‘‘It is being able to take a look into our past and this attracts members of all ages,’’ says Anne Sugden.
Anne, a member for over 20 years, says it is fascinating being able to go back through her family history and see what her ancestors got up to.
The society meets once a month at the brass band rooms on Northbank Road in Rangiora, and always find curious people waiting to use their services and resources.
‘‘We often find people waiting there for us to open, many have hit a brick wall conducting their own research and come seeking help and guidance to take them in new directions.
‘‘We have hundreds of history books in our library, stacks of micro-fiche files for our readers and of course our computers can search hundreds of online directories and genealogy sites world-wide,’’ Anne said.
She says the many books they have on-hand cover published family and regional histories, thesis, family reunion booklets and a number of how-to books which can guide people on how to use the ancestry sites and tools on hand.
‘‘There are many different ways to access information and trace your ancestry, it’s the joy of discovery and that’s the fun human detective side of it we all enjoy as you can be amazed at what you can find with a bit of digging.’’
She said she has traced her own family history back to the 1700s.
‘‘Quite a few of our 40 members and friends have discovered they have been distantly related to famous people or royalty.
Anne says they often get people who were adopted at birth looking for their extended families.
‘‘We follow all the established protocols when dealing with adoptions, there are so many rules, but it is nice to help people when we can.’’
Anne says she became interested in genealogy when her aunt rang up one day seeking her mother’s advice on their family history.
‘‘I was hooked and just kept going with it.’’
She once created a simple family tree and it turned out to be several metres long.
