Stories That Live In Us

Crista Cowan | The Barefoot Genealogist
  • 5.0 (210)
  • PERSONAL JOURNALS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

What if the most powerful way to strengthen your family’s future is to look to the past? I’m Crista Cowan, known online as The Barefoot Genealogist.  I created this podcast to inspire you to form deeper connections with your family - past, present, and future.  All families are messy and life is constantly changing but we don’t have to allow that to disconnect us.  I’ve spent my whole life discovering the power of family history and I know that sharing the stories that live in you can change everything.Tune in weekly to receive inspiration and guidance that will help you use family stories to craft a powerful family narrative, contributing to your family’s identity and creating a legacy of resilience, healing, and connection.__________________________Want to climb your family tree and uncover your own family stories?  Visit my website - CristaCowan.com - and sign up for my free newsletter.

  1. 1D AGO

    Mississippi: Finding Far East in the Deep South (with Larrisa Lam) | Episode 99

    What happens when a California family walks into Mississippi and walks out forever changed? Filmmaker and music executive, Larissa Lam, director of the documentary Far East Deep South, joins me to share how a simple trip to visit a family grave in the Mississippi Delta unraveled a mystery decades in the making and revealed a hidden chapter of American history most of us never learned in school. Together, we trace how her father-in-law's search for the father he believed had abandoned him led to an extraordinary discovery about Chinese immigrants in the Jim Crow South, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and one remarkable artifact that unlocked everything. If you've ever wondered how a single genealogy discovery can heal a wound that's been carried across generations, this conversation is for you. Learn more about Larissa’s film here:  https://fareastdeepsouth.com/ 〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 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 get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations. ♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

    50 min

  2. FEB 12

    Illinois: Scoundrels and Scandals (with Sue Talbot) | Episode 98

    When Sue Talbot's grandmother casually mentioned items belonging to "Arthur," Sue discovered a family secret buried for decades. But that revelation was just the beginning of a journey that would uncover scandal, betrayal, and tragedy stretching from Victorian England to the streets of Chicago. In this episode, I sit down with British genealogist Sue Talbot as she shares the shocking story of her great-great-grandfather John Jenkinson—Methodist preacher, mayor, and jeweler whose respectable facade concealed darker truths. What Sue discovers forces her to reconsider everything her family believed about their "good stock" and reveals how one man's choices created devastating ripples across generations and an ocean. From mysterious disappearances to courtroom drama, from England's small market towns to Chicago's jewelry district, Sue pieces together a story of crime, consequences, and unexpected connections that ultimately bring her family full circle back to America. Sometimes the ancestors who shock us the most teach us the deepest truths about resilience and family bonds. 〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 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 get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations. ♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

    34 min

  3. FEB 5

    Alabama: Generations of Joy (with Noah Lapidus) | Episode 97

    When Noah’s car broke down in rural Ukraine, he discovered something unexpected: the warmth of strangers who knew his ancestors had once called their town home. It's a moment that captures the heart of Noah's journey. As a professional genealogist his childhood obsession with family history led him from the Birmingham Public Library to the decimated streets of Kobryn, Belarus, searching for the roots of Alabama's surprising Jewish community. Join me and my guest, Noah Lapidus (Research Manager at Ancestry ProGenealogists and African American specialist), as he shares how his family's immigration story connects a small Russian shtetl to the coal mines of Birmingham, Alabama, where his ancestors established one of the South's unique Jewish communities in the 1880s. Through heirlooms, tall tales, and painstaking research, Noah uncovered the truth about how the "Magic City" became an unlikely home for Eastern European Jews and how that community, born from Kobryn, still thrives today. His story reminds us that family history isn't just about the past; it's about understanding the joy, resilience, and connections that live in us across generations. 💭 What family stories have you been told that turned out to be beautifully, unexpectedly true? 〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 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 get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations. ♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

    37 min

  4. JAN 29

    Maine: Memories Making History (with Steve Bromage) | Episode 96

    What if history isn't just about the past—but about creating connections that shape who we become? In this episode, I sit down with Steve Bromage, Executive Director of the Maine Historical Society, whose childhood road trips to a family camp sparked a lifelong passion for preserving Maine's stories. Steve shares how his organization has revolutionized history-making by putting communities at the center—from small-town historical societies to middle school students scanning precious photographs. Through the innovative Maine Memory Network, they've proven that when people share their own stories, history becomes living, breathing, and deeply personal. Steve also reveals Maine Historical Society's incredible plan to take one of only 26 surviving original copies of the Declaration of Independence on a statewide tour for America's 250th anniversary, ensuring every Mainer can encounter this sacred document in their own county. Discover how one state is redefining what it means to preserve history—not by locking it away, but by making it accessible, participatory, and profoundly meaningful for everyone. 〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 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 get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations. ♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

    40 min

  5. JAN 22

    Missouri: Disaster in the Heart of America (with Kim Harrison) | Episode 95

    〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 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 get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations. ♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

    40 min

  6. JAN 15

    Arkansas: Nana and the Aunts | Episode 94

    〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 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 get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations. ♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

    23 min

  7. JAN 8

    Michigan: Broken Headstones & Unearthed Stories (with Justin Frost) | Episode 93

    〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 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 get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations. ♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

    48 min

  8. JAN 1

    Florida: A Good Deed Is Never Lost (with Meredith Kratzer Sellers) | Episode 92

    〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 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 get your family tree out of your computer and onto your wall? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations. ♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!

    44 min
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Trailers

5
out of 5
210 Ratings

About

What if the most powerful way to strengthen your family’s future is to look to the past? I’m Crista Cowan, known online as The Barefoot Genealogist.  I created this podcast to inspire you to form deeper connections with your family - past, present, and future.  All families are messy and life is constantly changing but we don’t have to allow that to disconnect us.  I’ve spent my whole life discovering the power of family history and I know that sharing the stories that live in you can change everything.Tune in weekly to receive inspiration and guidance that will help you use family stories to craft a powerful family narrative, contributing to your family’s identity and creating a legacy of resilience, healing, and connection.__________________________Want to climb your family tree and uncover your own family stories?  Visit my website - CristaCowan.com - and sign up for my free newsletter.

Information

  • Creator
    Crista Cowan | The Barefoot Genealogist
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Crista Cowan
  • Show Website
    Stories That Live In Us

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