After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

Episode: Does Every Family Hold A Dark Past?

Release Date: December 11, 2025
Hosts: Anthony Delaney & Maddy Pelling
Guests: Jen Utley (Ancestry), Joe Boogie (Ancestry), Christina (Ancestry)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the shadowy branches of family histories, exploring whether every family tree conceals a dark, mysterious, or even criminal secret. With help from professional genealogists from Ancestry, Anthony and Maddy uncover curious, quirky, and sometimes sinister stories in their own and each other’s family backgrounds. By bringing in expert perspectives and primary source investigations, the episode blends humor, intrigue, and genuine emotional connection as the hosts learn just how surprising family history can be.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Dark Side of Family Trees

• The show invents “International Dark Side of Your Family Tree Day”—a playful excuse to explore nefarious ancestors and family secrets.
• Both hosts reveal their love for family history and the thrill of discovering ancestral stories (02:37).
• Collaboration with Ancestry allows for a professional deep dive into Anthony and Maddy’s roots, and listeners are promised revelations and a sense of curiosity about their own genealogy (04:01-04:43).

2. The Appeal of Ancestral Rascals

• Jen Utley explains that while people love to find noble ancestors, “everyone loves a rascal in their tree.” Criminals and troublemakers, just like the upper crust, tend to leave behind good paper trails—making them fascinating and findable (05:23).
• Quote:
  “Everyone loves a rascal in their tree, right?” – Jen Utley (05:23)
• Jen recounts her own family’s scandalous stories: a mysterious single mother, a dramatic journey, and a suspicious morphine overdose—proving that real family stories are rarely dull (09:05).

3. True Crime Connection: Palmer the Poisoner

• Maddy’s family history connects indirectly to the infamous Victorian poisoner, William Palmer, known for using poison to kill for insurance and gambling debts in 1850s Staffordshire.
• Maddy’s ancestor, Edwin Foulke, was a chemist’s assistant in Rugeley, likely selling Palmer the poisons he later used (17:06-18:23).
• The moral ambiguity of “killing adjacent” ancestors is explored with dark humor:
  “Your ancestors are definitely not guilty, killing by proxy, potentially.” – Anthony & Maddy (10:08)
• The Palmer case is recapped, including family murders, gambling addiction, insurance fraud, and Palmer’s eventual execution (13:31-23:44).

4. Irish Roots: The Delaney Family Shenanigans

• Anthony struggles with the challenge of tracing Irish ancestry due to lost records, but Joe Boogie manages to piece together a colorful narrative (28:22-29:20).
• Discovery: Anthony’s two-times-great-grandfather Patrick Delaney and his father James were charged in the 1850s with assaulting a neighbor and injuring his donkey—showing that delinquency sometimes repeats (31:03).
• Quote:
  “The Delaneys persist. I’ve never heard of the Quirks.” – Anthony (32:21)
• Another ancestral drama: the “Chatsworth Affray,” a violent 1872 brawl between families involving knives, scythes, and a Delaney ancestor wielding a stick (36:11-37:20).
• Quote:
  “He was centrally involved in this altercation…anything that was moving, he was hitting it.” – Joe Boogie (37:12)

5. Exploring Genetic Heritage and Surnames

• Discussion on DNA testing and its evolving accuracy (40:40-41:37).
• Anthony learns he is now considered “100% Irish”—an increasingly rare designation in a globalized world.
  • Quote:
    “It’s getting rarer and rarer to be able to claim you’re 100% Irish, so well done.” – Joe Boogie (41:37).

6. East End Mysteries: The Resilient Eliza

• Christina from Ancestry investigates the ancestry of Maddy’s paternal line, focusing on Eliza, a single mother in Victorian London’s East End (45:29-46:33).
• Eliza’s life is reconstructed through census and baptismal records, revealing a history of absent fathers, mystery surnames (Louvel/Monk), and resilience (47:35-51:24).
• Eliza raised three children alone, living in notorious poverty-ridden areas such as Sweet Apple Court and Bacon Street (52:40-53:33).
• Memorable Depiction:
  “The gutter in the centre of this court is very filthy ... a horrid odour of nastiness, like putrid paste, was found to pervade the room.” – Poverty Survey cited by Christina (53:33)
• Eliza eventually lived into her 90s and worked in textile trades, embodying perseverance despite social hardship (58:58).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Every family tree has a nefarious, twisted branch on it somewhere.” — Anthony (02:52)
• “We found axe murderers. We found embezzlers.” — Jen Utley (07:59)
• “There is a world in which Palmer has purchased poison ... from my ancestor.” — Maddy (18:12)
• “He wasn’t known as Palmer the Poisoner in his own way ... that was not the name above the door.” — Anthony, darkly humorous take on Victorian branding (15:02)
• “We’re not always able to do that in the same way [for Irish records] ... colonialism is the explanation for a lot.” — Anthony (18:23)
• “Did you ever see that episode of Who Do You Think You Are? ... I’m related to Jack the Ripper.” — Anthony recounting pop culture's comedic take on genealogy (25:31)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:21 — Maddy foreshadows Palmer case and the idea that “every family holds its secrets.”
• 04:43 — Introduction of Ancestry and their genealogists, setting up the expert-led investigations.
• 07:59 — Jen Utley describes infamous “rascals” found in genealogical research.
• 13:31 — Beginning of the true crime story of William Palmer.
• 17:06 — Maddy describes her family’s indirect tie to Palmer.
• 28:22 — Introduction to Anthony’s Irish ancestry and the challenges of Irish record loss.
• 31:03 — Discovery of Patrick and James Delaney’s brush with the law and a neighbor’s donkey.
• 36:11 — Recounting the “Chatsworth Affray,” an epic inter-family brawl.
• 40:40 — Anthony discusses DNA ethnicity shifts.
• 45:29 — Turn to Maddy’s East End roots and the story of Eliza and Lavinia.
• 53:33 — Descriptive reading of poverty in Victorian East End London.
• 58:58 — Christina reveals Eliza’s self-sufficiency and survival into old age.
• 59:57 — Reflections on the emotional and personal value of connecting with family history.

Tone and Style

The hosts bring wit, gentle self-mockery, and warmth to the episode, maintaining a balance between irreverent curiosity and genuine historical empathy. The genealogists provide clear, engaging explanations, turning the process of archival research into an adventure, while the hosts consistently reinforce the idea that every listener may discover something extraordinary—or at least entertaining—in their own family past.

Conclusion

This episode demonstrates that almost every family, noble or humble, harbors secrets, scandals, or shimmering tales of tenacity. Through expert research and personal anecdotes, After Dark reveals that genealogy isn’t just names in an old book—it's a rich tapestry of personalities, misdeeds, survival, and surprise, waiting to be rediscovered.

“History is for everyone ... The past is just people doing stuff, and everyone is involved.” – Maddie (24:42)