Journeys into Genealogy podcast

Chris Hussey never met his grandfather, Frank Herbert Wells, and his life wasn't discussed within the family. Through research, a bit of luck and later confirmation with DNA and living relatives he discovered hidden secrets, his military service in Canada and WWI and a second family.

Do you have family medals or are you interested in collecting them? Andrew Mann and Graham Grist from the Orders and Medals Research Society explain about British military medals, who was entitled to receive them (including some surprising recipients), where to find out about medals and the pitfalls to beware. Also included is a a resources sheet available via Substack    

The Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society has a wealth of resources and local knowledge for anyone with ancestors from the Glasgow and wider west of Scotland area. Scott Fairie and I discuss what the society has available, Scottish records in general, burying grounds, shipbuilding, railways, weaving, memorial inscriptions and lots more. A transcript and resources sheet is available on Journeys into Genealogy on Substack. 

Sarah Pettyfer and I discuss how manorial, court and other records can be used to trace your ancestors back well beyond the 19th century including the court baron, court leet, copyhold and freehold land, yeomen and husbandmen and where to find the records as not many of them have been digitised.  There is a second interview on Spittleditch on Substack and transcripts for both interviews. 

Join me to find out more about researching your Northern Irish ancestors with Martin McDowell and Linda Kilby of the North of Ireland Family History Society. We discuss the resources available within the society and elsewhere (many more than you may think), events they run including an annual DNA summer school and a roadshow plus the services they offer for members and enquiries. A transcript of this interview is available on Substack: Journeys into Genealogy on Substack plus a second interview with Martin about the North of Ireland DNA project and a resources sheet full of useful links. 

NARA, or to give it its full name "National Archives and Records Adminstration", is the primary source for federal records in the USA. Claire Kluskens explains how genealogists and family historians can make the best use of these records, where they are located and how to access them. Including what they do host (military records, 19th and 20th century censuses, immigration, naturalisation, land records and more) and what they don't (birth, marriage and death records) and some other sources including the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. With some staggering statistics about the numbers of records held and details of the free annual Genealogy Fairs. There is an interview transcript on Journeys into Genealogy on Substack together with a resources sheet.   

Join Matt Brown and I as we discuss London and Londonist, lots of maps, the River Fleet, hidden waterways and street names plus much more. The transcript is available on Substack together with a second short interview about the John Rocque map of 1746. journeysintogenealogy.substack.com

Geoff talks about the long history of Bermondsey, London from Bermondsey Abbey in medieval times, through tanneries, the start of canning, famous food factories such as Peak Frean's and the development of "Biscuit Town" and where to find local records. An interview transcript is available on Substack together with a short second interview on fame and infamy in Bermondsey. 

RootsTech 2025 is nearly here. Ariel McDonald-Smith of Family Search is sharing some of what's in store for us and how to make the most of the show which runs from 6-8 March 2025. The transcript (available on Substack) contains links to keynote speakers, famous relatives and how to sign up for the event itself.  

A short episode with the roundup of 2024 with what's ahead for 2025...

The Prize Papers is a treasure trove of documents captured by English naval ships and privateers in the 1700s. Anne Ramon talks about the project and some of the papers captured during the American War of Independence. From crew lists to poetry and the letters which never reached their intended destinations, it's a fascinating insight into 18th century life. The image of Mrs John Deas is used with permission of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Museum Purchase. Mark and Loretta Roman and The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund.

Imagine not knowing your grandfather's history before he was 57. Ron Williams found himself in this situation and he has crossed the Atlantic from Canada to England to the US and back to Canada in search of answers. This has led him to write and self publish the book "The Lost 57".

Have you heard of GENUKI? It's an essential tool to help find out more about records for individual countries, counties and parishes within the UK and Ireland. Brian Randell was one of the co-founders and he explains about its history, structure and some of the wealth of records that can be found in this "union of libraries". Plus we also talk briefly about GENEVA the genealogy event diary. 

Kathy Chater takes us through a discussion about mental health and disability in the late 18th and 19th centuries and how to find ancestors who may have had these issues. We talk about the differences between private and public asylums, how and where ancestors may have been treated, where to find records and how the poor were treated as well as those who could afford to pay for treatment. There is a transcript of this interview on Substack together with a list of the resources mentioned.

Have you ever wondered about the people who sent postcards in the past? Helen Baggott has researched hundreds of them and found the stories and lives of the senders and recipients. Helen shares tips for finding, evaluating and buying them and for researching the people and places plus stories of some of those she has found herself. We also discuss the books she has written "Posted in the Past" and "With Love from Grace" raising money for Parkinsons UK.

