Family Tree Talk

Episoade

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  Building up a family in the mid 1800s 17.08.2026 47min

  Tune in to Family Tree Talk as Nathan Ward shares details of his forays into the 1841 Census. Turns out it wasn’t half as scary as he’d thought and he’s now busy piecing together the puzzles of a potentially blended family. In the process he’s encountered eight (or more) children (two of whom are called James), he’s deliberating on merging two duplicate ancestors, and he’s begun collecting ancestors for his Thing (yes what a great surname!) branch from Suffolk. Podcast cohost Helen Tovey listens along.
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  How to quickly pick up your family history research again 10.08.2026 38min

  Tune in to this week’s episode of Family Tree Talk as podcast cohost Nathan Ward shares the details and delights of picking up his family history research again. The past few weeks have seen him researching context; now he’s super-happy to be back to tree-building and dusting off his core family history skills. Join him and cohost Helen Tovey as they discuss what Nathan’s been up to and the best ways for picking up your research and finding your way after a little gap.
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  The importance of revisiting memories 03.08.2026 44min

  Where to start with this most complex of topics – our memories? Perhaps the best place is the kitchen of Janna Helshtein’s grandma, where – half a century ago – we see her preparing her much loved pickle recipe, with little Janna looking on. Perhaps you too have memories you keep with you, some happy, some not so. Tune in and take a trip down memory lane and take a look at the unique place that memories hold in our family history and our lives with Family Tree Talk podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey, and genealogist Janna Helshtein.
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  Inspiration… or perspiration? What powers family history? 27.07.2026 47min

  Tune in for this week’s Family Tree Talk with podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey. When doing our family history there is so much to discover isn’t there!? Sometimes it’s easy… and sometimes less so... But learning from other family historians is always a valuable experience. This week Nate and Helen take their hat off to some awesome pod-listener advice, share some of the tidbits from the upcoming issue of Family Tree, and generally enjoy a good old family history chat. We’d love you to join us.
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  The joys of juggling research resources 20.07.2026 44min

  Tune in to the latest episode of Family Tree Talk as podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey chat family history. Nathan’s been hunting for an elusive WW1 airfield and delving further into his grandfather’s life. Helen’s been dusting off research notes from a few years ago… and deciding that this time she really is going to solve the puzzle of her 6x great-grandfather. We’d love you to join us.
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  What is ‘The Story of You?’ 13.07.2026 33min

  What makes you tick? What are the experiences that have changed the course of your life … That have made you who you are? How did you pick yourself up when times were tough?Those who come after us would love to know the answers to these things…. But are you in danger of leaving the story of your own life a blank chapter in your family history.Tune in this week as podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey chat to Janna Helshtein of Genealogy for Our Descendants about why our story matters.
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  Why getting the family talking is so IMPORTANT 06.07.2026 38min

  Family Tree Talk podcast co-host Nathan Ward loves aeroplanes. Long has he wished to have an aviation connection in his family tree. And it was when he recently got the family talking that the clues – which would lead to his wish becoming true – gradually came out into the light. Tune in to hear about his recent family history discoveries and the power of chatting to parents, aunts, uncles, siblings and so forth, with co-host Helen Tovey.
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  How do you know when you’ve got it right, or not…? 29.06.2026 51min

  Join podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey for this week’s Family Tree Talk chat, as Nathan shares where he’s got up to in his research. He’s looking at 4x and even 5x great-grandparents 🙌, but is feeling a bit unsure about the details he’s finding… Has he got it right or not? Together they mull over ideas to help with clarity and confidence about putting the pieces together and making sure they really fit.
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  Grandfathers are ancestors too! (Save the clues before it’s too late) 22.06.2026 40min

  You know the feeling when you’ve been researching all those great-great-grandparents… but you’ve not really looked into the generations that are closer at hand, because you ‘already know them’. This is the spot that Family Tree Talk podcast co-host Nathan Ward found himself in this week. Tune in as he and Helen Tovey share ideas for gathering clues about those family members that people remember… before it’s too late.
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  Not doing as much family history as you want? 15.06.2026 43min

  ‘Don't beat yourself up for not doing as much family history as you want,’ says podcast cohost Nathan Ward. ‘Yes, even if you're doing a little, you're still winning,’ agrees Helen Tovey.Join Nathan and Helen this week for your next dose of family history chat - and encouragement to keep going, even when it can feel as though you have the world of genealogy tasks you’d like to do. When that sense of overwhelm is looming, little by little is the key!
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  How the family history community makes all the difference 08.06.2026 42min

