The Really Useful Podcast from the Family History Federation. In each episode, Joe Saunders introduces a topic from the family history world, to discuss with some experts in that field.
Artificial Intelligence is increasingly part of the world of family history. In this episode we discuss what AI can do to help us with our genealogy, and some of the issues with it.
2 Dec 2025
Series 5 Episode 5: Cheshire
In this episode on Cheshire research our guests talk about researching family history in the county, with particular focus on the work of the Family History Society of Cheshire
2 Dec 2025
Series 5 Episode 4: Heirlooms: Postcards, photos and papers
The items we inherit can tell us a great deal about our family histories. In this episode we discuss the kinds of objects ad stories we might have and important considerations including change over time and gender.
2 Dec 2025
Series 5 Episode 3: Hampshire
In this episode our guests consider the things it is good to know when researching ancestors in this county, including mention of the work of the Hampshire Genealogical Society
2 Dec 2025
Series 5 Episode 2: Family History from a Gravestone
It is possible to get a great deal of family history information from a gravestone. In this episode, our guests discuss how best to go about this rewarding task.
2 Dec 2025
Series 5 Episode 1: DNA: What to do with the matches
DNA is now a key part of genealogical research. In this episode our guests discuss what to do with DNA matches, once you have taken your tests.
28 Oct 2024
Series 4 Episode 6: Beyond the 19th Century
Progressing our research past the nineteenth century can mean developing our skills and knowledge. In this episode we discuss how to research our ancestors into the eighteenth century.
28 Oct 2024
Series 4 Episode 5: Sporting Ancestors
Some of our ancestors were amateur and professional sportspeople. Our guests discuss important things to know when researching sporting ancestors.
28 Oct 2024
Series 4 Episode 4: Talks
Talks are a great part of our family history world where we learn from one another. In this episode we discuss what makes a good talk and share advice on organising them.
28 Oct 2024
Series 4 Episode 3: Yorkshire Ancestors
Many of us will have ancestry from Yorkshire, the largest (and some say greatest) English county. Our guests share things to consider when researching your Yorkshire family history.
28 Oct 2024
Series 4 Episode 2: Introduction to Archives
Archives are key to family history and visiting them is essential to developing your research. Our guests demystify archives and dispel any fears you may have starting to use them.
28 Oct 2024
Series 4 Episode 1: Researching Women
It is important and fascinating to research the women in our family histories. In this episode we discuss different things to consider and ways to approach researching, often forgotten, women.
11 Dec 2023
Series 3 Episode 6: Proof Is Essential
Proof is critical when building our family trees. We must use good methodology to gather evidence to prove our family history. Our guests discuss the importance of proof to family history research and offer some advice.
11 Dec 2023
Series 3 Episode 5: Getting Started With DNA
In recent years DNA has become increasingly prominent in family history research, offering a method to complement our other sources or fill a gap in their absence. In this episode our guests share their advice on starting out with DNA.
27 Sept 2023
Series 3 Episode 4: Family, Local & Social History
Local and social history are closely linked with family history. They enable us to discover more about our ancestors’ lives, adding detail to core information about life events. Our speakers discuss the value of local and social history and how to incorporate it into our research.
27 Sept 2023
Series 3 Episode 3: Migration Within Britain
People in the past moved about a lot more than we might think. In this episode our guests discuss the historical migration of people within Britain, including the kind of movements you might find in your family tree, what this can tell us and how we can research migrating ancestors.
27 Sept 2023
Series 3 Episode 2: Were Your Ancestors Really Married?
Many of us will have questioned at some point in our research whether our ancestors were really married. In this episode our guests discuss how you can tell if people were married or not, share some stories and offer tips, including to use Rebecca Probert’s, Marriage Law for Genealogists.
27 Sept 2023
Series 3 Episode 1: Free Resources
Family history research can quickly become an expensive hobby. However, there is a wealth of free resources that we can use to help with our research while keeping costs down. We discuss some of the different free (online and in-person) resources available in this episode.
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