Finding Home in Scotland: How One Ancestor's Story Changed Everything

Have you ever been somewhere for the first time and felt an inexplicable sense that you belonged there? That somehow, despite never having visited before, you were home? That's exactly what happened to me in 2005 when I stepped off a train platform in Glasgow, Scotland, and burst into tears – much to the surprise of the Scottish professor waiting to meet me.

What I didn't know then was that this moment would lead me to discover an ancestor whose remarkable choices would transform how I understand family, legacy, and the powerful pull of ancestral places.

The Unexpected Homecoming

"I feel like I just came home," I told the bewildered professor through my tears. His response was simple but profound: "Well, you have Scottish ancestry, don't you?"

I didn't know. Despite being a genealogist since childhood, I had never deeply explored certain branches of my family tree. That evening, sitting at the professor's farm table with my laptop open, I began to explore the life of my grandmother’s great-grandfather - Samuel Mulliner, born in Scotland in 1809.

More Than Just Dates and Places

What unfolded next was a story I never expected to find. Samuel's life was filled with moments of sacrifice, determination, and choices that would echo through generations. His journey from Scotland would take unexpected turns, testing his faith, his entrepreneurial spirit, and his commitment to family and community in ways I'm still discovering today.

But what makes his story truly remarkable isn't just what he did – it's how discovering him has transformed my family's sense of connection today. Through Samuel, I've learned that "home" isn't just about geography – it's about the invisible threads that connect us across generations, weaving together places and stories in ways we might never expect.

The Whole Story

If you haven't already heard how Samuel's story unfolds, take a moment to listen in:

Prefer audio only? Click here to listen on your favorite podcast app.

🎧 Listen to the full episode to discover:

• The surprising connection between a business decision in Scotland and a journey to America
• How one DNA discovery led to an unexpected reunion
• What a Facebook group revealed about coincidences in our family tree
• The moment in Edinburgh that brought Samuel's story full circle
• Why coming "home" sometimes means finding yourself where you already are

Your Story

The places our ancestors lived and the choices they made shape us in ways we might not realize until we start exploring their stories. That feeling of "coming home" might be waiting for you in unexpected places – whether it's a foreign country your ancestors left generations ago or the town where your grandparents first met.

Story Seeds 🌱

Plant these conversation starters and watch your family stories grow.

1. For Grandparents: "When you were growing up, what place felt most like home to you? Was it different from where you actually lived? Tell me what made it special."
2. For Parents: "What's the most significant move you've made in your life? What did you leave behind, and what unexpected gifts did you find in your new home?"
3. For Aunts/Uncles: "Which places from your childhood do you wish you could show me today? What memories or stories make those places so meaningful to you?"
4. For Multiple Generations: "If you could visit any place where our ancestors lived, where would you go first? What do you think we might discover about our family by walking those same streets?"

Story Sparks 🔑

Unlock your family's hidden stories with these research techniques.

1. When you find an ancestor in your family tree who was born in one country and died in another, do a little digging to see if you can find out the reasons why.  Were there “push” factors - reasons they may have chosen or been forced to emigrate from their homeland?  Or were there “pull” factors - reasons they chose a particular place to immigrate to? Be sure to make notes of these in your family tree.
2. Check the Ancestry Card Catalog often for any new historical record collections that have been published to the site for the countries of origin of your ancestors. Sometimes the smallest record sets can lead to the biggest discoveries.
3. Explore your AncestryDNA® ThruLines to see which of your DNA matches are also descended from a common ancestor you are interested in learning more about.
4. If you have Ancestry Pro Tools, use the MAP view of your family tree to look for patterns of movement in family groups.

The next time you open your Ancestry account, remember that behind every date and place is a story waiting to be discovered. Your ancestors' choices – whether to stay or go, to sacrifice or save, to build something new or preserve something old – have echoed through generations to shape your family's story.

What unexpected homecoming is waiting in your family tree?

Ready to discover more stories like Samuel's? Subscribe to Stories That Live In Us wherever you get your podcasts. And if this episode touched your heart, please leave us a rating and review – it helps other family story seekers find us.

© 2025 Crista Cowan. All rights reserved.