The Family Histories Podcast

Message us. In this final full episode of Season Eleven , host Andrew Martin meets genealogist, writer, and storyteller, Olwen Moseley . She tells him how she got hooked on researching family history and how she inherited lots of research, she shares her love of death certificates, and explains how she feels like a detective when researching. THE LIFE STORY - MARY ANN BOWLER Olwen has chosen to te...

Message us. Joining host Andrew Martin for this sixth episode of Season Eleven , is public historian and award-winning author Tamiko Nimura , who tells Andrew about how she got hooked on history, how she ended up deciding to publish her father's memoir of his time as an incarcerated Japanese-American child, and her thoughts on the future of archives. THE LIFE STORY - JUNICHI 'FRED'...

Message us. In this fifth episode of Season Eleven , host Andrew Martin meets Australian genealogist, tech and AI fan, and former school teacher Andrew Redfern - whom some of you may recognise from the podcast Ironclad Sisterhood which uncovers the lives of convict women in Australia. THE LIFE STORY - WILLIAM MILLWARD BESTWICK Andrew has chosen to tell the life story of his 3x Gt Grandfather Willi...

Message us. In this fourth episode of Season Eleven , host Andrew Martin meets Polish professional genealogist Eliza Karpińska - the co-owner of Genealogia Polonica . He hears how she got hooked on researching family history, the challenges of researching in neighbouring Ukraine, and how she ended up turning professional. THE LIFE STORY - WLADYSLAW SIEMIONOW Eliza has decided to tell the Life Stor...

Message us. For our third episode of Season Eleven , host Andrew Martin meets public historian and family historian Ulysses Swanson , and hears about his family history journey, his use of Wikitree, and his project Transgender Ancestors - tracing the lives and family histories of gender nonconforming people from the 1840s to the 1940s. THE LIFE STORY - EDGAR WALES BURNHAM Ulysses has chosen to tel...

Message us. In this second episode of Season Eleven , host Andrew Martin is delighted to welcome the family historian, author, lecturer, historical interpreter, One-Place and One-Name studier Dr. Janet Few who amongst these roles is also the President of the Family History Federation . Janet explains how she got hooked on researching family history, her passion for One-Name and One-Place studies a...

Message us. In this first episode of Season Eleven , host Andrew Martin meets family historian John Matheus . He hears how John only recently got hooked on researching his family's history, hears about his wonder of the spelling of his last name, and why he thinks Warren Zevon's 1978 song 'Lawyers, Guns and Money' describes his family tree well. THE LIFE STORY - NOAH DAVIS John...

Message us. The Family Histories Podcast is back, and ready to share a whole load of brand new episodes from our eleventh season . Join host Andrew Martin and the 19th Century Hungarian assistant Sándor Petőfi as they welcome another 7 guests to the show, each with 7 fascinating life stories to tell, and 7 annoying brick walls for you to help solve. Find out more about this season and meet our gue...

Message us. This is a special episode released as part of Podcasthon - an annual event for podcasters to produce an episode to raise awareness of a charitable cause. This year we have chosen to support the veterans' mental health charity Combat Stress . This episode contains references to trauma. In this special Season Ten episode, host Andrew Martin meets family historian Natalie Mayhew who...

Message us. ... following on immediately from our previous episode - 'The Glassworker', we find host Andrew Martin and guest Lene D. Kottal in the garage, where they've been interrupted by Andrew's old friend Santa. When Santa starts to act strangely, they find themselves fleeing for their lives... - - - Episode Credits Andrew Martin - Host and Producer Lene D. Kottal - Guest P...

Message us. In this seventh and final full episode of Season Ten of The Family Histories Podcast, host Andrew Martin meets Danish professional genealogist Lene D. Kottal . She explains how she got hooked on family history, why she turned professional, and how skills in researching patronymics can help researchers of Danish ancestry. THE LIFE STORY - ANNA MARIA SÖDERLUND  Lene has decided to tell t...

Message us. In this sixth episode of Season Ten , host Andrew Martin meets New Zealand-based genealogist, author, storyteller and 'story listener', Simon Young . He hears how Simon got hooked on family history after a brown envelop was handed to him, and his thoughts on where the genealogy community may go next. THE LIFE STORY - DR. JAMES LIND Simon has chosen to tell the Life Story of h...

Message us. In this fifth episode of Season Ten , host Andrew is joined by professional genealogist, adoption research specialist - Kathy Wilshaw . She tells Andrew about how she got hooked on family history, the challenges of researching as an adoptee, and her work to mediate for other adoptees and their birth parents. THE LIFE STORY - IVY COLLISON  Kathy has chosen to tell the story of her... sh...

