A series of courses aimed at helping people trace their family tree is being run by Durham County Council in the coming months.
The courses range from a basic introduction to ancestry for beginners through to more in-depth sessions for those already familiar with the basics.
Dawn Layland, Education and Outreach Archivist at Durham County Record Office, said: “Over the last few years we have seen a resurgence in interest from people wanting to trace their family tree and with the centenary of the Battle of the Somme during the First World War soon upon us, many are looking up their ancestors who fought at that time.”
The courses will be run at Durham County Record Office at County Hall and include: Family History Taster Sessions (£10 per session) which are designed as a short introduction for those who don’t feel ready or are not able to attend the full beginners’ course. These sessions run on Tuesday 21June, 6pm-8pm and Thursday 23 June, 10am-12pm.
Beginners’ Family History (£30 per course) a popular introduction not only to family history, but to the Record Office and the sources it has to help with tracing ancestors. This course is aimed at those who have never done any family history research before or would like a refresher. This three week course runs from 12 – 26 May either at 10am-12pm or 6pm-8pm and includes sessions on Parish Registers & Civil Registration, The Census and Military Records.
For those already happy with basics, Branching Out (£10 per session) is an hour long talk followed by time to browse the facilities with advice and support on hand. Morning sessions from 10am-12pm include: A Closer Look at Parish Registers (Thursday 5 May), Parish Records other than registers (Thursday 16 June) and Illegitimacy, Divorce and Adoption (Thursday 7 July). Evening sessions from 6pm-8pm include: A Closer Look at Parish Registers (Tuesday 3 May), Parish Records other than registers (Monday 13 June) and Illegitimacy, Divorce and Adoption (Tuesday 5 July).
Dawn added: “These courses are a great chance not only to learn how to research your family tree but to find out more about the Record Office and the resources we have that can help.
For more information and to book a place on any of the courses please call 03000 267626.