Sarah from America

About Sarah from America

Sarah from America tells the story of history through the lens of her ancestry, weaving personal genealogical discoveries into the broader narrative of America’s past. Each family connection becomes a window into the events, cultures, and movements that shaped the nation. intrepidinterior.substack.com (https://intrepidinterior.substack.com/s/sarah-from-america?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Living History

Category

history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

18 Sept 2025

Latest episode

15 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

6 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Jan 2026

   Charlemagne - Who Decides What Counts?

   This episode explores the unsettling idea that much of modern life still operates inside standards set more than a thousand years ago by Charlemagne. Rather than framing him as a distant historical figure, the piece examines Charlemagne as a systems builder whose true power came from standardization, not spectacle. By unifying measures of value, currency, law, literacy, time, and obligation, he created a framework that allowed trust, trade, and governance to function at scale. The episode draws a clear line between these early medieval reforms and today’s world of abstract value, credit, contracts, and invisible systems that quietly govern daily life. It challenges listeners to reconsider ideas of individuality and choice, asking whether what we call modern or personal is often just inherited structure wearing a contemporary costume. The takeaway is provocative and reflective: before trying to reinvent yourself or your world, it may be worth asking whose standards you are still living by. Get full access to INTREPID at intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe (https://intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   6 Jan 2026

   Charlemagne - Time, Disciplined

   In this episode, we trace the origins of January 1st as New Year’s Day and discover that our modern calendar has far more to do with war, empire, and governance than with personal renewal. Beginning in the winter of 152 BC, we follow Roman soldiers freezing in Hispania and senators in Rome confronting a hard truth: traditions built for a seasonal city-state could no longer govern a far-flung empire. The solution was administrative, not spiritual. Rome moved the start of the political year to January 1 so leadership could reach distant frontiers sooner. From there, the story travels forward to Charlemagne’s world, where time fractured rather than unified. January 1, Christmas, and March 25 each carried their own meaning, rhythm, and authority. Christmas marked divine arrival and rest. January 1 offered reflection and release. Lady Day, tied to the Annunciation, became the true season of commitment, contracts, and intention. By exploring how empires, churches, and households once lived with multiple New Years, this episode invites a gentler question for our own lives: what if winter was never meant for goal-setting, but for letting go? What if lasting work comes not from urgency, but from timing? This is a meditation on calendars, power, faith, and the quiet wisdom of choosing the right season to begin. Get full access to INTREPID at intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe (https://intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   30 Nov 2025

   Rocking the Boat

   Sarah traces her surprising bloodline to five Mayflower families and the ship’s only sea-born child, revealing what Thanksgiving history gets right—and wrong. A quick, curious journey into ancestry and American lore. Get full access to INTREPID at intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe (https://intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

4. 

