If you have been curious about your family history, let August be the month to inspire you to take action.
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August is National Family History Month and to celebrate Goulburn Mulwaree Library is holding a series of lunchtime talks and one-on-one workshops on how to research your ancestors.
Goulburn Mulwaree Library manager Erin Williams said she was looking forward to celebrating the month and sharing resources with the community.
"Goulburn and surrounds have such a rich history, full of fascinating people and stories," she said.
Bungonia and District Historical Society secretary Anne Wiggan said the month was a great reason to get in touch with your local historical society.
There are historical societies in most towns around Goulburn including Crookwell, Marulan, Windellama, Bungonia, Taralga, and Tarago.
Ms Wiggan also recommended looking through the historical records at the Rocky Hill War Memorial and Museum and Goulburn Station.
"The museum also has records of all the Aboriginal people who signed up to fight in WWI," Ms Wiggan said.
If you are Aboriginal, Ms Wiggan recommended contacting the Pejar Local Aboriginal Land Council or if you're not based in Goulburn, your closest Aboriginal organisation.
At Goulburn Mulwaree Library, events will take place each week throughout the month.
- Tuesday, August 4 at midday: Wendy Gallagher, senior advisor with the State Archives andRecords Authority of NSW, shares what's new in the State Archives. Wendy will delve into lesser-known resources like Probate Packets and Correspondence Files, and explain the use of Collection Searching and Online Indexes to find these resources.
- Tuesday, August 9 at midday: Ruth Graham, CEO of the Society of Australian Genealogists, will provide insight into researching UK-based ancestors through the discovery of her London heritage and their journey to New South Wales in her talk, 'Searching for Little Dorrit'.
- Tuesday, August 16 at 12.30pm: The library's own, Peta Luck, has teamed up with Queanbeyan local studies librarian, Brigid Whitbread, to explore the resources available to house history researchers. Their talk on 'House and Building History Research', will combine the use of social and built history resources, they will also share some personal stories along the way.
- Tuesday, August 23 at 1.30pm: Join historians Catherine Bishop and Richard White for an afternoon of unexpected history. Catherine will talk about her latest book that delves into difficult aspects of Australia's history in 'Too Much Cabbage and Jesus Christ: Australia's 'Mission Girl' Annie Lock'. Richard will introduce his new edition of 'Symbols of Australia', where he surveys symbols from the Akubra to the wattle, with a focus on those changing the most.
During the last week of Family History Month, Goulburn Mulwaree Library will offer one-to-one chats about individual family history research.
Find out how to get started, get some guidance on solving a tricky mystery in your genealogy, or learn more about what's available at the library to assist with your research.
"Family history research is one of the best ways to connect with our past and keep our history alive, and the thrill of the chase can be very exciting too," Ms Williams said.
Bookings are essential for all the events throughout the month, and can be made via the library's website: https://gmlib.co/events or by contacting the library on 4823 4435.
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