Family Tree Talk
Episodes
Feeling a bit stuck? Try these brickwall-bash-through techniques
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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, wher...
The perseverance in family history
13 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Just shooting the (genealogy) breeze
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey catch up on their recent research. Discussing what they’ve found. Discussing how to look for answers wit...
How to make sure your tree is secret & other tips
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s genealogy chat Family Tree Talk podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey chat about a world of family history related topics, from...
How to stop behaving like a headless chicken
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Usually family history can be a bit of an escape, can’t it? … An oasis of calm in our busy lives. But sometimes those research puzzles and project...
Starting a new chapter of your family history
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Family Tree Talk, podcast co-host Nathan Ward shares his most recent discoveries and reflections with Helen Tovey. They discuss the...
Is it time for the Genealogical Proof Standard?
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey chat family history, as Nathan discusses the research steps he’s taken recently to unpick an online tree...
Taken a wrong turn in your research?
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ertswhile newbie Nathan had nearly finished collecting all 32 of his 3x great-grandparents (superb effort, hey?) … when he realised that not all the...
Game, set & match! A genealogy milestone reached
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Family history erstwhile newbie Nathan Ward has only been tracing his family tree for a little over a year, but this week sees him ‘collect’ the f...
You are in charge! Tips to manage your Ancestry tree
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey chat about the tools that help you manage your Ancestry tree the way that you wish: how to cope ...
The value of perseverance in family history
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Making a start on your family history can be a quick and simple thing to do. Keeping going, digging deeper, sticking to the plan and getting your goal...
Nuts & bolts of building family trees
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest issue of Family Tree Talk, podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey talk about their recent tree-building exploits. Nathan Ward discu...
Getting started, after getting stuck
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast co-hosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey roll up their sleeves and get going again on the quest to trace Nathan’s ancestors in Scotland. It’s ...
Discovering the clues in death records
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in for genealogy tips and chat. In this episode of Family Tree Talk podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey reflect on death certificates: Wh...
Thinking about marriage records…
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Pod 58 title and descriptionThinking about marriage records…This week on Family Tree Talk podcast co-hosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey discuss marri...
What else does a birth certificate tell you?
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Family Tree Talk podcast, cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey go back to the beginning, and reflect on the rich range of clues ...
Could the census ever be boring?
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode podcast co-hosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey chat about the census: the clues, the stories, the value of taking a new look at these oh-so...
How helpful can AI really be for genealogy?
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast cohosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey are joined this week by a very special guest - genealogy AI guru Carole McCulloch. They ask her the how, w...
How to build a great family tree!
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast co-hosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey chat about the how, what & why of creating a rock solid family tree. Plus learn about: Nathan’s mul...
How to read old handwriting
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From free online palaeography courses to thoughts on AI transcription tools, learn about the resources that can help you read old handwriting. Podcast...
The Great Family History Quiz
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hello and welcome to a very special episode of the Family Tree Talk podcast! Our one-year anniversary! 52 episodes of stories, discoveries and plenty ...
When the facts fit together…
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t you just love it when you come across a new record or two, and all the details match perfectly? Nathan Ward shares just such a pleasing piece ...
Reflections of a Running Genealogist
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast co-hosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey catch up on their latest family history endeavours, reflect on the importance of remembering, and begin t...
Tips, tactics & timely research
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a busy week in this episode of the podcast with co-hosts Nate Ward and Helen Tovey. If you only do a few things in the coming few days: 1. Orde...
Tracing my (probable) WWI relation
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nathan Ward is 99% sure that Private A Hearn, who died in 1918, is his relation. He has papers a-plenty, notes from a distant cousin, and even an anno...
Thinking about the push-pull factor
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From short walks down the lane to the neighbouring village, to brave voyages across the world, when doing family history we discover that our ancestor...
Those unexpected details…
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week podcast co-hosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey chat about their recent family history research forays and reflect on those unexpected details ...
‘Yes, I already know that!’
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast co-hosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey catch up about their recent research forays. Nate’s been making great progress filling in the details o...