   12 Nov 2025

   Charlemagne - The Taste of Greatness

   In our last post, we explored the family tragedy that influenced Charlemagne’s early military victory, which might have earned him the title of “The Great”—both in his own time and what it might take to earn that title today. We left off with three large-scale accomplishments: * Your story is beautifully told at scale in a way that endures. * An act of unexpected public consecration by culture, institutions, or by the networked hive mind. * A defining first victory that proves your strength under pressure and marks you as a leader in your own right. But what other achievements were necessary for him to be considered great? These Are A Few of His Favorite Things Can likes and dislikes be inherited through DNA? After understanding more about my 33rd great-grandfather’s favorite things, I think they might. “History repeats itself” is usually used in a negative connotation, but in the case of getting to know the man behind his epithet of “ the great,” it could be used as a compliment. Charlemagne’s Other Holy Trinity When your best friend writes about your snacks, meals, and culinary procurements, it isn’t hard to picture a more down-to-earth and simple man. Some of the oldest records of a King and his relation to cheese are contained in the Vita Karoli Magni in Chapter 24 and other documents concerning his life. Would Charlemagne have liked Culver’s? In one of the accounts, Einhard writes a short passage, “ Once, while dining with a bishop, he was served roasted cheese curds. Finding them delicious, he ordered that they be brought regularly to his table thereafter.” Historians believe it occurred during one of Charlemagne’s visits to a monastery or episcopal estate, in southern Germany or northern France, where monastic dairy production was sophisticated. The record recounts that the bishop offered him “caseum tostum” which literally translates as “toasted cheese.” The cheese produced at monasteries of the time would be similar to the halloumi (https://amzn.to/4p3iq1A)we can purchase from our local grocer today. It would have been fresh, squeaky, and lightly salted. This was the first written record of cheese being roasted or grilled intentionally as a delicacy in Europe. This simple toasted cheese is the ancestor recipe to the raclette, fondue, sagnaki, welsh rarebit, and every grilled cheese tradition that came after. Einhard also notes that Charlemagne had simple culinary tastes but was fascinated by this fried cheese for its innovation within simplicity, much like the qualities he defined in his reforms in education, architecture, and governance. He did not crave extravagance but instead appreciated the improvement of the familiar. Toasted Cheese recipe to follow soon on Rambler and Range. The King of Cheeses When visiting a Bishop’s house in the Brie region of France, Charlemagne was served a cheese plate for dinner because it was on a Friday when he did not eat meat as a form of religious penance. The Bishop served him a creamy brie, and he proceeded to cut off the rind. The Bishop politely accused him of throwing away the best part. Charlemagne tried the rind and approved, and immediately requested that two carts of the cheese be sent to his palace in Aachen. A royal cheese star was born, and the Brie de Meaux still acknowledges this legend, and the brand’s slogan is “The King of Cheeses.” Next time you eat brie, just remember you are eating like a king. The Brie De Meaux can be purchased here. (http://A famous story says he once visited a monastery where he was served grilled cheese curds — he loved it so much that he ordered regular deliveries to his court.) The Definition of a Favorite Cheese Many of the foods Charlemagne enjoyed were simple enough that he would eat them while traveling his vast empire. In one particular military campaign, Charlemagne was served some cheese with dinner, and what appeared to have moldy parts. He began to pick them out, but was abruptly stopped by the cleric, who again accused him of throwing out the best part. Again, Charlemagne indulged the cleric and enjoyed what we know today as Roquefort. The Britannica states that Roquefort cheese “ was reportedly the favorite cheese of the Emperor Charlemagne.” While some of these stories are