Really Useful Podcast Series 4

Series 4 of the Really Useful Podcast is now complete, with all 6 episodes now available online.  

This series of family history podcasts covers a range of topics and expert guests and is introduced by Joe Saunders.  Series 4 comprises 6 episodes :

• Episode 1 - Researching women 

• Episode 2 - Introduction to Archives 

• Episode 3 - Yorkshire ancestors 

• Episode 4 - Talks 

• Episode 5 - Sporting ancestors 

• Episode 6 - Beyond the 19th Century

The podcasts are part of the Explore Your Genealogy website, an educational website developed by the Family History Federation that relates to every aspect of tracing your family history from the very first steps to more complex research.

Its main objective is to promote the study and interest in family history (and associated disciplines including local and social history) in a free-to-access, easy-to-navigate website.

The Family Histories Podcast Series 8

Series 8 of The Family Histories Podcast has just been launched.

In this eighth series, we will hear about a Marchioness, a homesick migrant, a collier, a singing sensation, a marine, a twin sister, and a nationalist.

As usual, the series is hosted by Andrew Martin, and he’s joined by his trusty assistant – the missing 19th Century Hungarian revolutionary and poet Sándor Petőfi (played by John Spike).

Series Eight guests :

• Danielle and Galeet Dardashti
• Richard Holt
• Jennifer Jones
• Daniel Loftus
• Adam Simpson-York
• Bob Sorrentino
• Sylvia Valentine

If you haven't already discovered  this free series, have a listen today!

Family Histories Podcast Bonus Episode

Season 7 of the Family Histories Podcast has ended with a bonus episode 'The Tower'.

Episode Credits include

• Andrew Martin – Host and Producer
• Morag Peers – Guest
• George Orchard – King Edward V
• George Mills – Richard, Duke of York

Watch the episode here, and check out the rest of the series if you haven't watched them already.

Really Useful Podcast - Proof is Essential

Episode 6 of Series 3 of the Really Useful Podcast is out now! The episode is titles 'Proof is Essential' and discusses the importance of proof and using good methodology in your family history research.

 
The episode is described on the web page : 

Joe is joined by Karen Cummings, professional family historian and Managing Director at Pharos Tutors, Sophie Kay, professional genealogist at Khronicle and the Ancestry and Genealogy Expert for Time Team and Phil Isherwood, genealogist speaker and writer who runs the methodology blog ‘Seeing the Wood for the Trees’.

Proof is critical when building our family trees. We must use good methodology to gather evidence to prove our family history. Our guests discuss the importance of proof to family history research and offer some advice.

Really Useful Podcast - Family, Local and Social History

Episode 4 of Series 3 of the Really Useful Podcast is out now! The episode discusses how local and social history are intertwined with family history, and how each can be useful in your family history research.

 
The episode is described on the web page : 

Local and social history are closely linked with family history. They enable us to discover more about our ancestors’ lives, adding detail to core information about life events. Our speakers discuss the value of local and social history and how to incorporate it into our research.

Joe is joined by :

Paul Chiddicks, Family Tree magazine’s Dear Paul and blogger ; 

Natalie Pithers, founder of Genealogy Stories and creator of the Curious Descendants Club, helping you to write and share your ancestors stories, Project and Comms Manager at Society of Genealogists ;

Margaret Roberts, sports historian and editor of the Playing Pasts online sports history magazine, publicity officer for the FHS of Cheshire and Society Liaison Officer for the Federation and part of the A Few Forgotten Women research team.

The Family Histories Podcast

Series Seven of The Family Histories Podcast is now ready to be released.

Hosted Andrew Martin, seven genealogy-obsessed guests will once again share how they got hooked on researching their family history, tell us the life story of one of their most fascinating relatives, and finally share one of their own current research brick wall.  

 This series features the following guests ;

• Dave Annal
• Marie Cappart
• Dai Davies
• Scott Fisher
• Jackie Kohnstamm
• Morag Peers
• Todd Lucero Sales

Series Seven begins with ‘The Aunt’ with Jackie Kohnstamm on 7th May 2024.

 

On the Record at the National Archives

Latest episode of On the Record just dropped! 

