several twists, so you won't want to miss this episode of 'Roots: Everyone has a story."

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Lastly, if YOU have a story you'd like to share, or know someone with an incredible story, please send them my way. Military Veterans, centenarians, your older family relatives... This podcast is a great way to get them to share their story, which is then documented for your entire family. Click here to apply to be on the show.

On this episode of 'Roots: Everyone has a story', I'm joined by Kori Phillips, a New Jersey researcher who shares an incredible story about one of her ancestors that will definitely make you scratch your head. We talked about some family traditions, discussed some old family stories, and more!

Your financial support means the world to me. To make a donation, ⁠click here⁠, and to purchase some official podcast merch (who doesn't love a good hoodie?!), ⁠click here⁠. Thank you for your support!

If you have a story you'd like to share, please ⁠click here to contact me⁠!

On this episode of 'Roots: Everyone has a story', my kids join me for a fun and light-hearted episode. We talked about some of our favorite family traditions, discussed some old family stories, and more. You won't want to miss this very special episode!

Your financial support means the world to me. To make a donation, click here, and to purchase some official podcast merch (who doesn't love a good hoodie?!), click here. Thank you for your support!

If you have a story you'd like to share, please click here to contact me!