considered legends with kernels of truth in them, Charlemagne and his court place value on foods, gifts, and feasts. Cheeses from different regions became luxury and prestigious foods for the first time in recorded history. The Fall of the Roman Empire was on His Mind Too Perhaps next on our list of great accomplishments, besides his discoveries and interests in luxury cheeses, we can visit his innovation in education, literacy, and writing. Charlemagne saw a very fractured world as he came into full power during his early reign. He inherited a kingdom full of small, isolated worlds that were tribal, illiterate, and spiritually unstable. The fall of the Western Roman Empire happened some 292 years before Charlemagne took power. There was a lengthy collapse of military, economic, administrative, and demographic stresses, such as invasions that left the Western portion of the empire in the hands of “barbarian” kingdoms such as the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, and Vandals. The Eastern Roman territory, or the Byzantine Empire, continued the cultural and institutional models of Latin administration, Roman law, episcopal networks, and urban centers. The fall of Rome then and now would best be seen as a transformation rather than a complete collapse. His coronation as Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas in the year 800 is often presented as the revival of the Roman imperial tradition of the West. He was the first Western Emperor since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. During his reign, he accomplished three things that would further cement his “the great” title. * He rebuilt civilization from cultural ruin. * Merged classical reason with Christian faith. * Set the moral, architectural, and administrative foundation for Europe and most modern countries for 1,000 years. The Original European Influencer While this might sound cheesy, pun intended, Charlemagne effectively became the original “Influencer” of modern Europe. When he revived classical learning, he reintroduced standardized Latin, making it the common language of scholarship, worship, and administration for over 1,000 years. He sponsored illuminated manuscripts, calligraphy called the Carolingian minuscule, and architectural harmony that set the tone for medieval Europe. Every university, cathedral school, and manuscript tradition of Europe traces its DNA to the Carolingian Renaissance. Even our American Declaration of Independence and Constitution, as well as the structure of our government, can be indirectly traced back to the Carolingian Renaissance through a chain of cultural transmission, governance philosophy, and moral order that began with Charlemagne’s reforms. No Instagram or TikTok influencer will likely have the reach to influence the future like Charlamagne did. While Charlemagne didn’t imagine democracy, his worldview normalized written law, educated governance, and moral accountability, which are all found in our constitutional system. Charlemagne’s greatness wasn’t forged by mere conquest, but by the cultivation of language, learning, and even taste. His influence stretched from monastery kitchens and the trending regional cheese to modern manuscripts and constitutions, proving that taste, in both food and governance, can shape the future. So to add a few achievements to our 21st-century list: * Your story is beautifully told at scale in a way that endures. * An act of unexpected public consecration by culture, institutions, or by the networked hive mind. * A defining first victory that proves your strength under pressure and marks you as a leader in your own right. * You unify a fractured system into a shared vision. * You elevate the familiar into legacy. Next time you enjoy a cheese curd, Brie, or Roquefort, or scroll through an influencer’s post with a ton of followers, remember: Charlemagne did it first. I will leave you with this question, and I hope you answer. Do you share any favorites with your ancestors? AI was used in the making of the visuals for this article; sorry, there aren’t photos from back then. There are also some affiliate links. Get full access to INTREPID at intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe (https://intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

