Tracing Rootless Ancestors

09/21/10 • 28 min

Tracing the roots of rootless ancestors might seem an impossible task, yet in this second programme of the series, Sally Magnusson and Nick Barratt attempt to do just that.

Mark Lorch is descended from a troupe of German Jewish acrobats, at one time the highest-paid circus act in the world. Mark wants to know more about their service in World War One and to fill in other gaps in his ancestors' lives. For a glimpse into the world of the circus and of the Lorch family, Sally visits the theatre archive of London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

Theresa Mitchell has asked for expert advice on how to explore her family's Romany heritage. Census records have told her that her family gave up their itinerant lifestyle at around the turn of the 20th century, but what happened next?

And Carol Hudson's mother came from a community who spent their summers in tents and their winters in caves in the west of Scotland. She never saw them again after leaving at the age of 14 to become a farm labourer, and World War Two brought her a marriage and a complete change of lifestyle. What, though, happened to the brothers and sisters she left behind? Nick has checked the archives and has the answers for Carol.

Tracing the roots of rootless ancestors might seem an impossible task, yet in this second programme of the series, Sally Magnusson and Nick Barratt attempt to do just that.

Previous Episode

Vanishing Without Trace

In the first of a new series, Sally Magnusson goes on the trail of ancestors who vanished without trace, abandoning their families either by choice or by force of circumstance.

The mother who handed her three-day-old baby to the Foundling Hospital in London in 1758 left no clues to her own identity. Helen Warren, the baby's direct descendant, asks Tracing Your Roots to find out more about the woman who took the mother's place, the wet nurse who ensured the baby's survival, yet whose own story has, up until now, remained untold.

Ray Lee's grandfather left the family 'to go to Australia' but only recently has Ray wondered if a move to 'Australia' was just a metaphor. Was Ray's grandfather really thousands of miles away, or had he simply cut off all contact with his children? Tracing Your Roots discovers the truth behind the family legend.

And Debbie Martindale wrote to ask what became of her great uncle, a brother separated from the rest of his family as a child and never reunited. Did he go on to have children of his own, and can Tracing Your Roots reunite the family? Sally Magnusson and Nick Barratt fill some of the gaps on Debbie's family tree.

Next Episode

Radicals and Revolutionaries

This week the popular Radio 4 genealogy show presented by Sally Magnusson features listeners whose ancestors may have been involved in revolution or radical actions.

Trying to find records pertaining to revolutions is always tricky, since by their nature revolutions are fraught with chaos and upheaval. Files tend to be mislaid or destroyed, or too secret to have been placed in national archives. However, when an ancestor gets involved with revolution as well as high profile legal wrangling, there's a much better chance of striking gold. In this week's programme, Listener Anne Induni finds out the true story of her ancestor's arrest, for killing a politician in a 19th century Swiss revolution, and there are a whole lot more eye popping revelations about his activities.

When Judy Thompson wrote into the programme wanting to find out about her French ancestor's activities in the Paris Commune of 1871, she was hoping to track down more details from French archives, but found getting access and information baffling for a non gallic speaker. Author Gavin Dowd has been through the process and joins the team to dispense advice.

And another listener is keen to verify if she really is the great great great granddaughter of the assassin of a British 19th century Prime Minister. The first and only successful attempt in British history didn't quite spark a revolution, but has left a legacy in the modern House of Commons.

And regular studio guest Dr Nick Barratt is on hand to dispense advice and tips on how to trace revolutionaries in your family tree.