Talks for family history societies, U3As, WIs, and literary festivals. Online worldwide, in person across South West England.
I am a former counsellor and a family historian, and I give talks about reading ordinary records for the human experience behind them.
The records our relatives left are mostly administrative: an admission register, a census return, a recipe written down in a kitchen. My talks use established research on attachment, separation, and adverse childhood experience to read that material, so that what a relative lived through can be recognised as an instance of something well documented rather than as something that happened only to them. Audiences leave with new ways to interpret records beyond dates and documents.
My case studies are drawn largely from Sheffield, but the talks are not county-specific and apply whichever county your members are researching.
The talks
What Did Hospitalisation Do to Our Child Ancestors? Reading Family History Through a Psychological Lens
Through my father’s childhood, separated by tuberculosis, this talk explores what hospitalisation could do to our ancestors, and the inheritance that might follow.
Harry Drabble was admitted to a Sheffield orthopaedic hospital in 1937, at the age of two, and spent much of his childhood inside. Using his case, the talk looks at what happened to thousands of British children, how to identify separated ancestors in the records, and how to interpret what the records do not say.
Every audience receives a digital handout, ‘Accessing British Medical Records’, a quick-start guide with a pre-submission checklist and glossary. A fuller free guide, including template letters for writing to archives, is available here.
The talk draws on my book ‘Yet’: A Story of Triumph over Childhood Separation, Trauma, and Disability, Runner-up for the CILIP LSG Alan Ball Award 2025 for Best Hardcopy Publication and Silver Winner in the NFAA Book Awards 2026 for Biography and Memoir.
A Victorian’s Inheritance: What Our Ancestors’ Struggles Mean for Us
How loss, poverty, and survival in one Victorian family shaped emotional patterns handed down across three generations, and how understanding that inheritance changes the way we see our ancestors.
The talk follows my grandfather Walter Parker through Victorian village life, and draws on my book A Victorian’s Inheritance.
Format
Each talk runs for forty-five minutes with slides, followed by fifteen minutes of questions.
Online talks are by Zoom, hosted by the society. I join fifteen minutes beforehand for a sound and technology check. I am happy for the talk to be recorded and made available in your members’ area for up to three weeks.
In person, I speak across Bristol, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorset, and Devon. Signed copies of ‘Yet’ and A Victorian’s Inheritance are available on request for in-person events.
Suitable for family history societies, U3As, and WI groups.
Availability
I have good availability through 2027. Short-notice Zoom enquiries are welcome. In-person bookings in South West England need the usual lead time for travel arrangements.
Fees
£75 to £120, depending on location, group size, and the size of your budget. I am glad to discuss the fee with smaller groups where it would otherwise be a barrier.
Travel
For in-person talks, travel is charged in addition: standard class rail from Bristol, or 45p per mile, whichever suits the journey. Agreed with you in advance, so there are no surprises.
What audiences say
‘Helen’s presentation opened our eyes to completely new ways of thinking about our ancestors. Members are still talking about it months later.’ — Family History Society organiser
‘Engaging, well-researched, and deeply moving. Helen brought history to life in ways we hadn’t expected.’ — Conference attendee
To book
Email helen@helenparkerdrabble.com. It helps if you can tell me which talk, roughly which month suits your programme, and whether the meeting is online or in person. I will send a short written agreement confirming the arrangements.
I am also listed with the Family History Federation, SpeakerNet, and the Avon Federation of Women’s Institutes speaker directory.
Recent and forthcoming
- Wiltshire Family History Society, Devizes Branch, June 2026
- Sheffield and District Family History Society, October 2026
- Peterborough and District Family History Society, January 2027
- Bradford Family History Society, January 2027
- A Few Forgotten Women, Literary Festival for International Women’s Day, March 2027
- Bristol and Avon Family History Society, Family History Day, May 2027