Over the last 600 years Herstmonceux Castle has had mixed fortunes. From the first brick castle in England in the 1400s to ownership by a Canadian university in the 21st century. Former archivist Scott Mclean brings its history to life and that of some of its former owners and visitors including the Fiennes family, the Dacre family, Colonel Claude Lowther, Sir Paul Latham, the Royal Greenwich Observatory, Queen's University (Canada) and others.  There have been some illustrious visitors over the years and Winston Churchill used to come and paint in the gardens.  There is a second interview on Substack regarding some of the more unusual uses and goings on at Herstmonceux together with a transcript of this episode. Available here: Journeys into Genealogy on Substack

All About That Place and All About That Place Pacific Edition start on 27 Sept 2024. Find out more about both events with Ruth Willmore of the Society of Genealogists and Barbara Tien of Projectkin. These are two separate interviews and Barbara starts at approximately 11.25 of the recording. Transcripts are available via Journeys into Genealogy on Substack. 

Have you wanted to write your own family history book? This family have had an annual newsletter going since the 1950s and Daniel had a vision of creating a book to share with other family members. Daniel who is in his 90s, and one of 13 siblings, worked with his daughter Freda and some of her cousins. Freda and Daniel talk about their experience of collaborating via a committee and how they produced a coffee table book and even a cake to celebrate the launch (shown on the cover image here). There is a second interview with Freda on Substack where she talks about how it all came together and some of the lessons learned. journeysintogenealogy.substack.com

DNA expert Michelle Leonard shares the do's and don'ts for anyone who is considering doing a DNA test and what to do once you have your results.  She explains what information you receive when you test and how far back you can reliably trace your ancestors. With advice on how to organize matches, the definition of a 'genetic community', how reliable Ancestry's ThruLines and Origins are, whether you should upload your results to more than one company and if books and courses are helpful and much more. There is a separate Journeys into Genealogy on Substack interview on the new Ancestry Pro Tools and whether it is worth signing up for (hint: we both think it is!). 

P J Ahern was a bard, poet, journalist and storyteller in Limerick, Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th century. His great niece Patricia talks about him, his life and poetry and the parallels with her own life. 

Ruth Graham talks about migration to Australia from the first non-indigenous settlers in 1788 up until the £10 POMs in the 20th century. We covers convists, ships, their crews, assisted immigration, non assisted immigration, mining, free settlers, trade and much more. The transcript for this episode will be added for paid subscribers on Substack. There is a resources sheet available for free on Substack. 

The Gentleman's Magazine was the world's first modern magazine. Julian Pooley of the Surrey History Centre is an expert on the magazine and tells us about its history, contents, readership and how it is helpful to family historians. He also shares some of the stories contained within it including how Samuel Johnson was involved. A full interview transcript is available on Substack at https://journeysintogenealogy.substack.com. 

In New York in the early 20th century young women who broke the rules or didn't obey their parents were called 'wayward' and sent to reformatories to change their ways.  Stephanie O'Connell discusses her case study titled "Wayward Girls," exploring the 1923 Wayward Minor Act in New York, which criminalised female disobedience and sexual delinquency. We learn about the New York State Reformatory in Bedford Hills, where young women were sent for being 'wayward' or 'incorrigible.' Stephanie explains the social context of the time, the daily life of the girls in the reformatory, and the impact of these institutions on their lives and on her own grandmother who was sent to this reformatory.

Wendy Aris has spent years searching for her Jamaican ancestors. In this episode we discuss what records are available and how far back they go. Visiting the National Archives and National Library in Jamaica, slavery, manumissions and emancipation and some of the surprising places records can be found. 

Ruth Graham, chair of the Society of Australian Genealogists, talks about the history of Australia, how the states are organized (it's changed quite a bit over the years!) where to find records, what records are available, including burial registers, newspapers, national and local archives, Trove, electoral rolls, Australian cemeteries, the services provided by the Society and much, much more. Ruth has provided a resource guide which is available on Substack alongside an interview transcript. This is the first of two interviews with Ruth about Australia, the second one will be focussed on migration.

Melissa Kitchen shares family stories and gives us tips on how to find and record them. We discuss living in the USA, ancestors who came across on the Mayflower, New England and lots more.  There is a guest blog post to accompany this episode with some of the suggestions and resources on https://emmacox.co.uk/guest-blog-the-secret-spell-using-our-5-senses-to-bring-our-stories-to-life. Also please visit Journeys into Genealogy on Substack for additional content including an extra interview with Melissa. 