  Join podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey for genealogy chat. This week Nathan Ward is continuing on the trail of his great-grand uncle Alexander MacKay. Feeling a little stuck where to turn next, he tentatively asked listeners for help… and they have come up trumps. Tune in for family history discoveries, learning points, and to see how a family history helping hand makes all the difference
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  Why is it so difficult sometimes? 01.06.2026 39min

  Once we start on family history we all soon realise that it’s not that easy-breezy experience that we sometimes see portrayed on the telly. But, nonetheless, it can shake our confidence in our ability if we can’t find the info we need. This week on Family Tree Talk, cohost Nathan Ward weighs up the info he’s found, and not found, with Helen Tovey. Has he forgotten those family history search skills that he’s worked so hard to get? Or is he just facing a particularly knotty family history research situation? Tune in to find out. We’d love you to join us.
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  Nathan's (rather good) note system to the rescue! 25.05.2026 51min

  Tune in for family history chat as Family Tree Talk podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey discuss 'negative space', how to work out whether you've searched high and low enough, and the way in which Nathan's Excel sheet may be just what you need to keep your research in order. Plus Nathan dives into the whisper of a family mystery, a possible child, and the question of 'Who Was Dolly?'.... We'd love you to join us.
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  It’s like a box of chocolates…. 18.05.2026 52min

  Tune in for this week’s genealogy chat with podcast co-hosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey … who are joined by a very special guest – Family Tree publisher Matt Hill. He’s got some exciting news to share about our BRAND NEW website, which is, though we say it ourselves, as delicious as a box of genealogical chocolates. Tuck in!PS Has Nathan been visited by The Family History Angel?
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  But how do you know it’s right? 11.05.2026 47min

  This week Family Tree Talk podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey mull over the topic of ‘how do you know it’s right?’. You know, those questions that we’re all faced with when doing our family history, such as ‘How do you know that an index entry is definitely for your ancestor?’, ‘Is that old photo really who it’s said to be?, and so forth. Plus, they chat about which steps to take to try to minimise their chances of getting it wrong. Tune in for genealogy chat – we’d love you to join us.
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  Making sense of making mistakes 04.05.2026 49min

  Join Family Tree Talk podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey this week as they chat family history. What it feels like when you make a mistake... How you unpick the problem, and then pick yourself up and keep going. The value of stopping to take stock and reflect on your findings. The importance of learning about your ancestors' lives and times - both to help you get a feeling for the world they once lived in, and also to provide you with new ideas and inspiration for the next step on your research journey.
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  The hazards of leaping to conclusions 27.04.2026 53min

  Join podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey as they catch up about their recent research forays. Nathan has completed his quest to find the death dates for all 16 of his 2x great-grandparents, while Helen has been enjoying the new 1926 Irish Census... and wishing she hadn't been leaping to too many false conclusions. (She'd like to apologise for getting into monologue mode in her excitement). Tune it - we'd love you to join us.
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  Feeling a bit stuck? Try these brickwall-bash-through techniques 20.04.2026 1h 4min

  Are you feeling a bit stuck? Facing a family history situation that you can’t work out? Then tune in to the latest episode of Family Tree Talk, where Dr Sophie Kay will be chatting about some of the techniques she uses to make research progress – even when the going gets really tough. Plus, first, podcast co-hosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey catch up on their recent research forays – and Nathan tells us about his (rather enviable) new genealogy journal.
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  The perseverance in family history 13.04.2026 51min

  For weeks and weeks now, podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey have been chipping away at their respective research goals. Nathan is working on finding the death dates for each of his 2x great-grandparents, while Helen is building her family tree out and down, tracing her ancestors’ siblings and their descendants. Is it taking time? Yes! But is it worth it? Definitely so. See how the research gradually adds up to so many new exciting discoveries.
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  Just shooting the (genealogy) breeze 06.04.2026 44min

  Podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey catch up on their recent research. Discussing what they’ve found. Discussing how to look for answers without necessarily spending money. Reflecting on the importance of doing the tasks… but also how absolutely important it is to keep it fun! Thoughts on the possibility of ‘getting your tree done in a single weekend’… and why would you want to?! The correlation, or not, between a good attitude to physical exercise and to family history. You know, just shooting the genealogy breeze. Tune in – we’d love you to join us.