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In this second episode of Season 12, host Andrew Martin meets family historian and author Ben Shaw and finds out how he got hooked on researching family history, the discovery of a 1595 bible, and also about how he turned his research into the book 'The Slave Trader - The Story of Bryan Blundell: Master Mariner, Philanthropist and Slave Trader' (2026, Pen & Sword History). 

THE LIFE STORY - BRYAN BLUNDELL 
Ben has chosen to tell the story of one of his ancestors  - Bryan Blundell - about whom he has written his book. The story follows Bryan - born into a wealthy family in 1674, and follows his career on the seas. Eventually he gets his own ship, and after being a merchant of sugar and tobacco for years, he retires... but in order to continue making money, and despite a warning, he enters the slave trade and makes money out of transporting people into enslavement. 

Meanwhile, back in Liverpool, his wealth keeps him in good social standing, and he goes on to found The Blue Coat School - a boarding school for orphans, and becomes Mayor of Liverpool twice... but of course, this is all from the money he's made transporting slaves.

Ben follows his life, using the Transatlantic Slave database and the Internet Archive, and those of his descendants as he tries to balance the fact that this ancestors were slave traders.

If you'd like to get a copy of Ben's book, you can grab your copy from all good bookshops, or direct from Pen & Sword History. 

THE BRICK WALL - BRYAN BLUNDELL (Senior) 
Ben is looking for help with Bryan Blundell's grandfather - also named Bryan Blundell - this one born in 1600, died in 1633. Ben is trying to find out whether his Blundells descend from the Catholic Blundell family of Ince, Cheshire, UK. 

He knows that Bryan (snr)'s wife Samuella Williamson does, but does Bryan descend from them in his own right?

Can you help Ben find out;

• Who were Bryan Blundell's (1600-1633) parents?
• Is there a connection between him and the Blundell family of Ince?

If you think you can help Ben with a clue or research idea, then you can message him via his website, or alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass that along to him.

In the meantime, Ben accept's Andrew's offer of help, but can he get him to Liverpool on time?

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Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Ben Shaw - Guest 

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 In this first episode of Season Twelve, host Andrew Martin meets Sarnian genealogist Susan Ilie. He hears about how she got hooked on researching family history, what it's like to research in the Channel Island of Guernsey and neighbouring Jersey and France, and hears about the wonderful records and artefacts available in Guernsey's archives and museums that can help research your family tree.

THE LIFE STORY - JAMES BREWER MARLEY
Susan has decided to tell the life story of her 3x Gt Grandfather James Bewer Marley who was born in Bampton, Devon, England in 1792.

James set up as a tailor in London, but after a couple of marriages that ended in him becoming a widower, his business failed. Susan finds him entering Guernsey in the Channel Islands during the 1840s and in a new relationship.

The James Brewer Marley name turns up multiple times in its full extent several times in Susan's family tree, but James' hope of a new start led him to become the first known Marley in Guernsey - leaving a fairly straight-forward research legacy for his modern-day descendants.

THE BRICK WALL - AZIZ KHAN
Susan is trying to find out what became of her Great Aunt's husband Aziz Khan - who is named as the valet of Raja Rajendra Narayan - the Maharajah of Cooch Behar in West Bengal, India.

Susan's Great Aunt Winifred Mary Fedora Ryder marries him in 1911 and they head off to India... but what becomes of them then, remains a mystery.

If you think that you can help Susan with a clue or research idea, then you can contact her via the email she gives in the episode or via her website or alternatively you can send us a message and we'll pass it along to her.

In the meantime, Susan has a few questions about Andrew's offer of help...

--- 

Episode Credits: 

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer 
• Susan Ilie - Guest 

PHAROS TUTORS
Check out more than 50 beginners to advanced family history online course with Pharos Tutors today!

