Anastasia Harman–Team Lead
I’m passionate about helping people discover the stories in their own family history — and about telling the stories of those who no longer can.
I’m a writer, a researcher, a wife, a mother of 3 young children, and Alma Salm’s great-granddaughter.
Before having kids, I worked for Ancestry.com as the company spokesperson, the research manager for 3 seasons of NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” TV show and lots of other celebrity family trees, and as associate editor of Ancestry Magazine.
I’ve appeared on “Good Morning America,” Martha Stewart, Anderson Cooper, CNN, and many, many local TV stations.
I’ve taken reporters on journeys into their past — at abandoned military forts, deep in underground mines, in abandoned cemeteries, on Civil War battlefields.
And now I’m sharing my passion, expertise, stories, and experiences with you. I’m here to guide you on your own journey and help you discover incredible stories about your history.
Alma Salm — Memoir Writer
Lt. Commander Alma E. Salm was nearly 47 years old when he became a prisoner of war in May 1942.
A career Naval officer and veteran of World War 1, Salm survived nearly 3 years in the prison camp Cabanatuan during WW2. He was liberated by American forces in January 1945.
Shortly after his return home, Salm wrote “Luzon Holiday,” his memoir of the 33 months he spent as a POW. That memoir is republished on this website.
He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1895 to a German-born father and Swiss-born mother. He married Emily M. Hunt in 1920. Together they are the parents of two daughters.
During his imprisonment, Salm suffered severe malnutrition and other diseases. He never fully recovered physically. He passed away in February 1957 in Oakland, California.