S10EP01 - 'The Seaman' with Dr. Wanda Wyporska

In this first opening episode of Season Ten (TEN?!), host Andrew welcomes family historian, author, RootsTech and TEDx speaker, former CEO of the Society of Genealogists and now the CEO of the Black Cultural Archives - Dr. Wanda Wyporska.

THE LIFE STORY - THEODORE JOSEPH PAUL 

Wanda has chosen to tell the Life Story of her Great Grandfather, Theodore Joseph Paul, who was born in East Stonehouse, Devon in 1888. While she never met him, her grandmother would regularly speak of her father, and this therefore gives Wanda a fondness and curiosity of his life.

Theodore was sent off, without his family, at the age of 12, where Wanda has found him at the Royal Greenwich Hospital School in Greenwich, London.

Wanda is soon able to trace him through Naval records - of which there are plenty - and she can see that he travelled the world with them, but was drawn back to the UK, where he also became a member of the Freemasons.

In 1912, he marries Nellie Mabel Turpin... sparking off a family rumour that the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin was also a relative. Theodore and Nellie start their family which includes Wanda's grandmother.

Despite travelling the world with the Navy, there's something that keeps drawing him back to the city of Chester in Cheshire, UK.

THE BRICK WALL - RICHARD HOLMES and SARAH NANNY ROGERS 

We're looking for clues in Barbados to help Wanda solve her Brick Wall, as she looks for the origins of her 3x Gt Grandparents Richard Holmes and Sarah Nanny Rogers.

Richard appears to have been born in 1797 and died in 1849, It is believed that Sarah was a freed woman who owned slaves, but in this period, Wanda explains a few scenarios that may have meant that Sarah had enslaved people and Wanda hopes to unravel this story one day.

Sarah marries Richard Holmes on 28th September 1844 in Christ Church, Barbados, but Wanda would love to know the origins of Sarah Nanny Rogers.

If you think that you can help Wanda with a research clue or idea, then you can contact her via her Twitter account, or alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it along to her.

In the meantime.... while Wanda accepts Andrew's offer of help, she's struck by a sense of déjà vu....

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Episode Credits

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Dr. Wanda Wyporska - Guest

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Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:55 The Interview - Dr. Wanda Wyporska
• 16:36 The Life Story - Theodore Joseph Paul
• 31:45 The Brick Wall - Richard Holmes and Sarah Nanny Rogers
• 41:07 The Departure