Shows
UnclaimedBehind The Screen: Unclaimed (Epilogue)Join Ancestry's Lisa Elzey and volunteer genealogist Phyllis Zegers as they peel back the curtain and explore what went into making "Unclaimed". An Oregon resident and key researcher in the making of the podcast, Phyllis Zegers brings new insight into the history of Oregon State Hospital's "Room of Forgotten Souls", and more in this special epilogue.
You can also watch the video version of this episode on Ancestry's YouTube channel now.
For decades, thousands of stories lay hidden in the Oregon State Hospital's "Room of Forgotten Souls," holding approximately 3,500 copper canisters of...
2025-12-0946 min
Stories That Live In UsMinnesota: Santa Claus, a Corn Cob Pipe, and Nellie Oleson (with Lisa Elzey) | Episode 87What if your family's pioneer past looked exactly like your favorite childhood TV show? When Lisa Elzey discovered her great-great-grandfather's story, she realized she'd been watching his life every Monday night on Little House on the Prairie. Complete with homesteading, hand-hewn cabins, and a white beard down to his belly.In this episode, Lisa shares how a purple-inked memoir written by her great-grandmother's half-sister unlocked the story of Johann Heinrich Seba, a German immigrant who arrived alone at 18, hacked through Minnesota wilderness for a mile and a half in a single day, and became so beloved his...
2025-11-2748 minStories That Live In UsI Can See All The Story (with Lisa Elzey) | Episode 59When Lisa Elzey discovered her grandfather flew on a B-17 bomber during D-Day, she knew there was more to uncover…In this continuation of last week's DNA revelation, Lisa shares how researching her grandfather's war buddies unveiled an extraordinary military legacy. From discovering rare crew photos to uncovering first-hand accounts of a harrowing mission that earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, Lisa's persistence reveals how the stories of those around our ancestors can illuminate their lives. Together we explore how researching the network of people surrounding her grandfather transformed fragments of information into a rich narrative that brought he...
2025-05-1539 minStories That Live In UsI Can Live With the Truth (with Nidel Day) | Episode 58When DNA results revealed a puzzling Quebec connection in Lisa Elzey's family tree — everything she thought she knew was called into question... Join me for an intimate conversation with my podcast producer Lisa and her mother Nidel as they unravel a family mystery that remained hidden for over seven decades. Witness how modern genealogy technology unlocked memories long forgotten and reshaped Nidel's understanding of her identity at age 74. This powerful story explores how unexpected discoveries can bring clarity rather than chaos, and how it's never too late to embrace the truth about where we come from. Their jou...
2025-05-0847 minStories That Live In UsSometimes You Don't Like the Answer (with Lisa Elzey) | Episode 35Two 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 story, take a memorable trip to Plymouth Plantation, and learn that sometimes uncovering the truth means letting go of cherished family lore. Through our journey, we reveal how the real power of family history lies not in the famous names on our family tree, but in the authentic stories we uncover along the way. Curious about the truth behind your own family legends? Fin...
2024-11-2828 minStories That Live In UsPolice Don't Have Nothin' On Me (with Rusty Wright and Lisa Elzey) | Episode 17What if the secrets to your family's past were hidden in plain sight, waiting to be discovered in the most unexpected places - like a county jail?When U.S. Marshal Rusty Wright set out to learn about the grandfather he never met, he never imagined discovering that his own ancestor had once faced off with law enforcement. What begins as a simple inquiry unfolds into an epic journey from the Oregon Trail to Prohibition-era Florida, revealing a family's saga of resilience, loss, and eventual reconnection.Joining us is Lisa Elzey, my podcast producer and...
2024-07-2537 minStories That Live In UsGrandma's Love for the Theater (with Lisa Elzey and Will Swenson) | Episode 2Ruth Hale, an icon in Utah theater circles, always dreamed her birth mother was an actress. But it wasn't until her grandson, Tony-nominated actor Will Swenson, took an AncestryDNA test at the urging of my producer, Lisa Elzey, that Ruth's story began to unfold. You won't believe what we uncovered during our five-year journey to solve this family mystery. Listen in as Will reacts to our shocking discovery that proves sometimes our deepest instincts about who we are are written in our DNA.Want to uncover similar stories in your own family? Visit CristaCowan.com/blog to...
2024-05-0236 min
CAA ConversationsRacism Untaught // Lisa Elzey Mercer // Terresa Moses // Cheryl MillerIn this episode of CAA Conversations, the authors of Racism Untaught: Revealing and Unlearning Racialized Design–and hosts of the book’s companion podcast—Lisa Elzey Mercer and Terresa Moses, speak with renowned designer Dr. Cheryl D. Miller.
Antiracist design interventions can be difficult. Well-intentioned conversations can fuel tensions, activate racialized trauma, and lead to misunderstandings, especially in spaces not typically focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Even when progress is made, white supremacist culture can resurface. Antiracist guidelines and approaches that lay bare racialized systems of oppression and fundamentally disrupt their replication are critical. This episode of CAA Conversations makes...
2023-11-291h 08
Design Thinking 101Learning to See and Respond to Racialized Design with Lisa Elzey Mercer — DT101 E105Lisa Elzey Mercer is a designer, educator, and researcher. Her interests are in developing and executing design interventions focused on the topics of human trafficking, incarceration, race, and racism. She's an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and Design for Responsible Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. We talk about learning to see, and responding to, racialized design. Listen to learn about: >> Ethics in design>> Impact over intent>> Racism Untaught>> The elements of racism>> Racialized design Our Guest Lisa Elzey Mercer (she/her/hers) is a designer, educator, and researcher. Her...
2023-01-1048 min
SundanceTV at the Sundance Film Festival"Railroad Ties" Short Film Panel Presented by AncestryFollowing a screening of the SundanceTV & Ancestry short film Railroad Ties, a live panel discussion features renowned documentarian and Sundance Film Festival alum Sacha Jenkins, revered Harvard historian and PBS's Finding Your Roots host Henry Louis Gates Jr., Ancestry historian Lisa Elzey, featured historian Melissa Collom, and featured descendant Gayle George. Moderated by CEO of AMC Networks Josh Sapan. This episode was recorded on January 27, 2019, in front of a live audience at the SundanceTV HQ on Main Street in Park City, UT during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...
2019-01-2941 min