Learn your family history in workshop

Busselton Family History Society will be helping people unlock the secrets of their past with a free workshop during National Family History Month.

Society president Julie Oldfield said the rise of consumer-level DNA genealogy testing had driven interest in family history research to new heights, but with just a small percentage of records digitised and available online, people often hit roadblocks.

“It can be a bit of a struggle, especially because some websites have transcribed original records, and those transcriptions aren’t always accurate,” Mrs Oldfield said.

To help would-be researchers navigate the field and build their own family trees, the society will host a free workshop on Friday, August 3, from 10.30am, upstairs at Busselton Community Resource Centre.

The workshop will help people understand and use the society’s array of resources, which include access to all major research websites, as well as historical books; microfiche and microfilm; birth, marriage and death records; and post office and trade directories.

“We also have members who specialise in different areas so they can help out,” Mrs Oldfield said.

The society will also erect displays in the Busselton and Dunsborough libraries throughout August.

To register interest in the workshop, call 0447 235 228 or email bus gen@westnet.com.au.