MATTIE ON THE HOMEFRONT
Letters from a mother (Mattie) to her son (Ken) during World War Two give Mattie’s grandson and great grandson a new view of their family as they read one of her letters, and then discuss the family history and world history around it. It’s a wonderfully warm and reminiscent podcast, and I think you’ll enjoy it too. Check out Mattie on the Homefront!

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Welcome to Season Twelve of The Family Histories Podcast!

Join host Andrew Martin and his 19th Century Hungarian assistant Sándor Petőfi as they welcome our new batch of guests - each with a fascinating life story to tell, and a pesky brick wall that needs your help to solve.

Season Twelve begins on 3rd November 2026 with 'The Patriarch' with guest Susan Ilie.

Find out more about the new season at https://familyhistoriespodcast.com/series-twelve/  

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Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• John Spike - Sándor Petőfi

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In this special extra episode in Season Eleven, host Andrew Martin sets out on a visit to the Society of Genealogists, but ends up making unintentional visits to three places. Along the way he meets genealogists Lori Samuelson, Debbie Bradley, and Dr. Patrice Connelly and learns that when researching your family history, it really is All About The Place!

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This episode is recorded as part of the All About The Place event in 2026 which runs with more than 150 speakers delivery almost 200 free talks from 7th October to 16th October 2026.

- - -

THE INTERVIEW - LORI SAMUELSON
Andrew's first unintentional stop is in Indiana, USA where he surprises professional genealogist Lori Samuelson. She then explains how she got hooked on researching, her love of technology, how her old boss talked her into setting up as a professional genealogist, and her thoughts on the direction of the family history industry, and concerns about cuts to the US archives.

With a few adjustments, Andrew heads off on his way to the Society of Genealogists in London...

THE LIFE STORY - GEORGE HENRY CLARKE with DEBBIE BRADLEY
... however, he manages to get a bit closer - arriving in Norfolk, England instead, where as if by chance, he bumps into professional genealogist, speaker, AGRA member and Administrator of the Family History Federation - Debbie Bradley.

Debbie share the life story of her elusive ancestor George Henry Clarke, whose life has been a true genealogy puzzle to trace. Despite living during the time of the modern census, his constant name changes and geographic moves has led Debbie round in circles a few times, until a witness at a wedding helps to unlock the mystery.

THE BRICK WALL - JOHN CARSON and MARGARET SMITH with DR. PATRICE CONNELLY
Despite tweaking settings, Andrew arrives in Brisbane, Australia where he soon finds Dr. Patrice Connelly - musicologist, genealogist and lecturer at University of Queensland.

Patrice is trying to solve a brick wall around her ancestors John Carson and his wife Margaret Smith. She finds them marrying in Stepney, London in 1808, but would like to know more about their origins.

John's career as a Mariner makes Patrice believe that he moved around a lot, and that this was perhaps the reason why his children with Margaret are baptised later than expected.

• Can you help her find evidence of John Carson and Margaret Smith's early life and parents? 

If you think you can help Patrice 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 that right along.

In the meantime, Andrew thinks he's finally got the right coordinates... but will he find the correct Place?

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Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Lori Samuelson - Guest
• Debbie Bradley - Guest
• Dr. Patrice Connelly - Guest
• Ruth Willmore - Guest
• John Spike - Sándor Petőfi
• Stephane Flux - Foley Artist

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This short bonus episode follows on immediately after 'The Overlooked' with Olwen Moseley, and therefore we recommend you listen to that first.

Lightning has struck. Olwen is missing.

That's not the only problem though as Andrew awakes to the sound of something large moving outside the garage... 

- - -

Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• John Spike - Sándor Petőfi

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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 tell the life story of Mary Ann Bowler - but it took Olwen a long time to realise that Mary Ann existed. 

This is a case of a group of young women - all cousins - united by the care of their grandmother and the fact that they were mostly all orphans, and died as young adults. 

When research hints keep flagging a connection to Bristol in England, rather than Llangybi in Wales, Olwen kept dismissing them... but... a newspaper article caught her eye, with Olwen assuming they'd made a mistake with the name 'Mary Ann Bowler' rather than Mary Jane Bowler.

