Episode 5: Birth
Paint the Sun: A Boy's Journey by Chris Kursel
S1 · E5
Mar 4, 2025
27:13
Episode notes

Drawing on the haunting nature of an old wedding photo, Chris excavates the lives of his immigrant grandparents, Joe and Linda. From their early days in Pennsylvania’s steel and limestone towns to their lasting impact on his father, he discovers a world of struggle, love and resilience in early 20th century America. And through birth certificates, old addresses and family lore, he wrestles with the question: how do we truly know where we come from?

Keywords
Father
death
editor
grief
memory
name
newspaper
research
history
cancer
family
genealogy
Pennsylvania
cement
limestone
America
grandparents
Bessemer
Brothers
ancestor
immigrant
college
Americana