Wokingham

Anybody curious about their ancestors – whether first time family historians or experienced researchers – should head to Wokingham Library on Saturday May 10 for a family history event.

Wokingham Visitors can drop in at any time between 10am and 3pm to discuss their research and get useful one-to-one help and advice from members of Berkshire Family History Society, staff from Berkshire Record Office and local historians from The Wokingham History Group. The day's theme is Making the Connection.

Derek Trinder, chairman of the Bracknell and Wokingham Branch of the Berkshire Family History Society explained: “This event is meant for everyone - it's not just for people with Berkshire ancestry. Wherever your ancestors came from, to research your family tree successfully you have to understand what different records can tell you and you need to know how to link this information together.

“A very significant change this time is newly available access to the collection of records from Ancestry on the library's computer terminals. Now you can search for specific family members, see images of actual records and, in many cases, find even more of those elusive ancestors. And with the Record Office and Wokingham History Group involved too, it means that people will be able to join up the strands of family history, social history and local history and get a real grasp of the lives that their ancestors lived.”

Informal teaching sessions will cover topics most relevant for anyone just starting their research. The sessions are free – although places should be booked at the library on the day:

10.30am to 11.15am Copy certificates – what will they tell you?
11.45am to 12.30pm: How to start your family history research
1pm to 1.45pm: Making sense of a census
2.15pm to 3pm: How to start you family history research

A basic understanding of how to use the internet will be useful for those who take part.

Staff from Berkshire Record Office will be on hand to explain how some national records for England and Wales can be consulted in Reading and will also advise on many key documents that can only be seen by visiting the country's archives and record offices.

For those interested in local history or in tracing house history, members of Wokingham History Group will highlight ways to begin research using copies of local documents, maps and other materials. They can also help with local enquiries about the Wokingham area.

Wokingham Borough Council