Message us. In this fourth episode of Season Ten , Andrew once again has two guests… and they’re siblings! Joining him are brothers who as Parra Genealogía , focus on researching family history in Mexico - it’s Roberto and Ramón Parra !  THE LIFE STORY - FLORENCIO PÉREZ COMOTO  Ramón and Roberto have chosen to tell the life story of Florencio Pérez Comoto - the son-in-law of their 5x Great Grandfa...

Message us. In today's 3rd episode of Season Ten , host Andrew Martin is joined by tech nerd, un-retiree, and YouTube and Facebook live-streaming genealogist, who is perhaps better known by her award-winning blogging nom-de-plume - it's the wonderful DearMYRTLE ! THE LIFE STORY - MYRTLE ELIZA WEISER Myrt has chosen to tell the life story of her much beloved, and namesake, grandmother who...

Message us. In this 2nd episode of Season Ten , host Andrew is joined by Norfolk-based family historian, churchyard lurker, heirloom re-uniter, and TikTok video maker - Simon Howard . THE LIFE STORY - ELEANOR THORNBERRY SMITH Simon has chosen to tell the life story of his 3x Gt Grandmother Eleanor Thornberry Smith , who was born circa 1822 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. Simon discovered Eleanor was bapti...

Message us. In this first opening episode of Season Ten (TEN?!), host Andrew welcomes family historian, author, RootsTech and TEDx speaker, former CEO of the Society of Genealogists and now the CEO of the Black Cultural Archives - Dr. Wanda Wyporska . THE LIFE STORY - THEODORE JOSEPH PAUL  Wanda has chosen to tell the Life Story of her Great Grandfather, Theodore Joseph Paul , who was born in East...

Message us. It's time for our tenth season! Join host Andrew Martin and assistant Sándor Petőfi as they introduce 8 guests across a brand new batch of 7 episodes!  In this season you'll hear stories from around the world about a kindly woman, a physician, an adventuress, a sea-faring young man, a hardworking glassworker, a disinherited daughter, and a pioneering vaccinator. Of course, th...

Message us. It's time for the first of our special BRICKDUST episodes - where one of our previous guests return to the show to give host Andrew Martin an update on the progress of their pesky brick wall. This time, we're welcoming back local historian Pam Smith , last heard in Season One back in 2021. If you've not heard Pam's episode, you can catch-up now by listening to &apos...

Message us. In this short bonus episode, that follows on immediately from 'The Incorrigible' with Karen Cummings , host Andrew Martin is ready to take a long-awaited holiday in post-war 1940's England. However, instead of the 1940's, he finds himself in the 1640s.... and it's witch-hunt season!  To make things worse, he's just been accused of witchcraft after making o...

Message us. In this final episode of Season Nine , host Andrew Martin meets professional genealogist, scientist, and owner of Pharos Tutors - Dr. Karen Cummings . He hears about how she got interested in family history, her adventures in DNA testing, her thoughts on the future of the genealogy industry, and why even hobbyist family historians should consider studying courses. THE LIFE STORY - JONA...

Message us. In this sixth episode of Series Nine , host Andrew Martin meets genealogist Asad Khabibullin . He hears how Asad got hooked on family history, the challenges he has faced in tracing his ancestors from the Republic of Tatarstan, and his thoughts on how the genealogy community could become a more helpful place for new-starters. THE LIFE STORY - VALIT HALITOV  Asad has chosen to tell the...

Message us. In this fifth episode of Series Nine , host Andrew Martin meets professional family historian, author, and former FamilySearch volunteer, Robin R. Foster and hears about how she got hooked on researching her family history, her drive to help people through online communities like Facebook and Substack, and how she found herself surrounded by sources when she joined The Church of Jesus...

Message us. In this fourth and mid-way episode of Season Nine , host Andrew Martin meets professional genealogist John Boeren and hears about how he got hooked on researching his Dutch ancestry, why he became a professional researcher, and how he ended up being awarded a Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2018 for services to local history and genealogy. THE LIFE STORY - MAARTEN VAN LEEUWEN J...

Message us. In this third episode of Season Nine , host Andrew Martin meets Gary Stanley - a family historian who has researched his Romany roots. Andrew hears about Gary's research web project in which he documents all references in the UK and USA of Roma families, and he explains the challenges of researching relatives, the benefit of baptismal records and newspapers, and how he participate...