5. 

   8 Oct 2025

   Charlemagne - When Family Feuds Shape History (and Our Own Stories)

   In our last post, we explored what it meant for Charlemagne to be called “The Great”—both in his own time and what it might take to earn that title today. We left off with two large-scale accomplishments: * Your story is beautifully told at scale in a way that endures. * An act of unexpected public consecration by culture, institutions, or by the networked hive mind. But what other achievements were necessary for him to be considered great? A Warrior’s Measure It is common knowledge that he was a great warrior, and because of his skill and army, he was able to rule over the largest part of Europe. Of course, in today’s world, no one can simply raise an army and seize land. So it leaves us wondering: what would the modern requirements for “The Great” look like? As I’ve studied him through research and documentaries, I realize that Einhard—Charlemagne’s biographer and closest friend—wrote about him as if he were godlike, more legend than man. I am sure we can think of a celebrity or person from the 1% who seems this way in our modern times. I think of rise and grind culture, biohacking, and all of the health wearable tech available today. And yet, Einhard’s accounts also reveal a real, grounded man: family-oriented, intentional, educated. The Practice of Partition In Frankish culture, a kingdom was not indivisible but treated as family property. A king’s lands were divided among his sons—an inheritance practice rooted in the traditions of Germanic tribes like the Franks, Visigoths, and Burgundians. By contrast, primogeniture—the Roman concept of the eldest son inheriting everything—was not yet common. For the Carolingians, partition meant rivalry, suspicion, and sometimes bloody reunification. This was the backdrop against which Charlemagne and his brother Carloman came of age. The Feeling of History Repeating Itself As I delved into Charlemagne’s story, I couldn’t help but feel echoes of my own life repeating through his. Charlemagne and his brother, Carloman, were raised at the Royal Frankish court together. While the records of them as children aren’t as well written or documented as Einhard’s account of Charlemagne’s adult life, chroniclers at court recorded that they were trained to rule and fight side by side. Their educations would be steeped in warfare, politics, and religion. Based on how their story unfolded, it would be safe to say that the brothers were close but competitive and that their rivalry was likely seeded early on. When their father Pepin the Short died in 768, Charlemagne was 26 and Carloman only 17. That nine-year gap mattered. Charlemagne was seasoned; Carloman was untested. As co-rulers, the imbalance fueled resentment and mistrust. Soon after Pepin’s death, rebellion flared in Aquitaine. Both brothers were expected to unite their forces, but Carloman refused. Whether from jealousy or fear of being overshadowed, he left Charlemagne to face the conflict alone. Charlemagne triumphed without him. His solo victory branded Carloman as unreliable and cemented Charlemagne’s reputation as a decisive leader. The nobles shifted their loyalty, widening the rift. The Personal Repeat I was recently asked to share my story around the campfire with one of my newest additions to my extended adopted family. I hadn’t told the story in a long time because it usually puts too much weight on acquaintances and friendships, and most definitely in casual conversation. While I remain open about my past, my husband has taught me that leaving a little mystery about myself in meetings and conversations is usually best. I recall that when I was a teenager and even in my early twenties, I would often include a brief version of my story when meeting just about anyone. To me, it was a story of hardship and triumph that I thought needed to be shared. I later learned that what happened to me wasn’t what defined me as a person, and that there were so many better things I could share to introduce myself. When I was 15 and my little brother was 10, my mother passed away two weeks after my maternal grandmother passed from a long battle with lung and liver cancer. I witnessed her passing in the side mirror of my father’s car, as her Ford Explorer flipped several times and then landed in a crumpled state. In less than a month, the two biggest female relationships I had were gone. Some bystanders grabbed me and my brother and placed us in their car so that we could not see the horrific scene unfolding on the side of a Georgia highway. I even recorded in my diary in reflection of my mother’s grief of losing her mom. I wrote, “ I don’t know what I would do without my mother.” My brother and I had grown up close. He looked up to me, and I felt the responsibility of watching after him as his big sister. I was my father’s favorite, and he was my mother’s. He could do no wrong in her eyes, but he had a hard time measuring up in my father’s. I was athletic, poised, and accomplished in music and art. My brother was subjected to many different types of sports, only to learn that he wasn’t great at most of them, to my football-playing father’s dismay. I still remember them having an argument about whether to keep him in soccer. My father explained that he seemed lazy in the game, but my mother countered that every soccer team needed a goalie. To me, he was my little best friend, although I did ask my mother once if we could return