S11EP03 - 'The Salesman' with Ulysses Swanson

For our third episode of Season Eleven, host Andrew Martin meets public historian and family historian Ulysses Swanson, and hears about his family history journey, his use of Wikitree, and his project Transgender Ancestors - tracing the lives and family histories of gender nonconforming people from the 1840s to the 1940s.

THE LIFE STORY - EDGAR WALES BURNHAM

Ulysses has chosen to tell the life story of organist Edgar Wales Burnham who was born in 1841 in Woodstock, Vermont, USA, as Ellen - the daughter of Milo and Ellen Burnham.

In 1859, Ellen married Luke Winthrop Powell, and by 1863, Ellen's father had renamed his drugstore to 'M. L. Burnham & Son', signalling the transition of Ellen to Edgar. 

In 1868, Edgar and Luke are found on a train, where Luke is noted as State Agent, and Edgar is arrested as a 'confederate spy in women's clothing'.  This soon leads to a string of newspaper articles that reveal Edgar's transition, and those articles would go on to be republished for more than 20 years. 

The author of the article.... happens to be Edgar's ex-husband, Luke Powell, now down on his luck. Did he write those in an attempt to raise money?

THE BRICK WALL - SALLIE TALBOY BINNS

It's a brick wall in Philadelphia, USA, that has Ulysses asking for help. 

Ulysses has identified a popular actor named John 'Sallie' Talboy Binns, who was famous for playing lots of female roles. However, there's hints in newspapers that Sallie had Irish roots... but Ulysses has not yet been able to confirm that.

He knows that Sallie was born in about 1812, and that she's reported as having been in the US since the 1850s, and that she possibly had Irish roots. 

Sallie is admitted to the Philadelphia Almhouses in 1853, and she dies there in 1882... but Ulysses wants to know about her life before 1853. Can you help?

If you think that you can help Ulysses with a research idea or clue, then you can message him via the email he gives in the episode, or edit Sallie's Wikitree entry, or alternatively, you can send us a message and we'll pass it right along.

In the meantime, Andrew and Sándor's offer of help appeals to Ulysses, but can they help him find answers without mishap?

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Episode Credits:

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• Ulysses Swanson - Guest
• John Spike - Sándor Petőfi