Dennis Cronin discovered lots of stories about his great grandfather Michael Sweeney and his 6 children. The tales go from Ireland in the early 20th century to World War I, emigration to the USA and a long forgotten "murder". He discusses his research, visiting the old family farm, life and society in Ireland and the book he has written about it "Michael Sweeney". The transcript is available on the Journeys into Genealogy Substack.

Lucy Reynoldson shares some of the amazing range of resources and records available on Family Search including full text search, affiliate libraries, labs and experiments, Rootstech registration and what's coming up in the future. A transcript of the interview with links is available on Substack. 

Chris Hussey never met his grandfather, Frank Herbert Stacey, 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.

Joanna Zara makes, mends and redesigns hats at her studio in Brighton, Sussex, England. A milliner with 15+ years of experience she won a competition with Lock & Co, hatters of London and designed the "Prospect" fedora to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research. Our discussion talks about fashions, inherited hats, the hat industry, Mad Hatters and much more. In the cover image for this episode you can see Joanna in her fedora and some of my family photos from a 1960s wedding. 

Anna White was adopted in England in 1960 and she shares her journey with us, through the ups and downs and what the future holds. It touches on AncestryDNA, American GIs, helpful Facebook groups and other tips for anyone who wants to find out more about their own adoption.

Steph Wood is the co-curator of the Mary Quant exhibition setup at the V&A Museum in London and now travelling around the world. We discuss clothes, fashion, styling, how clothes can help date a photograph and how clothes reflect trends and empower people. Steph shares some of the personal stories from the Mary Quant exhibition.

Plus tips on how to look after inherited garments including freezing garments and using paper sausages.

Anne Bancroft is a Senior Book and Paper Conservator at the V&A Museum in London. We discuss when to wear gloves when handling objects, what to do with books, papers and photographs you have inherited and how to ensure they are cared for appropriately and Anne has lots of tips to help you with your own objects. 

Southwark Park was the first major park for South London. Setup in 1869 to give 'fresh air' and help with the health of the local residents, it has hosted temperance meetings, political rallies and local sports events. Pat Kingwell, secretary of Southwark Park 1869, talks about how and why it was setup and what difference it made to the local population including stories about the people who backed it and how it has evolved over the last 150 years.

Graham Bandy shares lots of tips and insights into how to research your ancestors' military history including how to use military uniforms to identify regiments, medals and more.  Major-General Philip de Fonblanque was one of my own ancestors and Graham found out lots of interesting facts about him including how he was very successful at Dunkirk. 

Will Newton takes us behind the scenes of the Museum of Childhood (part of the Victoria and Albert Museum) and shares plans for the future of the museum and its collection. Family toys connect us with previous generations plus we catch up with Pumpie the elephant and discuss conservation and donations and what to do to ensure your toys survive the decades.

Did you know what you experience may not be 'yours'? It might be something carried down from a previous generation. Kimberly June explains how inherited (or ancestral) trauma works and how you can clear or stop this going onto future generations. 

Helen Tovey explains why rabbit holes can be useful when researching your family tree, how Family Tree Magazine got started, how it has changed over the decades and who it is aimed at. We talk about why she setup the Family Tree Study Club and much more. Plus the chance to buy the March 2021 digital edition of Family Tree Magazine for just 99p.

Stories are powerful, they connect the past with the present and bring our family to life. Storyteller Sas Huntwood explains why we need to record stories and gives us tips on how to get started.

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

Charlie de Wet setup the Huguenots of Spitalfields charity several years ago and is one of the leading experts on Huguenots in the UK. In our discussion we cover how and why the Huguenots came to England from France and Holland (they were the original refugees), what they did when they got here and how they are still influencing society today. 

Have you considered doing a DNA test? If you have then listen to this podcast. Award winning author and journalist, Libby Copeland,  explains how DNA tests work, which one is best and what you need to consider and do before you take the test. She shares some of the stories from her book "The Lost Family: How DNA testing is upending who we are", the good and bad surprises people discovered after their tests. We discuss genetic genealogy and how it helps find missing people and how DNA is not who you are. 

Amanda runs a family business, Tilia Publishing, and has published her grandfather Sir Harold Harding's autobiography. In this episode we discuss inherited research, publishing a memoir, dissenting religions including the Sandemanians, and the importance of fact checking.

Ken Toll is a former President of the Guild of One Name Studies. He shares some of his expertise and gives us tips for starting our own one name studies.  And if you don't know what a one name study is then please listen to the podcast! It's a very useful way to record some of your family history. 

Jacqui Larsson is an expert on diamonds and other precious stones. She can create a brand new personalised piece of jewellery for you. Or she can repurpose an inherited family heirloom. In this conversation she shares stories and tips on what to do with your inherited jewellery and how to look after it.

Kerry is the Sussex Genealogist and specialises in Sussex research, paleography (the study of ancient writing systems) and transcription of old documents such as wills.

In our conversation we cover family history researching in Sussex and resources available to help online. The history of handwriting plus lots of tips on how to read old handwriting, the format and contents of wills and how to make sense of an old will. 

Successful author Kath Kirkland shares her inspirations, stories, family history and tips for getting started with writing your family history.

Jane Muddle is a funeral celebrant and helps families with planning funerals/celebrating the life of their loved ones. She shares stories and a few suggestions on how to make funerals memorable for the right reasons and how the celebration can be saved as an heirloom for the future. 

Welcome to Journeys into Genealogy

In this brief introduction I mention the different topics we will be covering on our journeys into family history across the world. 

They include tips, interviews, stories and guidance from local genealogy experts.

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...

A DNA test, an NPE and One Big Happy Family - actress Lisa Brenner's story of her life changing DNA results and the film she has made about it. 

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. 

I recently interviewed Steph Ford about her family history and how she is helping people record their family stories. We discuss migration from England and across the US, talking to living relatives, time travel, photographs, videos and more. The interview transcript is available on Substack. 

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.