S07EP07 - 'The Sailor' with Morag Peers

The Family Histories Podcast

In this final full episode of Series Seven, host Andrew Martin meets Morag Peers - an award-winning professional genealogist who specialises in researching the lives of the people of Scotland. He hears how she got hooked on family history, how she ended up going professional, and her love of using passport records to trace family and world history.
THE LIFE STORY - JOSEPH CLARKE
Morag has chosen to tell the story of her 2x Great Uncle, Joseph Clarke. He was born in Kelton in 1846, into a family with long roots in the area. However, when the 1861 census arrives, he's just 14 years old and listed on a sloop ship named 'George and Jane' and apprenticed to a wool merchant.
Morag traces Joseph's travels from Liverpool in England, to Chilé, Australia, China, and countless trips between these locations.
Whilst his wanderlust takes him around the world and back, sadly it didn't last for long, and Joseph is taken ill on board the ship the Dundonald. Despite the help of the Captain, his illness continues to develop and he died.
Morag has been able to view the Captain's log of the voyage, and discovered that the exact latitude and longitude has been recorded, and being far away from home, the location of his burial at sea is recorded too.
THE BRICK WALL - MARGARET LAUGHLAN
Morag is looking for help with her 2x Great Grandmother Margaret Laughlan who was born in 1841 in Girvan, Ayrshire, Scotland to two Irish immigrants. Unfortunately, her last name has been subject to many variants which hasn't helped in Morag's research.
Morag knows that Margaret had two illegitimate daughters - Margaret and Agnes, but there is no clue to the father's name (or names), and Margaret senior remains living with her parents through the censuses.
Unfortunately, DNA testing has not provided many matches at all, and so that leaves Morag wondering

• Were Margaret junior and Agnes sisters or half sisters?
• Who was/were their father(s)?

If you think that you can help Morag with a clue or a research idea, then you can contact her at her website www.glasgowgenealogy.co.uk or the email address she gives in the episode or alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it straight on to her.
In the meanwhile, Morag is fascinated by Andrew's offer of help, but neither of them are expecting it to be such a moving experience...
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Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Morag Peers - Guest

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Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. The Interview - Morag Peers (00:00:55)

3. The Life Story - Joseph Clarke (00:21:36)

4. The Brick Wall - Margaret Laughlan (00:38:12)

5. The Departure (00:48:57)