'Pauper Voices' brings together findings from a major research project into the lives of the poor, 1834 - 1900. Hear unique testimony from a group whose voices are often absent from history.

 
The podcasts is described by the site "It's often impossible to find direct accounts of poor people in the historical record, especially the further back you look. But an extraordinary collection containing thousands of letters written by people in poverty between 1834 and 1900 provides an insight into their lives.  In this episode, Chloe Lee speaks to specialist Paul Carter about letters held by The National Archives which were addressed to the Poor Law Board, the British central poor law authority. Together they use these accounts to glimpse into the factories, the workhouses and slums in which so many vulnerable people lived out their lives.  This podcast is based on the research In Their Own Write, a major AHRC-funded project, running from 2018 to 2021, which uses letters from paupers and other poor people, and associated manuscript material such as petitions, sworn statements and advocate letters (those written on behalf of paupers) to investigate the lives of the poor between 1834 and 1900. The Project was led by Professor Steve King (Nottingham Trent University) and Dr Paul Carter, (The National Archives).

This series of podcasts is brought to you by the National Archives UK.

Really Useful Podcast Series 3, Episode 3

Episode 3 of the new series of the Really Useful Podcast is out now! The episode discusses the historical migration of people within Britain, including the kind of movements you might find in your family tree, and how we can research migrating ancestors.

 
The episode is described on the web page :

"People in the past moved about a lot more than we might think. In this episode our guests discuss the historical migration of people within Britain, including the kind of movements you might find in your family tree, what this can tell us and how we can research migrating ancestors.

Joe is joined by Janet Few, historical researcher, writer, speaker and President of the Family History Federation;  Jane Hough, amateur genealogist and blogger and Gill Thomas, professional family historian specialising in Welsh records and chair of the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives."

The Family Histories Podcasts

The wonderful series of The Family Histories Podcast recently released an announcement that it has begun recording its seventh series, to be released later in the year.  The identities of the guests for this series have not yet been released, so we are still waiting to hear that areas will be discussed and which ancestor each guest will be exploring.

The release is below :

'The seventh series of The Family Histories Podcast has now entered production, with microphones having been switched on this week to record.

Host Andrew Martin returns for another seven episodes, with seven guests (we’ll reveal who, later), telling fascinating life stories, and pitching their annoying brick walls for us to solve.

He’s joined again by John Spike as missing Hungarian poet, revolutionary, and (shh: secret time machine) assistant, Sándor Petofi.

Series Seven is expected to arrive on all the usual podcast platforms during May 2024."

The Family Histories Podcasts Series 6

Series Six of The Family Histories Podcast is now complete.  The series began with a trailer on 31st October 2023, followed by 7 regular episodes weekly from 7th November, with a bonus episode on 24th December 2023.

The series saw guests cover topics ranging from fraud, slavery, oral history, family rumours, injustices, and seriously dodgy family trees. Each guest will also pitch their own research brick wall, in a hope that a listener could help them make a break-through.

Series 6 featured the following quests;

• Episode 1: ‘The Quilter’ with Phyllis Biffle Elmore

• Episode 2: ‘The Antiquarian’ with Rick Glanvill

• Episode 3: ‘The Nurse’ with Clare Kirk

• Episode 4: ‘The Accused’ with Sven Grewel

• Episode 5: ‘The Churchwarden’ with Jackie Depelle

• Episode 6: ‘The Runaway’ with Teresa Vega

• Episode 7: ‘The Loyalist’ with James Danter

 

Emerald Roots Podcasts

Emerald Roots is the official podcast for the Irish Family History Centre, discussing all things Irish and those elusive Irish ancestors.

2023 saw Emerald Roots post 7 podcasts, covering Irish surnames and what they can possibly tell you about your Irish roots, the Irish roots of Bruce Springsteen to celebrate his return to Ireland, chatting with the cast of 'In the Midst of Plenty', a new Irish folk musical set in 1847 and Proud for Pride, the 30th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland.

2024 starts off with a Welcome Back episode that aims to fill you in on the anniversaries and the Emerald Roots plans for 2024.  I look forward to more podcasts that might help me finally trace my own elusive Irish ancestors.

Really Useful Podcast Series 3

The Family History Federation has now completed Season 3 of its series of Really Useful Podcasts introduced and presented by Joe Saunders.

