The Countess of Cons: Uncovering Scandalous Ancestors (with Deborah Holman) | Episode 133

"When I noticed a yellowed piece of paper physically taped over a portrait in an old family book, I knew there was a secret waiting to be found."

My guest today, author Deborah Holman, set out to uncover that hidden identity and ended up spending two years untangling the unbelievable life of her husband’s great-grandmother. We’re talking about a 19th-century woman living under dozens of aliases, pulling off high-stakes cons, breaking into 50 homes in a single weekend at age 60, and keeping handwritten accounting ledgers of her crime sprees. In this episode, we share this wild historical investigation and discuss how confronting the unpolished "black sheep" in our family trees gives us a richer, more honest connection to where we come from. Listen in for a story you truly couldn't make up if you tried!

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