By The Family Histories Podcast
The Family Histories Podcast is a show that celebrates those of us sat in archives, libraries, and spare bedrooms all around the world, tirelessly piecing together our collective social and family
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The podcast currently has 68 episodes available.
It's a special delivery in today's episode from Series Eight, as host Andrew Martin meets family history and military history researcher, champion eBayer, and postman, Adam Simpson-York. Andrew finds out how Adam got hooked on researching family history, how he has honed his research skills that enable him to buy family heirlooms on auction sites and then trace their living relatives, allowing him to reunite them with their descendants, and hears about his letters from a Queen.
THE LIFE STORY - DAVID EDWARD ELLIS
Adam has chosen to tell the story of his Great Grandfather David Edward Ellis, who was born in Shotton Colliery, Durham, England in 1907.
David's father William was a coal miner, originally from Wales, and this was an occupation that was synonymous with the village of Shotton Colliery - David's brother worked in the mine, and David followed suit. At the time of David's marriage in 1929 in London, he's still noted as a coal miner.
David later served in World War Two as a Driver in the Royal Army Service Corps' 18th Division Transport Company. He was captured and was forced to march with 7,000 men a distance of 290km during the wet season to Songkurai, Thailand, where he contracted cholera and died of this and tropical ulcers. His remains were exhumed and re-buried in Burma (now Myanmar).
News of his death took a very long time to reach home, and whilst a lack of letters may have hinted towards his demise, the eventual news deeply affected his son for the rest of his life.
THE BRICK WALL - THOMAS TYLER
It's a research puzzle involving his wife's Great Grandfather Thomas Tyler that has Adam stuck for ideas.
Adam knows when Thomas died, and when he married, but there's ambiguity surrounding his date of birth (circa 1910-1912), and there's also a family rumour that Thomas Tyler wasn't his real name, and a rumour that he was a minder for London gangster Jack 'The Hat' McVitie. Tantalising isn't it?
Adam's mother-in-law is going to take a DNA test to try to help solve this, but can you help Adam to identify a birth record for him? Was he really 'Thomas Tyler' or was that a pseudonym to protect his real identity during or after a potential gangster involvement? Was his father, as stated in marriage records, also 'Thomas Tyler' or did he simply not know who his father was and made it up? Can you help solve this brick wall?
If you think you can help Adam with a research clue or idea, then you can contact him via his Medals Going Home profiles on Facebook, Twitter, or BlueSky, or alternatively you can send us a message and we'll pass it along.
Meanwhile, Adam has concerns that despite their offer of help, Andrew and Sándor won't be able to deliver him to the church on time...
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Episode Credits:
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Andrew meets genealogist and Chair of the Register of Qualified Genealogists, Sylvia Valentine. He hears about how she got hooked on researching family history, her love of life-long learning and research, and her opinions on the terrifying workhouses!
THE LIFE STORY - NAOMI HAWARTH
Sylvia has chosen to tell the life story of her Gt Grandmother, Naomi Hawarth, who was born as a twin, but was the only one of the two to survive. She was not the only twin to her parents, or to outlive a twin sister. Fifteen years before Naomi's birth was that of Mary, who looked exactly like the twin of Naomi.
Whilst twins are often observed as having similar lives, and family historians spot common behaviours in families, Sylvia's research has found that Naomi's siblings have carried many similar traits in education and music to their descendants.
THE BRICK WALL - BERNARD BRAND FIEGEHEN
It's one of Sylvia's husband's ancestors - Bernard Brand Fiegehen who appears working as a china man in City Road, London that has Sylvia facing a brick wall. Phonetically, that surname sounds like 'Fee-gun', and whilst that phonetic pronunciation might sound on face value like it has Irish origins, Sylvia has been stuck to find them.
Sylvia has seen many online trees that have few or no sources for this man, but many point to him as being from Berlin in Germany.
If you think that you can help Sylvia with a research clue or idea, then you can message her via the email address she gives in the episode or alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it on to her.
In the meantime, Sylvia isn't sure of the safety of Andrew's research idea, but will her leap of faith work out?....
