In our next episode of Shadows from the Tree, we take a turn and uncover tales of heroic endeavors of men who thought nothing of risking their own lives to save a child in need. Ralph A Cook, a motorman saved a woman and child in Sundersvillle, MA- 1908 from imminent death. We also cover the story of Iowa man, Edward Maloy a traveling salesman who jumped into a well to save 18 month old Donald Venema in 1927.

In this episode of Shadow from the Tree we uncovered two intriguing tales of women lost at sea. Marie Empress (Mary Taylor) a silent movie actress who never made it to port in NY off the RMS Orduña on October 27,1919. As well as Southern elite Rebecaa Lamar's tale of the harrowing explosion of the Pulaski Steamer in June 1838.

Listen in to this episode of Shadows From the Tree, where we delve into the darker side of genealogy with the tales of the Monongah Mine Disaster in WV, and the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 in Boston, MA. Both harrowing tales of industrial accidents that shaped the necessity for increased work place safety regulations.

In 1927, Carrie Buck was sterilized under Virginia’s eugenics law—labeled “feebleminded” and unfit to reproduce. Decades earlier, Amanda Dickson, the mixed-race daughter of a Georgia plantation owner and an enslaved woman, inherited her father’s fortune but not society’s acceptance. Both woman’s lives reveal how law and lineage were used to police purity and power in America. Some marks aren’t chosen—they’re marked by birth.

In this episode of Shadows from the Tree, we explore two stories bound by belief — one silenced by hysteria, the other revived by a haunting. In 1692 Salem Village, Rebecca Nurse, a devoted mother and respected elder, was accused of witchcraft and executed, her voice lost to fear and frenzy. Centuries later in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, a murdered woman’s spirit would speak through her mother, revealing the truth that led to her killer’s conviction.

From witch trials to ghost testimony, both stories blur the line between superstition and justice, between what we believe and what we fear. Each reminds us that the dead are never truly silent — and sometimes, they demand to be heard.

This episode of Shadows from the Tree we discuss tales of natural disasters that affected many lives. The Peshtigo Fires were nearly forgotten, having occurred the same day as the great Chicago fires in 1871. A rare audio clip of survivor, Charlie Bateman, paints the harrowing picture of the tragedy. Also we shed light on the survival story of Ignatius Roth, during ice bridge crack, on February 4, 1912, in Niagara Falls, NY.

Join us in this exciting season opener, where we uncover intriguing stories of prison breaks. From bars to headlines in 192os, the tale of William Griffith, a West Virginian coal miner who took to a life a crime, making several successful escapes from the state penitentiary. We also cover the 1902 Pittsburgh jailbreak of the Biddle Brothers, with the assistance of the warden's wife, Kate Soffel.

Join us for Season 3 of Shadows of the Tree- returning late September 2025.

This season, expect the return of listener favorites like:

Love triangles

Natural Disasters

Deathbed Confessions

… plus brand-new themes, including:

Prison Breaks - following fugitives in the family line

Buried Alive- stories of premature burials and mistaken deaths

Industrial Accidents - where early labor often came with a fatal cost

… and many more

This season also introduces Shadow Spotlight, where at the end of each episode, we feature a listener submitted story tied to the theme - bringing even more ancestral voices into the light.

Your ancestors left more than a name. Are you ready to hear their story?