Writer and researcher Vanessa Wood talks about her own family history including migration from Sweden to Tennessee and Virginia USA and her book "Pryor Wives" about the women who married into several Pryor families who shared a common surname, but probably did not share blood or share a family tree.  These included pioneer women and their journeys across the US, a former slave and others. 

Sarah Hewitt is chair of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists. We discuss what records are available in New Zealand, where they are located, what is available for free including birth, marriage and death records, wills and probate, school records, immigration, newspaper and other archives plus the benefits of joining the New Zealand Society of Genealogists including access to the Kiwi Collection. Sarah has put together a resource sheet which is available via this blog post: https://emmacox.co.uk/researching-your-ancestors-in-new-zealand.  

Dean Kirby has researched his ancestors amongst industrial Manchester in the 19th century and his book "Angel Meadow" is about the slum neighbourhood that they lived in and some of the interesting characters who were their neighbours. We discuss pauper ancestors, Manchester industries, cotton and textiles, manufacturing, Irish migration and ancestry, using fire maps, rate books, the "Friends of Angel Meadow" and more.

Hilary Blanford explains the area covered by East Surrey (for non UK listeners part of this is directly south of the River Thames in London), the resources available from the Society, events held including online family history fairs, in person meetings and genealogy/local history walks and some of the transcription projects the Society is working upon including the Philanthropic School for Boys, the Westminster Lying In Hospital and the old psychiatric hospital in Epsom. 

Natalie da Silva of the Genealogical Society of South Africa (www.genza.org.za) talks about all the records and resources available for researching South African ancestors. Plus South African history, immigration, how the country is setup, locations of archives, where records are stored and if they have been digitised and who to contact.  The accompanying blog post gives links to many of these: https://emmacox.co.uk/researching-your-ancestors-in-south-africa. 

Bridget Badoe McQuick (aka Lady Esi) is an oral historian, storyteller and local heritage champion. We discuss her family history, stories and culture in Ghana including burial traditions (funerals go on for 3 days and are a celebration of life and family and some include 'professional wailers') and how this fits with life in England. Plus her work as a heritage champion in Tottenham, London and how to ensure diverse voices are heard and celebrated. 

Fanny Mills discusses her book "Unravelled" full of family secrets, missing people, culture clashes and what she discovered about her family's hidden past. From high society and aristocracy in England in the late 19th and early 20th century one one side and Jewish refugees on the other, to propaganda in north Africa in WWII, all woven around her upbringing in Hampstead, London in the 1960s and 70s.

Celebrating the third anniversary of the Journeys into Genealogy podcast with a short round up of 2023, statistics, tips from some the interviewees and what's in store for 2024.

Fell runner Julie Carter made a running pilgrimage to visit Gateshead in north east England where her ancestor John Nowell setup the Gateshead Harriers running group. We discuss her book "Makin a Mackem" which talks about her journey, mental health, the benefits of running, her family history and how she found out about her ancestors and met Sir Brendan Foster along the way.

Find out about Dead Fred the genealogy photo archive setup by Joe Bott. Over the past 40 years or so he has collected hundreds of thousands of old photos including daguerrotypes, tintypes, cartes de visite and cabinet cards and even some post mortem photos. Joe shares the stories of how he found some of them, how people share theirs with him and how some are returned to descendants. 

Genealogy Fun whilst developing new genealogists is a new book by Sindi Terrien. We talk about lots of games and ways to encourage interest amongst young (and older) people in your family history. There's also a chance to win a copy of her book. An accompanying blog post genealogy fun gives some examples and ways to create your own word search. If you do create something yourself please share it in the blog comments. 

Barbara Tien is the founder of ProjectKin (projectkin.org), a new global community of people helping to share family history stories using modern technology. Barbara explains how she came to set it up, how it works, who it is for and how it can help family historians, plus lots of stories and tips.

Lesley Trotter talks about Cornwall, the 'married widows', the Cornish diaspora and where they ended up including the USA, Canada, Mexico, South America and other places. Discussing why people travelled and the industries concerned, including mining. With tips on how to find Cornish people in different countries and stories about how the women left behind coped with bringing up their families alone, sometimes for years at a time.  The accompanying blog post has lots of resources and links and suggestions for further reading: https://emmacox.co.uk/researching-cornish-family-history-and-emigration 

Find out more about the Family History Federation and the new www.exploreyourgenealogy.co.uk website for information, support and guidance on researching your family history. Ian Waller is the education officer and he explains the aims of the Federation and what it offers for people looking for their ancestors.

