Special guests will be sharing their family histories at the National Archives’ Shake Your Family Tree day on Tuesday the 16th.
The annual event is a great drawcard for both experienced and novice family historians, with experts on hand from a range of institutions to share their knowledge. The National Archives is encouraging people to visit and discover what they might find about their own family in various collections on Tuesday 16 March.
The 2013 event is sponsored by MyHeritage, who have partnered with the National Archives to promote family history across Australia. MyHeritage is a global family history network connecting families to their past and to each other and is currently celebrating its one millionth user milestone in Australia.
Director-General of the National Archives David Fricker said people were always amazed to learn what the National Archives might hold about their ancestors – and what is available in other collections.
‘Family historians often become very emotional when they find themselves face to face with a parent or ancestor and the life they experienced decades ago,’ he said. ‘In our collection they might find family service records, photographs, immigration and citizenship applications, employment records and even letters which all help to build a picture of their family’s past. The search is even easier now, as many of these documents are available online.’