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Episode Credits
Thank you for listening!
You can sign up to our email newsletter for the latest and behind the scenes news.
You can find us on Twitter @FamilyHistPod, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review.
In this first episode of Series Eight of The Family Histories Podcast, host Andrew Martin meets author, family historian, and the host of the Italian Roots and Genealogy YouTube series and podcast - Bob Sorrentino, and finds out about his Italian-American roots, and his connections to Italian and the wider European nobility.
THE LIFE STORY - ISABELLA D'ESTE
We're off to the 15th Century to hear about one of Bob's ancestors - Isabella d'Este (born 1474 in Ferrara, Italy) was the wife of Francesco II Gonzaga - the Marquis of Mantua, Italy, and whilst her husband appeared to prefer going off to fight as a mercenary, Isabella found herself left in charge.
Under her influence, she encouraged culture and art, and became one of the leading women in the Italian Renaissance. She also ensured that women could access education, and she herself is known to have amassed a collection of around 20,000 letters.
She died in her 60's in 1539, and no doubt left an important legacy for both Italy and women.
THE BRICK WALL - MARIA ANGELA DE RISO
We're only stepping back to the 18th Century this time for Bob's brick wall, and this is his 4x Great Grandmother - Maria Angela De Riso. He knows that she was born circa 1750, likely in Carpinone, in western Molise, Italy, but her origins, and the identity of her parents remains unknown.
Maria was an Italian Baroness by birth, but Bob cannot find information on the generation further back - did her parents buy their land and titles?
If you think you can help Bob crack this brick wall with a clue or research idea, then you can contact him at his Facebook Group - Italian Roots and Genealogy, his YouTube channel, or alternatively, you can send us a message via our contact form, and we'll pass it along to him.
In the meantime, while Bob is curious of Andrew's offer of help, will he get to his answer safely...
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Episode Credits
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You can sign up to our email newsletter for the latest and behind the scenes news.
You can find us on Twitter @FamilyHistPod, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review.
Our Eighth Series is here! But, before the first full episode arrives on 5th November 2024, there's just enough time for Andrew to pop back to compare notes with an old friend...
In this new series we'll meet a Marchioness, a Twin, a 'Nightingale', a Marine, a Nationalist, a Collier, and a homesick migrant.
Read more about our new series.
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Episode Credits:
Thank you for listening!
You can sign up to our email newsletter for the latest and behind the scenes news.
You can find us on Twitter @FamilyHistPod, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review.
It's our 50th guest episode! So, to celebrate this special milestone episode, host Andrew Martin decides to head to the Society of Genealogists to meet three guests taking part in the annual All About That Place event. However, he doesn't quite end up where he expected...
All About That Place is a series of talks brought to us by the Society of Genealogists, supported by the Society of One-Place Studies, British Association for Local History and Genealogy Stories. You can join in with the All About That Place event, running from September 27, to October 6, 2024 online to find out all the details at https://www.subscribepage.com/allaboutthatplace
THE INTERVIEW - DR. ANGELA BUCKLEY
Andrew meets crime, policing, forensics historian, and author Dr. Angela Buckley and finds out how she got hooked on researching family history and crime history. He hears how she finds and follows the criminals and detectives, and about her relative's own criminal activities!
THE LIFE STORY - ERICA DOREEN FULLER with DR. NICK BARRATT
Next, Andrew meets genealogist, author, Medievalist, and broadcaster (The House Detectives, Hidden House Histories, Who Do You Think You Are?) Dr. Nick Barratt and hears about his grandmother Erica Doreen Fuller who was born in 1911 in Belgium. He finds that she was sort-of informally fostered into care at a remote farm house in Norfolk, England... but as he found out, not all was quite as it seemed...
THE BRICK WALL - JOSEPH QUIN with CHRISTINE PAYNE
Andrew meets family and social historian Christine Payne - the winner of the All About That Place prize draw, and hears about her brick wall - her paternal Great Grandfather Joseph Quin who was born in 1840.
