Objects and Heirlooms

10/12/10 • 28 min

The last programme of the series ties in with the History of the World in 100 Objects. Sally Magnusson and resident genealogist Nick Barratt track down the stories behind fascinating objects and family heirlooms. All the objects featured in the programme are also featured on the History of the World website, where listeners are also encouraged to upload their own treasured heirloom.

When listener Sarah Bailey inherited a pearl necklace and a letter written at the time of Marie Antoinette, she contacted the History of the World Website. Now she'd like to know which of her ancestors was at the French court and how she came to be there.

There's a very personal heirloom in the shape of a beautiful hand drawn book created by an illustrator, Carrie Solomon, whose baby was born when her husband was away fighting in WW1. She kept a daily record of their baby growing and developing and gave it to him on his return. Now her descendants hope to find examples of her professional work as an illustrator of children's books.

Kenneth Curley sent audio discs back to his family while he was in the RAF in WW2 and his granddaughter Becky Rowe has inherited some of them. She and her family would dearly love to hear what's on the discs, but no-one can play them. That is until they got in touch with the Tracing Your Roots team.

Previous Episode

Caribbean Roots

October is Black History Month and this week Tracing Your Roots hears from listeners with family ties to the Caribbean. We follow Monica Brown, whose family come from Jamaica, as she makes an emotional trip to Zanzibar, visiting the underground chamber where slaves - including, she believes, her ancestors - were kept in horrific conditions before being sold. She wants to know more about her east African heritage.

Rosemarie Barnes also has slavery on her family tree, or so she thinks. Her great great great grandfather (who lived in Essex in the mid-nineteenth century) shares the name of a man who appears on the Jamaican slave register. Were they one and the same person? And if so, how did Edward Andrews get to England?

Soldiers from the Caribbean played their part in World War One, but how were they treated in comparison with their white counterparts? And were false promises made to them to induce them to head for Europe? Valerie Vaughan-Dick and Sheena Simpson ask what their ancestors did in the war, and what greeted them on their return home.

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20/03/2011

In this Tracing Your Roots Census Special, Sally Magnusson visits Fox Lane in Leyland. With the help of genealogist Nick Barratt, she explores how, through the Census, we can piece together a street's changing history and also uncover secrets about our own family's past.

The first census records date back to the early 1800s. At this time, Leyland was a small village which became a small town over the nineteenth century. Sally visits one of the original weaver's cottages where the owners are intrigued to find out more about the original residents. Through the census records we build up a picture of how the weaving industry declined in the 1830's, with the weavers required to sub-let their cellars to poorer families. As the Industrial Revolution progresses we can see in the occupations listed in the census how the town evolves through to the beginnings of its famous motor industry.

Plus Sally and Nick are joined by Peter Christian, author of The Online Genealogist, and The Expert Guide to the Census. They'll discuss how having the Census available online has transformed family history research and reflect on what future family historians would lose if the Census is abolished.

And we convince one Fox Lane resident to fill out a form for the first time, by illustrating what they can learn about their own family's past from previous census records.