The series comprises :

Episode 1 : Free Resources

Family history research can quickly become an expensive hobby. However, there is a wealth of free resources that we can use to help with our research while keeping costs down. We discuss some of the different free (online and in-person) resources available in this episode.

Episode 2 : Were your Ancestors Really Married?

Many of us will have questioned at some point in our research whether our ancestors were really married. In this episode our guests discuss how you can tell if people were married or not, share some stories and offer tips, including to use Rebecca Probert’s, Marriage Law for Genealogists.

Episode 3 : Migration Within Britain

People in the past moved about a lot more than we might think. In this episode our guests discuss the historical migration of people within Britain, including the kind of movements you might find in your family tree, what this can tell us and how we can research migrating ancestors.

Episode 4 : Family, Local and Social History

Local and social history are closely linked with family history. They enable us to discover more about our ancestors’ lives, adding detail to core information about life events. Our speakers discuss the value of local and social history and how to incorporate it into our research.

Episode 5 : Getting Started with DNA

In recent years DNA has become increasingly prominent in family history research, offering a method to complement our other sources or fill a gap in their absence. In this episode our guests share their advice on starting out with DNA.

Episode 6 : Proof is Essential

Proof is critical when building our family trees. We must use good methodology to gather evidence to prove our family history. Our guests discuss the importance of proof to family history research and offer some advice.

Family Histories Podcasts

It has been announced that series 6 of the wonderful series of The Family Histories Podcasts is now complete.  Hosted Andrew Martin, seven more genealogy-obsessed guests will share how they got hooked on researching their family history, tell us the life story of one of their most fascinating relatives, and finally share one of their own current research brick wall.  

Series 6 will feature the following quests;

• James Danter
• Jackie Depelle
• Phyllis Biffle Elmore
• Rick Glanvill
• Sven Grewel
• Clare Kirk
• Teresa Vega

 

The Family Histories Podcast

It has been confirmed that the sixth series of The Family Histories Podcast has begun production.

Series Five concluded on 18th July 2023 with the bonus episode ‘The Rioter’ with show host Andrew Martin, which saw him unexpectedly end up in an alternate reality, where everything was the same but also a little different. In that reality, the show was hosted by Dr. Wanda Wyporska.

 

Now safely home in the correct dimension, the new series, the sixth since 2021, will once again be hosted by Andrew Martin, and will consist of 7 episodes, with 7 guests, 7 life stories, and 7 brick walls for listeners to help solve. The new series will air in late 2023.

Journeys Into Genealogy Podcasts

Journeys into Genealogy podcast is now two years old with 69 episodes covering a wide range of topics.

 

You will find lots of interesting interviews with people sharing stories about their family histories, experts who can help with research, specialist advice for looking after objects and much more…

Journeys into Genealogy was setup in 2020 by Emma Cox, a family historian and genealogist based in Kent, UK.

The podcast is an eclectic mix of genealogy based topics, stories and people. Sometimes it may stray outside the boundaries of genealogy and include local history and other related topics.

I have always found podcasts to be a great learning tool, helping me to expand my research knowledge and find out about the latest developments in Genealogy.  Journeys Into Genealogy is another opportunity to learn, free and from the comfort of home whenever I have some spare time.

The podcast is available via the following apps

• Apple
• Amazon and Audible
• Spotify
• Google
• Deezer
• TuneIn
• Pocketcast

Look History in the Eye - Episode 12

Episode 12 of the Public Records Office of Victoria podcast series Look history in the Eye "Finding Fanny Finch" shares an entertaining musical performance about 1850s goldfields businesswoman Fanny Finch.

 

Fanny Finch's legacy as a trailblazer for women's rights, and her courageous survival story as a single mother on the Castlemaine diggings, has only recently been uncovered.

The episode was recorded on International Archives Day 2023 at the Victorian Archives Centre. Performed by historian Kacey Sinclair, alongside Finch's descendants, Bill Garner and his daughter Alice, with accompanying music by Friends of Wendy Cotton.

Kacey’s research makes a welcome addition to the histories of people with African Australian ancestry. 

