Pennsylvania: Stashed-Away Secrets and Forgotten Family (with Jessica Rae) | Episode 117

Discovering a shocking family secret in a 1930s mental asylum. 🔎 In this episode of Stories That Live In Us—Pennsylvania: Stashed-Away Secrets and Forgotten Family—I sit down with Jessica Rae to uncover the tragic, resilient life of her great-great-grandmother Susan, who was scrubbed from family history for over 30 years. Families are messy, and sometimes climbing your family tree means confronting difficult realities like abuse, poverty, and historic mental health stigma. When nurse and history enthusiast Jessica Rae looked at a routine census hint on Ancestry, she never expected to find her ancestor listed as an "inmate" at the Mayview State Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Even more sad? Until recently, her grandfather had been told Susan died young and had no idea his own grandmother actually lived, institutionalized, until 1969. Join us as we explore how generational trauma trickles down through family secrets, and why breaking the silence is the ultimate act of honor. From Susan’s solo immigration from Slovakia at age 17 to navigating an abusive marriage, losing four infants, and facing a suspicious court-ordered institutionalization, this is a raw look at women's history, epigenetics, and the power of storytelling. If you love genealogy discoveries, historical mysteries, psychological history, or learning how to trace missing asylum records and court orders, this episode is a must-watch! 💭 Have you ever uncovered a family secret that someone worked hard to keep quiet? What did you do with what you found? I'd love to read your story in the comments. 👇 TIMESTAMPS 👇 0:00 - The Reality of Messy Family Trees 2:44 - Meet Jessica Rae: A Nurse’s Curiosity into Ancestry 9:35 - The Census Hint: Discovering Mayview State Hospital 13:13 - Epigenetics, Intuition, and Recognizing a Place You’ve Never Been 17:05 - Hitting a Wall: Confronting Family Secrets with Older Generations 21:55 - Susan’s Story: Slovakian Immigration, Steel Mills, and Infant Loss 26:55 - Abuse, Poverty, and the Allegheny County Workhouse Prison 30:20 - Suspicious Commitments: 1930s Asylums & Missing Records 39:05 - Generational Trauma: Why Keeping Secrets Breeds Shame 44:06 - Finding Healing and Resilience in the Hard Branches of History 👋 ABOUT OUR GUEST: Jessica Rae is a nurse, history enthusiast, and viral content creator who documents her journey of genealogical discovery and ancestral healing across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, reaching millions of viewers worldwide. Follow Jessica here:   / its_jessica_rae   📝 Visit the companion blog post for tips to uncover your own family stories: [INSERT COMPANION BLOG POST LINK] 🎙️ ABOUT STORIES THAT LIVE IN US: Hosted by Crista Cowan (The Barefoot Genealogist), Season 2: From Sea to Shining Sea counts down to America's 250th birthday by exploring the diverse tales of immigration, migration, courage, and community woven into the fabric of the United States. #genealogy #FamilyHistory #GenerationalTrauma #Ancestry #ImmigrantStories #HistoryMysteries #MentalHealthHistory #StoriesThatLiveInUs ✨ CONNECT WITH THE SHOW: Subscribe to the channel for more incredible genealogy stories! https://www.cristacowan.com/blog?tag=... SUBSCRIBE TO STORIES THAT LIVE IN US New episodes every Thursday exploring how family stories create deeper connections across generations. 🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast platform ⭐ Leave a rating and review to help others discover these stories 🔔 Subscribe and click the bell to never miss an episode. © 2026 Crista Cowan. All rights reserved.