Monday 24 August 2015

Report on the Lanarkshire Family History Fair

Many Scottish Genealogy Network members were busy at the Lanarkshire Family History Society Local & Family History Show last Saturday and I’m glad to report it was a great success!

The fair was well supported by family history societies from across Scotland, local archives, genealogy companies and of course Scottish Genealogy Network members.

Scottish Genealogy Network members were working hard throughout the day in the ‘Ask the Experts’ area where the public could pop along and receive help with their family tree. We had some great entertainment from a group of local school children and the face-painting area and other exhibitions meant there was something for all the family, not just the genealogy enthusiasts!

Two of the four talks, which were given in the auditorium of the concert hall, were given by SGN members. Chris Paton spoke on using newspapers to help trace our family tree and gain an understanding of the community our ancestors lived in. The last talk of the day was given by Graham Maxwell who spoke about using Sheriff Court records to trace your illegitimate ancestors.

Tristram Clarke, the family history specialist from the National Records of Scotland, gave a talk on soldiers’ wills. These are a wonderful resource if you are tracing twentieth century ancestors in Scotland. Chris Fleet, the senior map curator at the National Library of Scotland, gave an interesting talk on the maps that the NLS hold and how to access them online.

The Lanarkshire FHS will be hosting the SAFHS fair next year and I believe it will be at New Lanark. Keep an eye on the Lanarkshire FHS website for up-to-date information.

You can see our full photo album from the day on Facebook.