The Courage In Your DNA: Finding Your Family's Stories of Resilience

When Jordan Lundskog watches his children face a challenge, he thinks about his Swedish great-grandfather. At just ten years old, that ancestor boarded a ship alone, crossed the Atlantic, and somehow managed to find his cousin in New York before making his way to Salt Lake City.

“I can't imagine sending my ten-year-old to do that today, even with cell phones and airplanes."

It's one thing to tell our children they can do hard things. It's another entirely to show them the proof in their own family tree.

Jordan's journey into these family stories began with loss – the death of his beloved grandfather when Jordan was just sixteen. But what started as a way to hold onto precious memories has evolved into something far more powerful. Through newspaper clippings, old photographs, and carefully preserved letters, Jordan has uncovered a legacy of courage that runs through his family's veins: from that young Swedish boy on a ship, to a Civil War ancestor who risked being disowned to fight for his beliefs, to a grandfather whose high school football photo sparked an unexpected journey through time.

The Power of One Story

"I owe it to my kids to know who my grandpa was and the role that he played in my life and in their life. The stories that I've uncovered since then have been so fulfilling – to understand who my grandpa was, who my grandma is and how she became who she is, and then so many other people who came before that made major sacrifices to get me to where I am today."

What makes Jordan's discoveries so powerful isn't just the dramatic moments – though finding a Civil War ancestor who changed his name to stand up for his beliefs certainly qualifies. It's how these stories transform abstract history into living legacy. When his children learn about the Civil War in school, it's not just a chapter in a textbook – it's the story of their ancestor, James Knott Polk McGee, who chose principle over popularity. When they face their own challenges, they can look back at their Swedish great-great-grandfather and know that courage isn't something they need to learn – it's something they've inherited.

The Whole Story

If you haven't already heard Jordan's journey of discovering his family's legacy of courage, take a moment to listen in:

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🎧 Listen to the full episode to discover:

• How losing his grandfather at 16 became the catalyst for Jordan's family history journey
• The unexpected discovery of his grandfather's high school football photo that opened doors to new family stories
• The remarkable tale of his Swedish great-grandfather who crossed the ocean alone at age ten
• The Civil War ancestor who changed his name after being disowned for fighting for his beliefs
• How Jordan uses these stories to help his children face their own challenges
• Why working at Ancestry has deepened his appreciation for preserving family memories
• The emotional moment of standing in the exact spot where his grandfather once stood in San Francisco

Your Story

Think about the seemingly ordinary documents in your family tree – the passenger lists, the census records, the old photographs. Behind each one lies a story of courage, resilience, or determination. That faded immigration record? It's the paper trail of someone leaving everything familiar behind to forge a new life. That simple census entry? It might reveal a single mother keeping her family together against impossible odds. Even a high school football photo, like the one Jordan discovered of his grandfather, can open the door to understanding who our ancestors were before they became our family's heroes.

These aren't just stories about the past. They're bridges to our present, helping us understand where we come from and what we're capable of achieving.

Story Seeds 🌱

Plant these conversation starters and watch your family stories grow.

1. For Siblings/Cousins: "Tell me about a time you stood up for something you believed in, even when it wasn't popular. What gave you the courage to take that stand?"
2. For Parents/Grandparents:  "When you moved away from home for the first time, what was the hardest part? Did you ever feel scared or alone?"
3. For Aunts/Uncles: "Which family photos or keepsakes remind you most of our grandparents? Tell me about a time they showed real courage that inspired you."
4. For Multiple Generations: "What's the hardest thing you've ever done? Who in our family inspired you to believe you could do it? What stories would you want future generations to know about that experience?"

Story Sparks 🔑

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

1. When you get a hint for a yearbook photo on Ancestry.com, click through to page through all of the images in the book. Look for your relative in team sports photos, club activities, or candid shots. These casual photos often reveal personalities and interests that might not appear in other records.
2. Create a custom "Courage" tag using MyTreeTags on Ancestry. After adding the tag, use the notes field to document the story and add questions you wish you could ask them.
3. For immigrant ancestors, start with the 1900-1930 U.S. census records to find their arrival year. Then search Ancestry's immigration collections, including passenger lists and naturalization records. Look for details about: who they traveled with; their destination and contacts in America; how much money they brought with them; how old they were at the time. These details help tell the story of their courage.

As Jordan discovered, family history isn't just about preserving the past – it's about building resilience for the future. When we can point to our family tree and say, "Look, this is where your courage comes from," we give our children and grandchildren an invaluable gift: the knowledge that they come from people who've done hard things, and they can too.

Ready to discover more stories of courage in your family tree? 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.