US Census Records
A House Through Time
Tuesday 2 June
BBC Two
Just a quick reminder that David Olusoga’s latest journey into bricks-and-mortar genealogy, centred on 10 Guinea Street in Bristol, continues through June. In the second of four episodes, the focus is largely on the 19th century, and those we meet include a mayor of Bristol, a woman whose life is blighted by shocking domestic violence and a part-time physiognomist: someone said to be able to judge a person’s character and even predict their future from their specific facial characteristics.
The episode also looks back at 1831, the year the House of Lords rejected the Reform Act, legislation aimed at ridding the country of many of its rotten boroughs and giving better representation to the country’s growing industrial cities. In Bristol, this decision resulted in rioting and in cavalrymen charging protestors in the city’s striking Queen Square.
The third episode takes the house’s history through to the end of the First World War, and includes the tale of a herbalist with a clandestine business, while the final episode brings the story up to the present day. As ever, the series offers plenty of clues as to how to use archives as well as other sources to conduct historical research.
Shipwreck Secrets
Wednesday 3 June, 8pm Yesterday
This underwater archaeology series follows experts as they dive to the remains of ships that now lie on the floor of oceans, seas and lakes. Expect footage of the final resting place of the Lake Serpent, a 19th-century schooner that once plied its trade on Lake Erie, and wrecks dating from the Battle of Jutland in the First World War, which saw 25 ships lost beneath the waves. Episodes are also available via UKTV Play.
Eating History
Thursday 18 June, 10pm Sky History
Among the new shows on Sky History, the new name for the History Channel, Eating History has the neatest premise. The series follows a vintage-food expert with the unlikely name of Old Smokey and his collector friend, Josh Macuga, as they sample many foods that are lost in the mists of time – for perhaps understandable reasons when it comes to tinned grasshoppers.
Quakers: The Quiet Revolutionaries
Thursday 25 June, 8.30pm PBS America
The Religious Society of Friends were radicals from the beginning, activists who embraced racial and gender equality from the off. This US documentary tells the history of the dissenting Christian group that can trace its roots back to the English Civil War, and the nickname of Quakers to the moment in 1650 when a judge mocked dissenter George Fox, on trial for blasphemy, for suggesting his honour should “tremble at the word of the Lord”.
As well as exploring the society’s history in addition to contemplative religious practices, the documentary looks at how its members have had a significant impact on wider society, whether through nonviolent protest and resistance, or on a day-to-day basis by promoting ethical business practices.
US census records provided more information about James and his new family in Texas. They are available on all of the major genealogical websites, including FamilySearch. At the time of the 13th census, which was conducted in 1910, James and Parthenia had six children living with them – three sons and three daughters, aged between three and 16 years old: bit.ly/fs-hall-texas.