Researching your ancestors is something that most people have thought about at one time or another, but how do you get started?

Well, Dubbo and District Family History Society (DDFHS) has the answer, and is running four 'Basics of Family History' workshops starting this month.

The course, however, is not just for those who are rank beginners in this specialist field, it also offers much for those who have already made a start but don’t where to turn now, course spokesperson Lyn Smith explained.

“There’s two groups of people we’re targeting with this course,” Lyn said. “There are those who are interested in getting involved and want to get started, and those who have already started, and don’t know where else to go,” she added.

The course, she explained — running each Wednesday from March 4 until March 25 — teaches vital research skills that can save you time, money, and frustration.

“You don’t need to subscribe to Ancestry.com or other sites to get what you need. In fact, if people come into our library, they can use our Ancestry.com and other sites like Findmypast subscriptions, and lots of other free places,” Lyn revealed.

The workshops, she said, will help locals to: research the stories of their ancestors; learn how to begin the search for their family history; and guide attendees on what to do next.

“In each workshop you will learn research tips, traps to avoid, where to look for information and how to record, preserve, and interpret what you find,” Lyn said.

“Rather than just getting up a pile of information that you don’t know how to organise, we will show you how to arrange it in a meaningful way,” she concluded.

The course runs each Wednesday from 10.30am–12.30pm in the Music Room at the Community Arts Centre.

Cost for each session is only $8 for DDFHS members, $15 for non-members, with a limit of 20 participants for the course.

To register contact Lyn Smith by email on: baretsmiths@bigpond.com