In this sixth episode of Season Ten, host Andrew Martin welcomes New Zealand-based family historian, author, tech fan, storyteller and ‘story listener’ – Simon Young.
Listen to the episode
S10EP06 – 'The Physician' with Simon Young – The Family Histories Podcast
Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, and others…
The Life Story – Dr. James Lind
Simon has chosen to tell the life story of his 5x Gt Grandfather, Dr. James Lind, who was born in 1736 in Gorgie, Edinburgh in Scotland.
In 1766 he joined the East India Company as a Surgeon, and two years later he earned his Doctorate after completing his dissertation in marsh fever (Malaria).
James was somewhat of a polymath during a time of great enlightenment in science and philosophy, and after missing out on a trip on a voyage with Captain Cook due to his expensive tastes, he heads to Iceland instead to examine the stars.
It’s evident that James finds himself in the social circles of some of Science’s brightest minds, but it’s the mind of Percy Bysshe Shelley (the husband of Frankenstein author, Mary Shelley) that his impact is well documented. James was Percy’s tutor, and this inspires Percy to write James into some of his poems. This inspiration goes further, perhaps to Percy’s wife Mary, through his experiments in galvanism – where he’d use electricity to make dead frogs twitch and jump – somewhat of a party trick!
The Brick Wall – William Smith
Simon is asking for help to find his 3x Gt Grandparents – William Smith and his wife Hannah Dardin. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know any more than their names, and even then, Hannah’s birth surname might be spelt differently, and he doesn’t even know which country they are from.
He does know that William is named in the marriage index for New Zealand in 1883 when their son George Henry Smith marries. He also knows that George was born in 1859 in Melbourne, Australia, but doesn’t know if his parents followed him to New Zealand.
Can you help him answer;
- Where were William and Hannah Smith from?
If you think that you can help him with a research clue or idea, then you can contact him via his One Ancestor at a Time website. Alternatively, you can send us a message, and we’ll pass it along.
In the meantime, Simon accepts Andrew’s help but has a few questions first….
Episode Credits
- Andrew Martin – Host and Producer
- Simon Young – Guest
- John Spike – Sándor Petőfi