him to the hospital in exchange for a baby sister. My father and I slept in hospital waiting rooms many nights until he was born, because my mother had many complications while carrying him. When my mother passed, we didn’t have a kingdom to divide and run, but it certainly felt like it. After her passing, we spent a few very troubled months at home with my father, and were then placed in foster care. We were separated into boys’ and girls’ wings of the same lockdown foster care facility. We saw each other only at meals and during after-school time. It was hard on both of us, and the blame fell on me for putting us in that situation, or so I thought. He offered his allegiance to me, not knowing what exactly had happened to put us in the system, even though he was upset by this life change. The court deemed it ok for him to return home to my father, and that is where the practice of partition began. My father not only manipulated my family but also my brother into thinking the entire situation was all my fault. That I had gone a little crazy after my mother’s passing. We had no communication, no way to reconnect for almost a year and a half. This time, distance, and easy manipulation put a wedge in our relationship that still exists to this day. No matter how hard I reached out or tried to be supportive, the distrust and lack of reliance was sown between us. In later years, I was allowed to come to his rescue, which I gladly accepted. After all, he had shown his loyalty to me before we were pitted against each other, and I had a responsibility to watch out for him as my little brother. This is a story for another post. Widening the Gap of Allegiance After Pepin’s death, rebellions broke out in the Aquitaine region of which was split into both kingdoms of Charlemagne and Carloman. Their armies were to meet to unite to put down the unrest. Carloman decided not to support the cause. Some sources cited that Carloman’s refusal to settle the unrest was political and that he didn’t want his brother to gain sole glory and prestige. He thought that by not providing his forces, he would weaken Charlemagne’s campaign to settle the unrest and cause him to retreat. Other sources suggested the mistrust and that Carloman feared being overshadowed by his more experienced older brother. Charlemagne defeated the rebellion without his brother’s help, making all of Carloman’s fears come true. His solo victory made him look like a decisive, competent king in the eyes of the Frankish aristocracy. Carloman’s adamant refusal branded him unreliable, weak, and overly jealous of his brother’s strengths. From then on, many of the nobles navigated toward Charlemagne, which widened the gap of mistrust between the brothers’ factions. In 771, Carloman died at the age of 20. His wife and children fled to Italy for protection, only strengthening the story of their mistrust, as they were worried that Charlemagne would move against them. Charlemagne quickly took up ruling the entirety of his father’s kingdom after his brother’s death. There was no further record of Carloman recorded after his death or that of his wife and children. He was almost completely erased by history. Adding to the Great List Charlemagne’s first independent victory in Aquitaine was more than just a military success. It proved his strength under pressure, marking him as a leader in his own right. So, to add to our list: * Your story is beautifully told at scale in a way that endures. * An act of unexpected public consecration by culture, institutions, or by the networked hive mind. * A defining first victory that proves your strength under pressure and marks you as a leader in your own right. With this list of greatness getting longer, it isn’t hard to picture him in a suit, with a modern haircut, leading a company or organization at a global level. All the while, facing the internal struggles of family support that many of us do. Winner Winner Turkey Dinner Picture this: Charlemagne’s family gathered for a modern Thanksgiving. Charlemagne boasts about the source of the feast or even makes political points about his recent victory at Aquitaine, while his brother sulks at one end of the table, barely touching his plate. After all, food and plenty were political symbols of peace during his reign. His mother, Bertrada, is trying to keep the conversation casual and peaceful. She tries to make sure that the turkey is shared equally, but puts an extra slice on Charlemagne’s plate. Charlemagne’s son, Louis the Pious, directs the attention of everyone from casual conversation to lead the table in prayer and remind everyone that blessings come from God. At the end of the meal, Charlemagne notices a portion of turkey left on his brother’s plate and offers to finish it. Carloman relents, passing the plate to his brother, and then remarks, “So long as you don’t claim this turkey as another acquisition or conquest.” When the brothers break the wishbone, Carloman breaks the shorter piece, as a foreshadowing of a less fruitful year. Looking Ahead In the next post, we’ll turn to the day-to-day life of Charlemagne. What were his favorites? What made him human behind the myth? I will leave you with this question and I hope you share your answer. Do you have a story where your history seems to repeat itself across generations? Get full access to INTREPID at intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe (https://intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