Soldier, soldier won't you marry me!
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Well it turns out that Nathan's many times grandpa did marry his Irish sweetheart, and her life as a soldier's wife would see her travel the globe. Na...
Working out what we do know… and don’t know
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast co-hosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey compare notes on their family history endeavours over the past few days. Nate has been busy tracking down...
Better than ever: rebuilding my family tree
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast co-hosts Nate Ward and Helen Tovey chat family history. Nate’s been revisiting his first forays into family history research, and making sur...
Confessions & confusions
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tune is as podcast co-hosts Nathan Ward and Helen Tovey chunter family history, including: a small confession about some facts from last time, to make...
It’s all in a day’s work
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Farmer? Seedsman? Bridge-painter? Commercial traveller? What did your ancestor do all day? Tune in as podcast co-hosts Helen Tovey & Nathan Ward c...
Rolling up our genealogy sleeves for a PROJECT!
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in for the latest episode in which Helen Tovey & Nathan Ward discuss their most recent forays in to family history. Helen is at long last dus...
Brickwall? Toast.
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thank you to podcast listeners Sharyn, Jacqueline and Brian who each brilliantly stepped up to help Nathan find his Mary Ann, who was seemingly absent...
Knowing when to stop… & start a new thing
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
No genealogy nitty-gritty is too itty-bitty and small for Helen Tovey and Nathan Ward. This episode they chat about what it’s actually like doing fa...
Getting sorted … and getting stuck. Can you help?
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week co-hosts Helen Tovey and Nathan Ward share their latest discoveries and family history tasks. Nathan continues to make good progress on his ...
Fully fledged family historian!
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode of Family Tree Talk, one-time rookie researcher Nathan Ward, spreads his wings and explains the tactics he’s been using to ...
Untangling family tree tangles: multiple marriages, mystery children & genealogy tips
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Family Tree Talk, Nathan Ward reveals a truly tangled family tree featuring multiple marriages, overlapping timelines, and a seemin...
A Tangle of Dinahs, Francises and Family History Plans
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Family Tree Talk, Nathan uncovers an unexpectedly large number of Dinahs and Francises in his tree — are they a coincidence, or a...
Puzzling Records, WW2 Memories & Avoiding Rookie Mistake #1
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Family Tree Talk, hosts Helen Tovey and Nathan Ward share the latest twists and turns in their family history research. This week, ...
Railway Lives: Discovering Our Ancestors' Work on the Tracks
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Family Tree Talk, hosts Helen Tovey and Nathan Ward speak to Dr Mike Esbester, head of the Railway Work, Life & Death Project, ...
Family Memories & Research Dilemmas: Helen & Nate Catch Up
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Family Tree Talk, hosts Helen Tovey and Nathan Ward catch up on their latest family history finds. Helen shares a brilliant new way...
Think Like a Genealogist: Research Logs, Questions & Plans with Dr Sophie Kay
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling stuck in your family history research – or simply drowning in a sea of notes and records? In this episode of Family Tree Talk, host Helen To...
WWI Soldier, Nun & RAF Airman: Nathan’s Surprising Family Tree Finds
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Family Tree Talk, hosts Helen Tovey and Nathan Ward delve into Nathan’s latest genealogy discoveries — from a potential First W...
Smash Your Brickwalls with DNA: Expert Tips from Michelle Leonard
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Family Tree Talk, hosts Helen Tovey and Nathan Ward chat to DNA Detective Michelle Leonard about how to use DNA results to break th...
Mastering Ancestry: Top Tips from Family History Pro Karen Evans
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Family Tree Talk, hosts Helen Tovey and Nathan Ward are joined by passionate family historian Karen Evans, who shares her expert ad...
Dinner with Ancestors: Strange Finds, Heirlooms & Family History Tales
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this latest episode of Family Tree Talk, hosts Helen Tovey and Nathan Ward are joined by a special guest — their boss, Matt Hill! Together, they ...
Ancestry hints, second trees & surprising cousin clues
18 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Family Tree Talk, Helen Tovey and Nathan Ward get stuck into some real family history discoveries and practical tips. Helen shares ...
