In this episode from Series Seven, host Andrew Martin meets genealogist and former-National Archives Family History Specialist, Dave Annal. Andrew hears how Dave got into researching family history, his work with the UK’s National Archives, his thoughts on the genealogy community, and why he started his Setting The Record Straight YouTube series.

Listen to the episode

Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, and others…

The Life Story – Margaret Howland

Dave has chosen to tell the life story of his Grandmother, Margaret Howland.

Margaret was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1906, and was the daughter of another Margaret Howland. Her birth certificate notes that she was ‘illegitimate’.

Margaret and her mother remained very close throughout their lives, with Margaret senior living the her daughter until her death in the 1950s.

However, whilst Margaret was present in photos, her life was rarely spoken about, and that was true also of her daughter’s father. That is until one day in the 1980s, when Margaret junior suddenly revealed that she had known who her father was, and that she had had a relationship with him until his death when she was young.

This unexpected revelation from his grandmother came as a shock for Dave, and it set him on a path of research involving Cadbury’s, tennis courts, English records, and a fatal accident in Brighton.

During this part of the episode, you’ll hear Dave mention Margaret’s work in the 1960’s at Binns department store in Edinburgh, where she would demonstrate the Knitmaster knitting machine. Dave has since shared a photograph of Margaret with her Knitmaster on X:

Thanks for all the lovely feedback that's coming in about the podcast that I recorded for @FamilyHistPod
If you haven't heard it yet, here's the link https://t.co/T0boEzYGgW but more importantly, here's the real star of the show: the Knitter herself… pic.twitter.com/4RneY8T9To

— Lifelines Research (@Dave_Lifelines) May 15, 2024

The Brick Wall – Thomas Flynn

Dave is trying to find his maternal ancestor, Thomas Flynn, who was born in Ireland and arrived in the village (as it was then) of Corstorphine, near Edinburgh, Scotland, in the 1840s, probably due to the impact of the Irish Famine.

Dave has found Thomas, along with his wife Catherine (née Flynn), and four children on the 1851 census at Corstorphine. Thomas and Catherine, with their daughter Mary and a granddaughter, are still there in time for the 1861 census.

An 1855 certificate for another grandchild, reveals that John Flynn (one of Thomas and Catherine’s children) was from County Roscommon, Ireland. Further clues point specifically towards Strokestown, Co. Roscommon.

Dave needs your help to find answers on;

• Where are Thomas and Catherine pre-1851 census?
• Where are Thomas and Catherine post-1861 census?

If you think that you can help Dave with a research clue or idea, then you can contact him at his Lifelines Research website, his @dave_lifelines Twitter account, or the email address he gives in the episode. Alternatively, you can send us a message, and we’ll pass it straight on to him.

In the meantime, Dave is curious of Andrew’s offer of help…. and maybe rightly so.

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Episode Credits

• Andrew Martin – Host and Producer
• Dave Annal – Guest