Further investigation was needed when the references started to stack up... resulting in Olwen discovering Mary Ann Bowler existed, and that her story was just as fascinating as the others.

THE BRICK WALL - ELIZABETH BOWLER

An Elizabeth Bowler (another of the cousins) is what is giving Olwen a research headache - particularly when it comes to her life after the 1851 census.

Where did Elizabeth go after appearing on the 1851 census with her parents Joseph and Elizabeth at Market Street, Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales? Olwen knows that Elizabeth (her mother) dies in 1858... so what becomes of the family by then?

If you think that you can help Olwen with a clue or a research idea, then you can send her a message via her Substack account, or via the email address she gives in the episode. Alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it along to her.

In the meantime, Olwen is happy to accept Andrew's offer help, but they're in for a bit of a shock...

- - -

Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Olwen Moseley - Guest 

PHAROS TUTORS
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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' NIMURA

Tamiko has chosen to tell the life story of her Grandfather - Junichi Nimura who was born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1885.

Junichi emigrates from Japan to Mexico in 1925, before entering the US the following year. His first wife, unhappy with life in the US, returns to Japan, and so Junichi then meets his second wife via the 'picture bride' service (think; Tinder by mail). The couple stay together, and raise a family.

However, when World War Two begins, Junichi, his wife, and their children, have to leave their home with whatever they could carry and move to a concentration camp at Tule Lake, California, where they lived for years.  Junichi becomes separated from his family and is taken miles away.

Eventually Junichi was reunited with his family and they all left the camps for home - but everything was lost. The impact of this time never left Junichi, but his son - Tamiko's father, recalled his childhood years at the camp - which Tamiko has now published as her book 'A Place For What We Lose - A Daughter's Return To Tule Lake' (UW Press, 2026). 

THE BRICK WALL - JUNICHI NIMURA

It's a brick wall in Mexico that has Tamiko scratching her head.

Whilst researching her Grandfather, Junichi Nimura, she found a tourist certificate in Mexican Spanish, dated 19th November 1926, which states that her 41 year old married Grandfather was traveling alone and had been permitted to spend 15 days in Mexico.

Tamiko would love to know;

• Why was Junichi there? 
• What did he get up to?

If you think that you can offer Tamiko a research idea or clue to help her solve her brick wall, then you can send her a message at her website or via her Bluesky account, alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it right along.

Meanwhile, Tamiko is fascinated by Andrew and Sándor's offer of help but is it safe?

---

Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Tamiko Nimura - Guest
• John Spike - Sándor Petőfi

PHAROS TUTORS
Check out more than 50 beginners to advanced family history online course with Pharos Tutors today!

MATTIE ON THE HOMEFRONT
Letters from a mother (Mattie) to her son (Ken) during World War Two give Mattie’s grandson and great grandson a new view of their family as they read one of her letters, and then discuss the family history and world history around it. It’s a wonderfully warm and reminiscent podcast, and I think you’ll enjoy it too. Check out Mattie on the Homefront!

Support the show

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 Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review, or consider giving us a 'tip' to keep the show funded.

Send us a message 💬

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 William Millward Bestwick whose life has left a fascinating paper trail. William is born in 1818 in Derbyshire in England, but in the early 1830's his family migrated to the US. 

In the 1840s/early 1850s, William had been part of the Santa Fe Trail trade route, writes a letter who explains that he was captured during this and worked on a Man of War ship but escapes and eventually ends up in Australia. Meanwhile, his mother Amy was completely unaware that he was still alive.

William did leave Australia to return to the US, but the ship was turned around and William was escorted off the ship as he was bankrupt and trying to escape his creditors.

Andrew has worked hard to find the trail of documents scattered around the world, including a letter to the US President of the time. 

THE BRICK WALL - ROBERT REDFERN

Another globetrotting 3x Gt Grandfather is up next - this time Robert Redfern is causing Andrew a headache with his research.  