Discover family history how-to hints & breakthroughs
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Family Tree Talk, Helen Tovey catches up with newbie-ish family historian Nathan Ward to see how he’s getting on with his researc...
Death Certificates, War Diaries & AI: Unearthing Family History Clues
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Nathan shares surprising new leads uncovered in ancestor death certificates, while Helen delves into a WWII squadron diary from The N...
Feeling a bit of family history overwhelm?
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in for tips to keep calm, step back, and enjoy your genealogy. (Usually) family history really doesn’t need to be a race, but is instead someth...
Not just a name and a number – digging into family stories
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Digging into their family stories, Nathan Ward, Designer of Family Tree, and Helen Tovey, Editor, chat about their recent research endeavours – piec...
What you need to know when you’ve done a DNA test
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You take a DNA test – that’s the easy part! But what happens next? In this week’s Family Tree Talk editor of Family Tree, Helen Tovey, and desig...
How to get better at family history
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you go about getting better at family history? Family Tree editor Helen Tovey and designer Nate Ward discuss ways to level up those genealogy s...
How do I get through my brickwalls?
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Family history brickwalls can occur at any stage of the genealogy journey – whether you’re a few steps in, or have been researching for decades. I...
Thoughts on ways to trace our female ancestors
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Family Tree team members Helen Tovey and Nathan Ward chat family history – including the particular challenges of how to trace our female family mem...
How to do your family tree on Ancestry
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Follow our quick guide to some of the key family tree tools on Ancestry, with Family Tree editor, Helen Tovey. Plus Family Tree designer Nathan Ward s...
How to trace a WW1 soldier
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Tovey, editor of Family Tree, and Nathan Ward, designer (aka the Running Genealogist) chat family history, speaking of their recent discoveries ...
Is family history difficult?
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It can be… as Duncan discovers. This week on Family Tree Talk, editor Helen Tovey speaks with an old friend, Duncan Vessey, about his recent experie...
Why genealogy ‘boots on the ground’ are so important!
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s Family Tree Talk, Nathan Ward, aka the Running Genealogist, and designer of Family Tree, shares his new-found love of getting away fr...
Introducing the Running Genealogist!
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Helen & Nate are joined this week by professional genealogist Jude Rhodes. She’s here to share a different perspective to help Nate on his famil...
Real-time genealogy - The Mystery of Auntie Mildred
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Yes it’s painstakingly slow, precise, particular – but that’s also the joy of genealogy research. Immersing yourself in a family history search....
More banana than Viking
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Helen puts on her super sleuth hat and tries to help a listener solve a family history mystery, giving plenty of top research tips along the way. Mean...
Helpppp! I can’t stop doing my family tree
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
DN-who-cares … Forget DNA for the moment. Nathan is now obsessed with tracing his ancestors using old-school documents to build his family tree. Sho...
I was day-dreaming about my family tree and …
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nathan’s tracked down his great-granny’s marriage record (despite some sketchy information from Helen) – but he’s wondering is it worth paying...
The DNA results are in! So what are they telling us?
13 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With a shiny new year of genealogy opportunities ahead of them, Nathan’s got his DNA test results back and is mulling over what they mean, and Helen...
You have GOT TO DO THIS!
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nathan and Helen take stock of their family history progress over the past week. Nate’s feeling a tad overwhelmed at the sheer number of family hist...
Timberrrr!!!
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What’s next for Nathan, who has built his tree back to his 2x great-grandparents in just a week? What’s next for Helen who is in the process of lo...
Going round in circles at the start line
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After a long 20 minutes Nathan had summoned up enough spit, spat in the tube, sealed the kit, and popped it in the post. But, how was he getting on wi...
Does family history reduce grumpiness?
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we conduct a scientific* test in to whether doing family history make you feel that little bit more happy… Did Nate do any of his family h...
Er, so you want to be a Viking?
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Family Tree Designer Nathan Ward and Editor Helen Tovey shoot the breeze as Nathan embarks on his family history journey…