TV historian launches Dundee genealogy workshop

EXPERT advice was available to amateur genealogists in Dundee yesterday when TV historian Nick Barratt launched a workshop on tracing family trees.

Mr Barratt, who appears on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? was in the city for the second annual Angus and Dundee Roots Festival The event, which began on Saturday and runs until Sunday, aims to provide a focus for those whose ancestors came from the region to visit and find out more about their ancestral homeland.

It features a packed programme of events with visits to ancestral sites, workshops, talks, demonstrations and film shows. The free workshop at the Central Library also gave family historians the chance to speak to experts from local archives and national organisations as well as highly-experienced family history researchers.

There was also the opportunity to access more than 250,000 burial records relating to 71 Angus cemeteries through the website Deceased Online.

Mr Barratt said: “People often think of researching family history as being an online activity but, although the internet is a great starting point for a family tree, a website can’t give you the essence of your ancestors and the communities where they lived.

“So many people don’t realise the wealth of resources on their doorstep which will provide access to original material and expertise that will help uncover important and vital information about their family.”

Further information about this week’s programme of events is available at www.tayroots.com