Armchair Genealogy - Family Tree & History

Mell, the host of the "Armchair Genealogy" podcast, discusses the challenges of recording episodes while relocating to the other side of the world. He introduces a new format, "Walk and Talk Genealogy," He emphasises the importance of capturing family memories through oral histories, suggesting that any time is good to interview relatives. He advises using simple questions to elicit detailed respo...

Have you ever wondered what happens when ai tries to make a genealogy podcast? 🤖📜 in this episode of the armchair genealogy podcast , the Genealogy Guy puts it to the test! The AI was fed beginner guides to genealogy and produced a full 25-minute show. Together we dive into the basics—starting with your own family stories, then moving through census records, certificates, and online tools like f...

Ruth Wilmore, Events and Education Manager at the Society of Genealogists (SOG), shares her genealogy journey, with the Genealogy Guy, sparked by a childhood book and a 200-year-old mourning ring. And discusses the great work going on at Society of Genealogists.

In this episode on armchair genealogy, Dave Annal from Lifelines Research shares why real research still matters. We talk dodgy digital records, the dangers of ai in history, and how reconstructing a family properly can reveal the truth behind the names. 👂perfect for beginners & seasoned researchers alike — with tips, stories, and a few rants about sloppy shortcuts! 🎧 Listen now & get yo...

Jon Marie Pearson chats with the Genealogy Guy about using social media in genealogy research. She highlights the importance of virtual communities, sharing personal stories of finding her biological half-brother on Facebook. Jon Marie emphasises the need for genealogists to use keywords in their profiles and actively engage on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

The Genealogy guy chats with Charlie Greene, co-founder of Remento, chats about the inspiration that led to the platform, which helps families capture and preserve stories and memories. Charlie shares his personal experience of digitising home videos to keep his father's memory alive and the emotional impact of recording his mother's stories during her battle with cancer. Remento simplifies the pr...

Mark Bayley from TheGenealogist.co.uk discusses updates to their Map Explorer section, highlighting the expansion of the Lloyd George Domesday records to include Bedfordshire, Dorset, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Northamptonshire, Surrey, and Wiltshire, with more counties planned for 2026. He explained the historical context of these records, created by David Lloyd George in 1910 for taxation purpo...

In this episode of Armchair Genealogy, the Genealogy Guy dives into the power of family history shows and why sharpening your research skills is a game-changer. Special guest Dr. Karen Cummings from Pharos Tutors shares her journey from pharmaceutics to genealogy education—proving it’s never too late to follow your passion! Discover how Pharos Tutors’ expert-led courses, interactive learning, and...

The Genealogy Guy discusses the impact of AI on genealogy with Steve Little and Mark Thompson from the Family History AI Show. Mark, a retired technologist, and Steve, a language and technology enthusiast, highlight AI's rapid evolution, particularly with ChatGPT. They emphasize the importance of scepticism and experimentation, noting that AI's accuracy depends on available information. They predi...

Discover the fascinating story behind dna painter with Jonny Perl, a web developer and genealogist who turned his own dna testing experience into an invaluable tool for family history enthusiasts. In this episode,Jonny shares how dna painter helps users visualize family trees, interpret dna matches, and uncover relationships through powerful features like chromosome mapping, the shared cm project,...

Donna Rutherford chats with the Genealogy Guy on Armchair Genealogy Podcast about the basics of genealogy and DNA, emphasizing the importance of understanding DNA matches and ethnicity estimates. She explains that DNA tests provide ethnicity estimates based on reference panels and that different companies use varying algorithms. Rutherford advises uploading DNA results to multiple databases to exp...

What secrets might your dna hold? Laura House, a genetic genealogist at Ancestry, joins Genealogy Guy on armchair genealogy. In this insightful conversation, Laura reveals the unexpected twists and turns that can unfold when using genealogy DNA tests. She urges listeners to be aware of the potential surprises that may arise, such as finding out about non-biological parents or previously unknown ha...

Dr. Nicholas Dixon emphasises the collaborative nature of the genealogy community and the willingness of professionals to help each other. He highlights the unique angle of bringing academic history to genealogy, which is not common in the academic world. He also highlights the role of local family history societies in sharing knowledge and resources.

Helen Forster, a director at HTF Legal Limited, discusses with the Genealogy Guy the importance of digital legacy planning. She highlighted that only 27% of people know what will happen to their digital assets upon death, and only 9% have a clear plan. Digital assets include monetary investments and sentimental items like photos. She emphasized the need for digital executors to manage these assets...

Genealogy Guy and Dominic Hendry from estateresearch.co.uk discuss the intersections of genealogy and legal support services, including probate genealogists, tracing services, and DNA evidence. They emphasise the importance of understanding legal issues in genealogy and accurate inheritance planning to avoid potential disputes. Genealogy Guy highlights the growing impact of DNA evidence and online...

Cindy Ingle talks about her creation and maintenance of Cyndislist.com, a comprehensive categorised list of genealogical resources on the internet. The Genealogy Guy and Cyndi emphasise the importance of human curation in genealogical research, Cyndi also highlights the value of delving into the lives of our ancestors beyond basic facts. They also discuss various methodologies and resources for pr...

The  congenial Richard Miller explains to the Genealogy Guy about the great benefits of the GoldieMay.com app that plugs into Chrome. A genealogy research tool that helps organise and streamline the research process. They highlight the importance of organisation in genealogy research and how Goldie May can help alleviate this issue. Richard and Mell also discuss the importance of staying organised...

Brad Argent and The Genealogy Guy explore the connection between genealogy and DNA research in shaping one's identity. They highlighted the significance of understanding one's ancestry and genetic makeup to gain a sense of identity and discuss the transformative nature of DNA research in providing a tangible connection to the past and one's ancestors. They also emphasized the importance of capturi...

In this episode, the Genealogy Guy chats with the jolly Helen Tovey - Editor of Family Tree Magazine UK which is Britain's longest-running family history magazine providing expert advice it has been helping thousands of family historians discover and explore their family history since 1984. 

The Genealogy Guy chats with the perceptive Nicholas David Barrett, genealogist and consultant for BBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?", and discusses the show's origins and how it combines social history and genealogy. He gives his views on why he thinks this show has been so successful and had worldwide recognition as a TV format.

The Genealogy Guy interviews the very knowledgable Ted Udall from the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society discussing the history of Parish Records and tips. Without parish records and the stunning work of so many local history groups over the years much of the data that family tree sites now use would not be as vast as it is today.

The Genenalogy Guy chats with the entertaining Paul McNeil Managing Director at Time Detectives and one of the researchers on ITV series "DNA Journey", how he got into genealogy & some tips on how he works and behind-the-scenes making each TV episode. You can suggest people I should chat with or if you have any tips you would like to share email me info@armchairgenealogy.com

In this episode, the Genealogy Guy chats with Donna Rutherford. Who has been involved with genealogy for many years and more recently has started working in genetic genealogy. In her spare time, she manages a Facebook group to help others with their DNA research. She has worked with Y-DNA, mtDNA and has experience with autosomal DNA. Donna aims to make the complex side of DNA testing easy to under...

In this episode, the Genealogy Guy speaks with Mark Bayley 'Head of Online Development' @ the Genealogist. Co. UK about Maps and their integration into family tree research. Listen out for an offer of £40 discount off an annual subscription plus a Free Subscription to Discover Your Ancestors Online Magazine