In 1897, Joseph walks into Brixton Prison in London, and confesses to bigamy.. but what motivated him to do so - was he being blackmailed or did he want to face up to his crime?
Christine is also trying to find his date and place of death - as after his jail sentence he appears to go missing.
If you think you can help Christine with a research clue or idea, then you can message her at the email address she gives within the episode, or alternatively you can send us a message and we'll pass it straight on to her.
In the meantime, Andrew offers Christine some help, but he has a secret to reveal first...
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Episode Credits
Thank you for listening!
You can sign up to our email newsletter for the latest and behind the scenes news.
You can find us on Twitter @FamilyHistPod, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review.
This is a Series Seven Bonus Episode, following on immediately from the previous episode 'The Sailor' with Morag Peers.
When two children inexplicably appear, host Andrew Martin and guest Morag Peers realise that the (shh: secret time) machine has moved time and location, and that they are now part of one of history's most baffling disappearances.
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Episode Credits:
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In this final full episode of Series Seven, host Andrew Martin meets Morag Peers - an award-winning professional genealogist who specialises in researching the lives of the people of Scotland. He hears how she got hooked on family history, how she ended up going professional, and her love of using passport records to trace family and world history.
THE LIFE STORY - JOSEPH CLARKE
Morag has chosen to tell the story of her 2x Great Uncle, Joseph Clarke. He was born in Kelton in 1846, into a family with long roots in the area. However, when the 1861 census arrives, he's just 14 years old and listed on a sloop ship named 'George and Jane' and apprenticed to a wool merchant.
Morag traces Joseph's travels from Liverpool in England, to Chilé, Australia, China, and countless trips between these locations.
Whilst his wanderlust takes him around the world and back, sadly it didn't last for long, and Joseph is taken ill on board the ship the Dundonald. Despite the help of the Captain, his illness continues to develop and he died.
Morag has been able to view the Captain's log of the voyage, and discovered that the exact latitude and longitude has been recorded, and being far away from home, the location of his burial at sea is recorded too.
THE BRICK WALL - MARGARET LAUGHLAN
Morag is looking for help with her 2x Great Grandmother Margaret Laughlan who was born in 1841 in Girvan, Ayrshire, Scotland to two Irish immigrants. Unfortunately, her last name has been subject to many variants which hasn't helped in Morag's research.
Morag knows that Margaret had two illegitimate daughters - Margaret and Agnes, but there is no clue to the father's name (or names), and Margaret senior remains living with her parents through the censuses.
Unfortunately, DNA testing has not provided many matches at all, and so that leaves Morag wondering
If you think that you can help Morag with a clue or a research idea, then you can contact her at her website www.glasgowgenealogy.co.uk or the email address she gives in the episode or alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it straight on to her.
In the meanwhile, Morag is fascinated by Andrew's offer of help, but neither of them are expecting it to be such a moving experience...
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Episode Credits:
Thank you for listening!
You can sign up to our email newsletter for the latest and behind the scenes news.
You can find us on Twitter @FamilyHistPod, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review.
Host Andrew Martin meets radio presenter and family historian, and host of the Extreme Genes radio show and podcast - Scott Fisher. He finds out how Scott got hooked on researching his family history, the lengths he goes to to solve genealogy puzzles, and how he ended up making his hit radio and podcast show.
THE LIFE STORY - DONALD OLSEN
Scott has chosen to tell the life story of his maternal half-uncle Donald Olsen.
Donald was one of several brothers who ended up serving in the Second World War, but it's a naval record that gave Scott a detailed account of Donald's time at sea in the Pacific Ocean. Whilst there, Donald experienced terrifying and harrowing events that would seemingly haunt him deeply until he decided to take his own life.
THE BRICK WALL - JAMES STOCKS
It's a Brick Wall in London, England, that has Scott stuck. Scott has managed to find a fantastically detailed description of James Stocks - right down to the state of his clothing, thanks to a detailed article in an old newspaper from 1818. Sadly, this article was published because James had abandoned his wife Catherine and their children.
The article, and some US census records for the children (after they'd emigrated) state that he was from Scotland, but some also say he was from England.. so it's a little uncertain. This is where Scott is stuck. Can you help?
