In this first episode of Series Four- 'The Undead', host Andrew Martin meets Swedish genealogist Linda Kvist to find out about her love of family history, how she became a DNA coach, how she uses archives and Arkiv Digital to trace her Swedish ancestors, and how she DNA tested a non-human family member!

Life Story - Nils Peter Bengtsson
Linda tells the life story of her partner's ancestor Nils Peter Bengtsson, a man who was born in 1858 and emigrated to the USA. In about 1900, and now widowed, he decided to return home to his native Sweden, sending his daughter home first.... but as he stands on the dock before boarding his ship he collapses and dies..... or at least that's how the story goes.

Left with an old photograph of Nils, a curious passenger list entry, and a death certificate that didn’t quite look right, Linda embarked on her own journey to uncover an unusual story… with a strange twist, and an important lesson.

The Brick Wall - Nikolai Edvard Seck and Julia Verno
We're on the trail of Linda's maternal Great Grandparents Nikolai Edvard Seck and Julia Verno who were both born in the 1880s. Whilst it's known that they were married in Pskov, Estonia (now in Russia) on 9th May 1915, and that they fled to Sweden during 1944, little else is known of them.

It is known that Nikolai was a wrestler (Linda has some photos), and that Julia's parents were named August Verno and Anna Lindenberg, but no other details have been found. Can you help Linda find out about their earlier life?

If you think you have a clue or a research idea, you can contact Linda at her Facebook Page, or via the email address she gives in the episode. Alternatively, you can send us a message at familyhistoriespodcast.com and we'll pass it on to her.

In the meantime, whilst Linda is happy to accept Andrew's offer of help, Sándor has made other plans...

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Episode Credits: 
Series Four, Episode One: 

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Linda Kvist - Guest
• John Spike - Sándor Petőfi

Episode show notes: familyhistoriespodcast.com 

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