Episodes

  • How do you know when you’ve got it right, or not…?
    Jun 29 2026

    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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    52 mins
  • Grandfathers are ancestors too! (Save the clues before it’s too late)
    Jun 22 2026

    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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    41 mins
  • Not doing as much family history as you want?
    Jun 15 2026

    ‘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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    43 mins
  • How the family history community makes all the difference
    Jun 8 2026

    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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    43 mins
  • Why is it so difficult sometimes?
    Jun 1 2026

    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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    40 mins
  • Nathan's (rather good) note system to the rescue!
    May 25 2026

    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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    52 mins
  • It’s like a box of chocolates….
    May 18 2026

    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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    53 mins
  • But how do you know it’s right?
    May 11 2026

    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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    47 mins