Episode 12: Finding Fanny Finch

Duration: 50 min

The Family Histories Podcast

In this Series Five bonus episode host Andrew Martin has chosen to tell the life story of his maternal 5x Great Grandfather John Goltrip, who was born around 1771/1772 in the fenland village of Witcham, Cambridgeshire, England. 

After marrying Elizabeth Paget in 1798 and starting his family of an eventual six children, a series of world events would eventually lead to John taking a stand against authority and poverty and take part in the Littleport Riots.

This act exposed him to a potentially life changing or life threatening outcome in a nation engulfed by the impact of the Corn Law, the Napoleonic Wars, and the erupting Indonesian volcano Mount Tambora thousands of miles away.

In his brick wall segment Andrew discusses a case that has been haunting him for years – it’s his 4x Gt Grandmother Mary Clarke (later Bailey), who was born to non-Conformists William Clarke and Susanna Rolf on 19th January 1810 in the village of Wattisfield, in Suffolk, England.

Whilst Andrew knows a little of Mary’s parents, and Mary’s descendants, he is desperate to ‘kill her off’, and there’s a very good reason – she was the archetypal wicked step-mother.

Having married widower William Bailey in 1838, Andrew eventually found them, and with their combined brood of children in 1841, after posting a plea on RootsChat.com. Help soon pointed him to a court report in a newspaper from 1840. His 4x Great Grandmother and her husband were both charged and sentenced for neglecting his children, and Mary was also charged with their physical abuse.

After finding her in jail with hard labour in 1841, and tracing her in and out of the workhouse in subsequent censuses, he loses her after the 1881 census. Her last known location is the Hartismere Union Workhouse at Eye in Suffolk, England. She’s there as an inmate, noted as a 68 year old widow (William died there in 1869), and she is noted as ‘housekeeper’.

Attempts to find her on the 1891 census have proven fruitless.  Where did she go after the 1881 census?  When did she die? Can you help Andrew to kill her off?

 

Look History in the Eye - Episode 11

Episode 11 of the Public Record Office of Victoria podcast series 'Look History in the Eye' is out now.

 Jonathan Butler's debut book The Boy in the Dress was nominated for The Age Book of the Year in 2022. It shares his archival research journey trying to uncover the truth about what happened to his ancestor Warwick Meale, a World War Two serviceman found murdered in Townsville 80 years ago. 

This episode is a recording of the Melbourne Writers Festival event at the Victorian Archives Centre from 2022 with Jonathan Butler in conversation with Dr Yves Rees. Dr Rees is an historian at La Trobe University and co-host of the Archive Fever podcast.

Episode 11: The Boy in the Dress. Jonathan Butler in conversation with Yves Rees.

Duration: 51 min

By Public Record Office Victoria

Look History in the Eye Episode 10

I have been greatly enjoying the series of podcasts 'Look History in the Eye' by the Public Record Office of Victoria, and the latest episode does not disappoint. 

Activism on the goldfields, episode 10 of the podcast series Look history in the eye hears from historian Anna Kyi who explains the importance of 19th Century Victorian Chinese petitions to understand the Australian Chinese immigrant experience on the goldfields. These records are preserved at Public Record Office Victoria and some of them are available to view online via links below. You can find more petitions in our catalogue by searching for Chinese petition. 

This talk was originally given at the Victorian Archives Centre for History Month 2022.

Episode 10: Activism on the goldfields: Victorian Chinese petitions

Duration: 23min

By Public Record Office Victoria

The Family Histories Podcasts

Series 5 is now complete of the wonderful series of The Family Histories Podcasts, host Andrew Martin, in which seven more genealogy-obsessed guests shared how they got hooked on researching their family history, told us the life story of one of their most fascinating relatives, and finally shared more of their own current pesky research brick walls. 

 So take the time to enjoy series 5 of The Family Histories Podcasts.

• Episode 1 : Jenni Phillips - the Carpenter
  
• Episode 2 : Michal Razus - the Righteous
  
• Episode 3 : Kim Brengle - the Missionary
  
• Episode 4 : Paul Chiddicks - the Glazier
  
• Episode 5 : Fiona Brooker - the Constable
  
• Episode 6 : John Erickson - the Cousin
  
• Episode 7 : Kelly Cornwell - the Shoemaker