Robert was born circa 1770, and he ends up in jail, then finds himself in Portugal, then the USA, then the UK and eventually Australia... but Andrew is wanting to know about his early life, which stems back to Ireland.

However, Andrew can't find details about Robert's birth or baptism, and his cousins even consulted Australia's top psychic to help - who advised them to look for a slave trade connection.  DNA has also thrown some curious matches, and what seems to be a name change from O'Neill to Redfern...

Can you help find Robert Redfern's birth or baptism?

If you think you can help Andrew with a research idea or clue, then you can message him via the email address he gives in the episode or check out his website. Alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it right along.

In the meantime, Andrew and Sándor offer guest Andrew some help... but things are about to get complicated...

- - -

Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Andrew Redfern - Guest
• John Spike - Sándor Petőfi

PHAROS TUTORS
Check out more than 50 beginners to advanced family history online course with Pharos Tutors today!

MATTIE ON THE HOMEFRONT
Letters from a mother (Mattie) to her son (Ken) during World War Two give Mattie’s grandson and great grandson a new view of their family as they read one of her letters, and then discuss the family history and world history around it. It’s a wonderfully warm and reminiscent podcast, and I think you’ll enjoy it too. Check out Mattie on the Homefront!

Support the show

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 Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review, or consider giving us a 'tip' to keep the show funded.

Send us a message 💬

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 Story of her grandfather Wladyslaw Siemionow of Lithuania, who was captured by Nazis during World War Two and put on a train to do forced labour. Despite his father bribing the German station guards to let him off the train, Wladyslaw decided he wanted to stay on the train with his friends as he wanted to travel.

Things did not go well, and despite being shot at during the forced labour, he escaped. Unfortunately he fell into the hands of the Soviet Red Army where he was forced to sign-up to their army. Whilst here, he sustained another injury during an explosion - this time to his head - which caused him to be sent to multiple places for treatment. Miraculously, once he'd regained enough strength, he escaped again and made his way home - the long way round!

THE BRICK WALL - ANNA SIEMIONOW

Related to the Life Story above, Eliza is asking for help to find records for her Great Great Grandmother Anna Siemionow - who, as she has discovered, was a single mother seemingly from Dubki near Pskov in Russia.  The challenge for Eliza is that Anna was a peasant, and peasants in this area did not have surnames until the 19th century - meaning that it's hard to reliably find her in records (even just a birth record).

She does know, that Anna's father was an Ivan Siemionow, but apart from the Dubki connection, she's not managed to get any further back.

Can you help?

If you think you can help Eliza with a research idea or clue, then you can email her via the address she gives in the episode, or head over to her Genealogia Polonica website and use the form there. Alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it right along to her.

In the meantime, Andrew offers Eliza some help, but she decides it's time for war...

- - - 

Episode Credits

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Eliza Karpińska - Guest

PHAROS TUTORS
Check out more than 50 beginners to advanced family history online course with Pharos Tutors today!

MATTIE ON THE HOMEFRONT
Letters from a mother (Mattie) to her son (Ken) during World War Two give Mattie’s grandson and great grandson a new view of their family as they read one of her letters, and then discuss the family history and world history around it. It’s a wonderfully warm and reminiscent podcast, and I think you’ll enjoy it too. Check out Mattie on the Homefront!

Support the show

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 Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review, or consider giving us a 'tip' to keep the show funded.

Send us a message 💬

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 tell the life story of organist Edgar Wales Burnham who was born in 1841 in Woodstock, Vermont, USA, as Ellen - the daughter of Milo and Ellen Burnham.

In 1859, Ellen married Luke Winthrop Powell, and by 1863, Ellen's father had renamed his drugstore to 'M. L. Burnham & Son', signalling the transition of Ellen to Edgar. 

In 1868, Edgar and Luke are found on a train, where Luke is noted as State Agent, and Edgar is arrested as a 'confederate spy in women's clothing'.  This soon leads to a string of newspaper articles that reveal Edgar's transition, and those articles would go on to be republished for more than 20 years. 