If you think you can help Scott with a clue or research idea, you can send him a message via our contact form and we'll send it straight to him.
In the meantime, Scott is fascinated by Andrew's offer of help, but will it shine a light on things?
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Episode Credits:
Thank you for listening!
You can sign up to our email newsletter for the latest and behind the scenes news.
You can find us on Twitter @FamilyHistPod, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review.
In the fifth episode of Series Seven, host Andrew Martin meets anthropologist and Welsh professional genealogist, Dai Davies, and finds out how they got hooked on researching family history, the challenges of researching Welsh family history from afar, and their thoughts on how the genealogy community could become a better place.
THE LIFE STORY - DAVID DAVIES
Dai has chosen to tell the life story of their 8x Great Uncle, David Davies who was born in 1754 in a small parish near Lampeter in West Wales, and was the son of tenant farmers and Wesleyan Methodists.
Dai was excited to discover this person in their tree, as David Davies was a highly influential educator, minister, and political poet in Wales during the 18th Century. He is known to have had a school in Castell Hywel, and was a minister at Llwynrhydowen Chapel.
His work to translate English into Welsh for the newly literate communities, resulted in him even being described as 'improving into Welsh' on the popular poem by Thomas Gray - 'Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard'. However, sometimes his political thoughts on the rapidly changing world around him, including the French Revolution, would cause controversy.
THE BRICK WALL - DAVID THOMAS
It's the family of Dai's 7x Great Grandfather David Thomas (brother-in-law of the above David Davies), that has them stuck for answers.
Dai has found 76 records attributed to David Thomas, and knows about his life between 1757 and his death in 1816, Lampeter in Ceredigion, Wales, but Dai has found no trace of David Thomas' parents or siblings.
If you think that you can offer Dai a research clue or idea, then you can email them on the address they give in the episode, or find them at @GenealCymru at Twitter. Alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it straight on.
In the meanwhile, Dai has concerns about Andrew's offer of help... will this source be reliable?
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Episode Credits:
Thank you for listening!
You can sign up to our email newsletter for the latest and behind the scenes news.
You can find us on Twitter @FamilyHistPod, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review.
In this fourth episode of Series Seven, host Andrew Martin meets Anglo-Belgian professional genealogist, and country manager at MyHeritage - Marie Cappart, and finds out how she got addicted to researching her family history, what made her a 'DNA geek', and what it's like to work for MyHeritage.
THE LIFE STORY - MARGUERITE NICHOLLS
Marie has chosen to tell the life story of her Anglo-Belgian Great Aunt Marguerite Nicholls, who she discovered in her teenage years was missing from her family tree.
Marie tells how Marguerite remained in Belgium with her Swedish husband as war broke out, rather than returning to the UK with her own family, and how she ended up saving the lives of British and Canadian airmen as a member of the Belgian Resistance.
Whilst Marguerite's story comes to a sad ending, Marie is adamant that she takes her rightful place in her family tree, and that her memory and bravery is never forgotten in Belgium.
THE BRICK WALL - CORNEILLE DE LESTRE
It's a baptism record for her husband's ancestor Corneille de Lestre, somewhere in the mid-16th Century, that has Marie puzzled.
Marie has been trying to locate Corneille's baptism for some time, but she lacks both an accurate year of birth and location. She has searched in the 1540s-1550s, and after viewing some work in an archive that had no cited sources, she has attempted to research its theories of the identity of Corneille's father and the travelling that person did.
However, there's no tangible evidence emerging yet that connects Marie's husband to that person - so it's a mystery that leads her on a process of elimination.
Can you help Marie discover;
If you think that you can help Marie with a research clue or idea, then you can either send her a message at her @histfamilles Twitter account, or send us a message and we'll pass it along to her.
In the meantime, Marie is curious of Andrew's offer of help... but can you smell burning?
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Episode Credits:
Thank you for listening!
You can sign up to our email newsletter for the latest and behind the scenes news.
You can find us on Twitter @FamilyHistPod, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review.
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