A Family History Of...

A schoolboy actor becomes a missing name on a memorial. Historian Dan Snow joins host Jen Baldwin to investigate a name on his local war memorial: Samson Holman. Through census returns, newspapers and military records, a village schoolboy emerges from the archives before disappearing on the Somme. How do you remember someone whose story survives only in fragments? Host: Jen Baldwin Researchers: Jen Baldwin and Madeleine GilbertGuest: Dan Snow (History Hit)Editor: Guy Bettison Script editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Daisy Goddard, and Niall Cullen Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb Designer: Michael McCosh Social media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas Davis Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James

A grave robbed. A coffin smashed. A body vanished. Martha Oddy had been buried for just days when her grave was found open and her coffin broken. The fifteen-year-old was gone. In this Halloween special episode of A Family History Of…, host Jen Baldwin and guest Paul Bavill (History Rage) follow the clues left behind in a Yorkshire churchyard, from scattered grave clothes to a mysterious box at a coaching inn. What happened to Martha after her burial — and who was waiting for her body on the other side? Host: Jen Baldwin Researcher: Paul Bavill and Jen Baldwin Guest: Paul Bavill Editor: Guy Bettison Script editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy Goddard Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb Designer: Michael McCosh Social media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas Davis Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James

What if the ancestor you're searching for in the records is someone you'd rather not find?Every family tree contains surprises. Some inspire. Others leave you questioning everything you thought you knew. After exploring the families at the heart of the Battle of Cable Street, host Jen Baldwin examines the darker discoveries hidden in the records, from fascist organisers to enslavers, and asks how we should respond when our ancestors end up on the wrong side of history. How do you reckon with a past you'd rather not claim?Host: Jen BaldwinResearcher: Jen Baldwin and Sidra BaldwinEditor: Guy BettisonScript editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy GoddardProducers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James PlumbDesigner: Michael McCoshSocial media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas DavisExecutive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve JamesMusic licensed through Soundstripe.Code: J7JXINNELK0PGUSS

Not everyone wanted the march to be stopped. As one of the British Union of Fascists' most prominent female organisers, Anne Brock-Griggs spent the 1930s campaigning, writing and recruiting in support of the movement. In this episode, host Jen Baldwin and the British Library’s Beth Gaskell examine Cable Street from a seldom-heard perspective, following Anne's story through family records, newspapers and political archives. What drew people towards fascism in Britain, and what happened when those beliefs collided with a community determined to resist them? Advisory note: This episode features themes that listeners may find offensive. These are treated according to the standards of the time and in their historical context.Host: Jen BaldwinResearcher: Jen Baldwin and Sidra BaldwinGuest: Beth Gaskell, Lead Curator of News and Moving Image, British LibraryEditor: Guy BettisonScript editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy GoddardProducers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James PlumbDesigner: Michael McCoshSocial media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas DavisExecutive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James

One day in 1936 would shape the rest of this young woman’s life. When Minnie Keeping joined the crowds on 4 October 1936, she was one of thousands opposing fascism on the streets of East London. The events of that day would remain with her for the rest of her life. Joined by British Library Lead Curator Beth Gaskell, host Jen Baldwin traces Minnie's journey from young activist to one of the people who helped preserve the memory of Cable Street for future generations. As the day itself recedes into the past, a different struggle begins: the fight over how it will be remembered. Host: Jen BaldwinResearcher: Jen Baldwin and Sidra BaldwinGuest: Beth Gaskell, Lead Curator of News and Moving Image, British LibraryEditor: Guy BettisonScript editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy GoddardProducers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James PlumbDesigner: Michael McCoshSocial media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas DavisExecutive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James

As tensions rise across East London, one family finds itself at the heart of the story.In October 1936, three brothers from a Jewish hairdressing family step out onto the streets of East London as tensions over a planned fascist march reach breaking point. By the end of the day, all three will be under arrest.Host Jen Baldwin and British Library Lead Curator Beth Gaskell uncover the story of the Jacobvitch family, exploring how ordinary residents became caught up in one of the most famous confrontations in modern British history. As East London prepares for a day of uncertainty, the conditions for conflict are already falling into place.Host: Jen BaldwinResearcher: Jen Baldwin and Sidra BaldwinGuest: Beth Gaskell, Lead Curator of News and Moving Image, British LibraryEditor: Guy BettisonScript editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy GoddardProducers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James PlumbDesigner: Michael McCoshSocial media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas DavisExecutive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James

As fascism advanced on East London, whole communities fought back. The Battle of Cable Street is remembered as the day East London stopped the fascists. But inside that famous story are very different lives, choices, and consequences. Host and genealogist Jen Baldwin and Beth Gaskell from the British Library uncover the history of this day through ordinary people: Jewish brothers arrested amid the disorder, a young activist who spent decades defending its legacy, and a woman helping build support for fascism itself. Together, their stories reveal a day of resistance, division and conviction, and the people pulled into its path. Listen from 29 September, wherever you get your podcasts.Host: Jen Baldwin Researcher: Jen Baldwin Guest: Beth Gaskell, Lead Curator of News and Moving Image, British Library Editor: Guy Bettison Script editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy Goddard Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb Designer: Michael McCosh Social media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas Davis Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James

Beyond the written record, the people of Ironbridge Gorge can still be found in the stories passed down through generations.In this special bonus episode, host Jen Baldwin is joined by her Producer, Ellie Ayton, to answer your questions about researching ancestors at the heart of the Industrial Revolution.Host: Jen Baldwin Guest: Ellie AytonEditor: Caroline Harrower Script editors: Niall Cullen, Daisy Goddard, and Madeleine Gilbert Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb Designer: Michael McCosh Social media: Sarah Cornes, Thomas Davis, and Ellie Ayton Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James 

The furnaces have fallen silent – but the stories they left behind are just beginning to be uncovered.  Curators, historians and researchers are still piecing together the lives of the families who shaped the Ironbridge Gorge. Forgotten workers. Remarkable archive discoveries. For this special episode, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin is joined by National Trust curators Helen Antrobus and Lauren Collier for a peek behind the scenes. They explore why the story of Ironbridge is far from finished... Host: Jen Baldwin Researcher: Jen Baldwin  Guests: Helen Antrobus and Lauren CollierEditor: Caroline Harrower Script editors: Niall Cullen, Daisy Goddard, and Madeleine Gilbert Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb Designer: Michael McCosh Social media: Sarah Cornes, Thomas Davis, and Ellie Ayton Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James