Buried Threads

Buried Threads S2E10: Impounded We've been chasing Marie Christine's adoption records for years. She collected documents throughout her life and hid them in a safety deposit box. Hear our journey to gain access to her official records in the state of Illinois - three counties, multiple requests, a lawsuit, and court hearings. Check out this tool for tracking family information: Buried Threads Inte...

Buried Threads S2E9: The Mystery Man We thought Walter Scott was a fantasy. Hear how a listener found information we missed, and what it means for our family story. Check out this tool for tracking family information: Buried Threads Interactive Family Map .   Family Map Walkthrough Video ✅ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram . Learn more at buriedthreads.substack.com This is a public episode. If...

Buried Threads S2E8: Nina's Voice (Part 2) A family member gave us the wonderful treasure of recordings of Nina, daughter of Manuel and Rosa, talking about her childhood and family. Paul, grandson of Estrella and first cousin of our mom, joins us for this episode. Together, we listen to some of the stories Nina has to share and Paul tells us what he thinks about the family history we've uncovered....

Buried Threads S2E7: Nina's Voice (Part 1) This episode we get to hear Nina talk about her family and the girl she called sister, Estrella. Find out what Nina had to say and how it changed our view of what happened when Estrella left her family. Check out this tool for tracking family information: Buried Threads Interactive Family Map .     Family Map Walkthrough Video ✅ Follow us on Facebook and...

Buried Threads S2E6: What She Carried Content Warning: In this episode we discuss the death of a young child, infant loss, and traumatic birth. Please use care when choosing to listen . A woman left her husband and children, twice. We've always known there was more to this story. Here we discuss two traumatic events in Estrella's young life (11-16 years old), which may have impacted her ability to...

Buried Threads S2E5: Right There We sat down with our mom, Chris, to discuss what this journey of discovery has been like for her. She shares about her family, her mom, and meeting new family. We consider the fact that her mom and grandmother resided in the same small town for decades. Then we surprise mom with news about adoption records!! Check out this tool for tracking family information: Buri...

Buried Threads S2E4: A Small, Small World What is like to have someone contact you and give you a whole new history about your family member, one that you never knew? Hear Teri talk about about what it was like when we shared what we've learned about our great-grandmother, Estrella/Stella who is also her grandmother, Wilma E. Nelson. Listen as we hear from the one person we've met who actually kne...

Buried Threads S2E3: A Name We Never Knew What happens when you find what you've been looking for? Whether you've been searching for a day, 25 years or 100 years, there's still a moment when it doesn't feel real! This episode, find out what happened when we finally heard from a DNA match and the HUGE discovery we made together! Check out this tool for tracking family information: Buried Threads In...

S2E2: The Match We Almost Missed. We waited for years to hear from a DNA match. We were sure they held the key to the mystery of what happened to our great-grandmother, Estrella Suarez/Stella DeBoard after she gave up her children. In this episode we tell the story of finally connecting with that match, being disappointed by their family tree, and making an unbelievable connection. Check out this...

S2E1: Where We Left Her We spent season 1 of Buried Threads sharing the mystery that is our great-grandmother and how her story unfolded over two decades of research. This season, we're back with new discoveries, fresh leads, and more threads to pull. Listen to this episode to hear all the new details we've uncovered just in the last several weeks. 🧵Season 2: because she wasn't done surprising us...

Season 1 Finale: Estrella's Song We end the season with a song created for our podcast, our family's search, for our grandmother, and for Estrella. Season 2 is coming!! Check out this Interactive Family Map! Family Map Walkthrough Video Follow the story and follow us on Facebook and Instagram This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...

Episode 9: The Mysteries That Remain (recorded in late 2025) We're wrapping up season 1. We had new conversations with family members and we believe there's a fourth child of Estrella out there somewhere - maybe our DNA match in LA holds the key! Season 2 is coming soon! Check out this Interactive Family Map! Family Map Walkthrough Video Follow the story and follow us on Facebook and Instagram Thi...

Episode 8:Found Family (recorded in late 2025) This episode we talk about the surreal moment when Estrella's grandchildren meet for the very first time. We sat around a table and we talked about Manuel, Rosa, Mary Rose, Estrella, Marie Christine and more. Listen for the moment when the realization dawned that we are family! Check out this Interactive Family Map! Family Map Walkthrough Video Follow...

Episode 7: A New Branch (recorded in late 2025) Today we explore the road to knowing those who were once just a DNA match. We discuss some of our conversations and we consider how DNA is being used to connect families and even to solve crimes. Our family is growing right before our eyes and we are happy to share it with you! Check out this Interactive Family Map! Family Map Walkthrough Video Follo...

Episode 6: The Generation Left Behind (recorded in late 2025) Today we look at the stories of two of the children Estrella, and Christopher in some ways, left behind. What were their lives like? What did they wonder about? What did they search for? And what does science tell us about trauma responses passed down from one generation to another? This one is for her. Check out this Interactive Family...

Episode 5: Christopher's Road (recorded in late 2025) From being orphaned at a young age, to serving in the military, to becoming a husband and father; today we're digging into Christopher's past. We encountered a surprise (or two) and we're still left with questions. Check out this Interactive Family Map! Family Map Walkthrough Video Follow the story and follow us on Facebook and Instagram This i...

Episode 4: The Second Life of Stella Smith (recorded in late 2025) We take a closer look at the life she lived when she reinvented herself as Stella Smith. Another marriage, two more children, fracture in the family, and an eventual divorce. The mystery deepens considerably when Stella disappears...again. Check out this Interactive Family Map! Family Map Walkthrough Video Follow the story and foll...

Episode 3: Manuel & Rosa (recorded in late 2025) We're going back even further in time: before the DNA surprises, before the disappearances and adoptions, there was a man named Manuel Suarez. And there was a woman who changed his life: Rosa. This story is a love story. Learn about this couple and how they help fill in some missing pieces of our story. Check out this Interactive Family Map! Family...

Episode 2: Estrella (recorded in late 2025) How a man named Paul led us to a woman named Estrella - Episode 2 explores how a young mother and wife just disappeared in the early 1920s. Did she leave in the middle of the night? Did she have help? Where did she go? And the unanswerable question: why did she leave? Follow the story and follow us on Facebook This is a public episode. If you would like...

Recorded in late 2025. This episode introduces two sisters and the family mystery they unraveled together. Listen to discover the families left behind, the mystery of new identities and how DNA opened a new chapter in this story. Follow on Facebook This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit buriedthreads.substack.com