CELEBRATE FAMILY HISTORY MONTH WITH RURU, YOUR TUI & TAMA CLUB MASCOT FRIEND!

For the month of August we have activities, exhibitions and crafty arty workshops supporting whakawhanaungatanga – relationship connections with family. To support our community to start, refresh or research family connections we have a FREE Ancestry Library subscription available for visitors to use at the Te Awamutu Museum – Education & Research Centre at 55 Rickit Road, Te Awamutu.

When you first delve into Ancestry.com, the world’s largest subscription collection of genealogy databases, it can be a bit mind-boggling. After all, Ancestry.com encompasses thousands of collections with more than 30 billion historical records at last count. Subscribers can access all available US census records, from 1790 through to 1950 census, along with many Canadian, English and Welsh enumerations.

In addition, the centre is offering a FREE self scanning archival digitisation service. Researchers. avid historians, or collectors can book in time to use an overhead and flatbed scanner. The overhead scanner is great for hand written diaries, scapbooks and legal documents, whilst the flatbed scanner can digitise film negatives, slides and letters.

During the month of August centre staff are offering one-on-one overview on how to use Ancestry and give you a few tips on what you can achieve with your research. These one hour slots are bookable on Tuesday or Thursday between 10am-12pm by either phoning the centre on 07 872 0085 or emailing museum@waipadc.govt.nz. Please book quickly as these bookings will fill up.

Don’t worry, these two amazing FREE services will continue as long as the community uses it.