6. 

   18 Sept 2025

   Becoming "The Great": Legacy, Power, and the Secrets of Charlemagne

   One of the genealogical societies that reached out to me after contacting a few was the Colonial Order of the Crown (http://www.brookfieldpublishingmedia.com/COC/COC.aspx). While not an active society, my great-grandmother had joined during her lifetime, granting me access to do the same. The order was founded in the 1890s as a patriotic lineage society, whose members have to have lineal descent from Emperor Charlemagne. I knew who he was vaguely from my in-depth European studies in high school. I had and still have an obsession with European history. As I began to do more ancestry, a lot of the characters and people who I loved from my favorite TV shows were actually related to me. I will make sure to note them as I write more. I was shocked that my lineage reached back so many generations and beyond Charles the Great. When meeting him in my lineage for the first time, I thought to myself, could one simply add “the Great” behind their name? Sarah the Great sounded awesome, I thought. I read more about why he was called the Great and pondered if the actions he had taken were actually that great. I will not go into his general life story, as you can read, listen, or watch that via multiple sources, as I have been. When getting to know some of the more famous relatives I have, I ask questions like, what did they like to eat, and did they have unusual habits? What things about them did people not generally know but made them more human and relatable? THE GREAT PART OF CHARLEMAGNE A Best Friend’s Tribute The in-depth accounts we have that share Charlemagne’s life are contained in an affectionate and detailed biography written by Einhard, his best friend. The Frankish scholar wrote of my great-grandfather fondly, describing everything down to his eating, sleeping, clothing habits, and his family life. Knowing only things an intimate companion and confidant would, Einhard wrote an affectionate tribute. So to become “the Great,” a best friend might need to keep a record of your daily habits and write it in the affectionate tribute style. Noted. He came to Charlemagne’s court as a scholar and quickly became a courtier and trusted advisor. He specialized in architecture and engineering and supervised building projects such as the Aachen Palace and elsewhere. Einhard was described as short, slight, and scholarly, and he earned the nickname of Bezaleel, after the biblical artisan who built the Ark. Charlemagne, by contrast, was tall, martial, and imposing. Their physical and personality differences made them an unlikely but complementary pair. Charlemagne’s height at around 6’3” - 6’4, towered over most men of the early Middle Ages. His height fed into his legend with people calling him the Giant King. After Charlemagne’s death, Einhard did not disappear from court service but advised his son, Louis the Pious, and worked to preserve and promote Charlemagne’s memory through his writings, building projects, and monastery foundations. The Surprise Emperor On Christmas Day in the year 800, St. Peter’s Basilica is packed for Christmas Mass. A mix of Roman nobles, Frankish guards, bishops, and clergy fills the nave, as did the heavy smell of incense and candle smoke. Tall and imposing but simply dressed, Charlemagne enters the Basilica expecting to receive Christmas Mass. Pope Leo III, who had recently been restored to power by Charlemagne’s army, quietly thanks some of the Mass attendants, but secretly arranges a way to thank Charlemagne for his rescue. Only a few of the papal attendants know what is coming. The liturgy begins as the choir voices echo through the vast basilica. Charlemagne kneels humbly before the high altar. Charlamagne dons a blue cloak for the special Christmas service that pools around him on the marble floor. Leo III had seated himself near the high altar so that he might pay close attention. His attendants hold a hidden object under a cloth nearby. The congregation softly murmurs during the service as tensions seem to rise. Some of the warriors tighten their grips on the hilts of their swords, uneasy in the Roman territory. As Charlemagne lowers his head to pray, Pope Leo unexpectedly rises and rushes to the altar, and without any warning, places the hidden object that was a golden crown on Charlemagne’s head. The Pope proclaims, “To Charles, the most serene Augustus, crowned by God, great and pacific Emperor of the Romans, life and victory!” The Roman portion of the crowd erupts in acclamation: “ Carolo Augusto a Deo coronato mango et pacifico imperatori vita et victoria! Charlemagne freezes, stunned by his surprise crowning. Einhard later writes and insists that “He would not have entered the church that day had he known the pope’s plan.” For a moment, no one could read his expression. Was Charlemagne grateful, trapped, or both? His Frankish nobles add to the noise of adoration and cheer, but some look around nervously as they know their king values sovereignty above papal gifts. Mass proceeds, but the ceremony has now been transformed into an imperial coronation. Charlemagne cautiously accepts the new titles, but his emotions are kept below the surface. In his own records later, he will emphasize being “crowned by God” instead of being “crowned by the pope.” This morning will haunt relations between monarchs and popes for centuries to come. The 21st Century Checklist Begins Ok, so far you have to have a best friend write about the deepest details of your life in a loving manner, and reseat a pope only to be surprisingly crowned to inhibit the title of “the Great.” Both feel like momentous tasks in this day and age, if you ask me. Maybe we can upgrade those to the 21st century. What would that even look like? Would a long-form profile in The New Yorker or a viral Netflix docuseries count as a loving tribute? Would a powerful person such as a tech titan, world leader, or a cultural icon, publicly naming you qualify as a “crowning” in front of millions for you to be able to use the title “the Great.” Would millions of followers on social media count? So maybe this updated list might include: * Your story is beautifully told at scale in a way that endures. * An act of unexpected public consecration by culture, institutions, or by the networked hive mind. It simply isn’t enough to create great things; you need both the myth-making element and the surprise anointing. Of course, my great-grandfather’s story doesn’t end with a crown or a papal title. His reign left ripples that shaped Europe for centuries and still influence our lives today. In the coming posts, I’ll be unpacking more of these stories, so stay tuned if you want to know more about what it takes to be “the Great.” The videos, photographs, and other media in this post and those following are created by AI. They didn’t have cameras back in the Middle Ages, so they will have to do, sorry, not sorry. Get full access to INTREPID at intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe (https://intrepidinterior.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

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