Find out more about The Surname Society with Kirsty Gray. If you've considered researching one or more of your family surnames and would like guidance and support then the Surname Society is a useful resource. It's open to everyone across the world with online meetings, forums/chat rooms and newsletters.  The Surname Society website is www.surname-society.org and is undergoing updates in Autumn 2023.

Maxine Willett shares her expertise in working in archives plus stories and research tips on how to make the best use of your time.  The discussion includes planning a visit, private and public archives, what to expect, how to find items, copying and copyright laws and much more.  There is an accompanying blog post with tips and resources here: https://emmacox.co.uk/researching-in-archives-guidance-tips-and-resources    

Dr Perry Gauci shares his expertise on English merchants, trade and banking from the 1660s to 1850s. We discuss what information is available and where to find it including trade directories, the London Gazette, bankruptcy records, wills, insurance records, the role of the town councils, London, Great Yarmouth, herrings, Norwich, Newcastle, Bristol, English ports, river transport, shipping, banking archives, court records and much more.  There is an accompanying blog post with links to suggested resources here: https://emmacox.co.uk/trade-banking-and-merchants-in-17-19th-centuries. 

Do you have German ancestors? Claudia Strachan talks about some of the letters, memoirs and other documents she has translated and shares stories about migration from Germany to the USA, South America and Australia. Bringing to life 18th, 19th and early 20th century lives in Germany and describing what it would have been like to migrate to another country and how letters were exchanged. We discuss literacy and education, spelling, the migration process and more. 

Mike Trenchard is an expert in researching ancestors in British India. We discuss the East India Company and how it helped shape India, where to find records online and in archives, whether to use a local researcher (or not!), the Families in British India Society (FIBIS), the British Library, the India Office, civil servants, ships, how India has changed and which countries it has been split into and much more. 

Anne Hanson's new book, Buried Secrets: Looking for Frank and Ida, is a real-life mystery about her quest to discover the hidden past that her grandparents Frank and Ida took to their graves. When she finally unearthed their real identities, she learned that their tales were lies invented to conceal disturbing facts. Buried Secrets is both a suspenseful drama and a true story about love, sacrifice, and family relationships. Its target audience is readers of suspense, memoir, and social history.   Anne has also written a guest blog post with tips on researching early 20th century US family history. It is available from here: https://emmacox.co.uk/researching-early-20th-century-american-ancestors

Sandra Robinson shares her expertise on the history of the Walloons of the Low Countries in Europe in the 16th and 17th century. From origins in Belgium and France and including journeys across Europe to escape perscution from Philip II of Spain. They were the original Protestant refugees and their descendants can be found in England and across the world.

Award winning librarian, Peter McCracken, noticed a gap in available information about where to find details about historical ships online. This led him to setup ShipIndex to bring together all the places he could find, or has been told about, to help anyone looking for information about ships. This includes ships used for migration across the world and crew listings for people searching for their ancestors.  Peter has written a guest blog post which explains more about ShipIndex. It is available here: https://emmacox.co.uk/guest-blog-shipindex

Jonny Perl talks about how he setup DNA Painter and how it can help anyone researching their DNA including people with pedigree collapse and complicated family trees. We discuss chromosomes, tree completeness, what are the odds, the DNA testing companies and much more. 

Jules shares the story of her ancestor Jean BonDurant in her book "The Muse of Freedom" and his imagined life as a Huguenot in the Languedoc with the trials and tribulations of 17th century France.  While investigating him, Jules researched late 17th century Languedoc customs, politics, and spiritual traditions specific to the little known Cévennes mountains of south-central France, culminating in a rich repository to feed future novels about the Cévenol people and culture. We also discuss some of the help she received and the sources and resources used including the Hathi Trust, JSTOR, Google Books, Gallica, Huguenot Museums and regional libraries.

The "A Few Forgotten Women" project comemorates women who might otherwise never be known. In this panel interview with Janet Few, Mandy Geary, Margaret Roberts and Ann Simcock we discuss some of the women they have researched and the issues they faced such as alcoholism, poverty, criminality, illegitimacy, mental health problems and more. There is also a blog post with lots of the resources suggested for anyone who wants to find out more about women such as these in their family. The blog post is available at https://emmacox.co.uk/a-few-forgotten-women