The author of the article.... happens to be Edgar's ex-husband, Luke Powell, now down on his luck. Did he write those in an attempt to raise money?

THE BRICK WALL - SALLIE TALBOY BINNS

It's a brick wall in Philadelphia, USA, that has Ulysses asking for help. 

Ulysses has identified a popular actor named John 'Sallie' Talboy Binns, who was famous for playing lots of female roles. However, there's hints in newspapers that Sallie had Irish roots... but Ulysses has not yet been able to confirm that.

He knows that Sallie was born in about 1812, and that she's reported as having been in the US since the 1850s, and that she possibly had Irish roots. 

Sallie is admitted to the Philadelphia Almhouses in 1853, and she dies there in 1882... but Ulysses wants to know about her life before 1853. Can you help?

If you think that you can help Ulysses with a research idea or clue, then you can message him via the email he gives in the episode, or edit Sallie's Wikitree entry, or alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it right along.

In the meantime, Andrew and Sándor's offer of help appeals to Ulysses, but can they help him find answers without mishap?

- - - 

Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Ulysses Swanson - Guest
• John Spike - Sándor Petőfi

PHAROS TUTORS
Check out more than 50 beginners to advanced family history online course with Pharos Tutors today!

MATTIE ON THE HOMEFRONT
Letters from a mother (Mattie) to her son (Ken) during World War Two give Mattie’s grandson and great grandson a new view of their family as they read one of her letters, and then discuss the family history and world history around it. It’s a wonderfully warm and reminiscent podcast, and I think you’ll enjoy it too. Check out Mattie on the Homefront!

Support the show

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 Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review, or consider giving us a 'tip' to keep the show funded.

Send us a message 💬

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 and how they complement family history research, and her thoughts on the genealogy industry.

THE LIFE STORY - ANN STRATFORD
Janet has chosen to tell the life story of her 2x Great Grandmother Ann Stratford b.c. 1834, with whom Janet discovered a surprise extra connection to. Ann's family were based in a rural community in Buckinghamshire, England, and times were hard. Ann learned straw plaiting (something Janet wasn't as successful with) and this brought the family a valuable income.

However, plaiting was taught at an early age in specialist schools, and those who were good at it could earn sometimes twice as much as the men... and this seems to have been a problem! The plait girls and women were thought of as disreputable, and they were victim of lots of bad press.   

THE BRICK WALL - MARY CARDELL
An unusual surname gives Janet a long-term brick wall - Mary Cardell - her 2x Great Grandmother and the only one of her 2x Great Grandparents whose parents (her 3x Gt Grandparents) remain unknown.

Janet has found several references to Mary having been born in Highgate, Middlesex, England, with her 1841 marriage certificate giving her father as James Cardell, and the witnesses including a Catherine Cardell. Janet can't find a baptism record for Mary, but she can find references to other Cardells, but she isn't able to link them up. Is there a Worcestershire connection?

Can you help Janet;

• Find Mary and her husband Philip Woolgar in the 1851 census?
• Find Mary's baptism, with James Cardell as her father?

If you think you can help Janet with a clue or idea, then you can contact her at her Granny's Tales website. Alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it on.

In the meantime, Janet is curious of Andrew's offer of help, but has concerns over her safety...

- - -

Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Dr. Janet Few - Guest

PHAROS TUTORS
Check out more than 50 beginners to advanced family history online course with Pharos Tutors today!

MATTIE ON THE HOMEFRONT
Letters from a mother (Mattie) to her son (Ken) during World War Two give Mattie’s grandson and great grandson a new view of their family as they read one of her letters, and then discuss the family history and world history around it. It’s a wonderfully warm and reminiscent podcast, and I think you’ll enjoy it too. Check out Mattie on the Homefront!

Support the show

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 Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review, or consider giving us a 'tip' to keep the show funded.