FAMILY historians in Sidmouth have been invited to the Devon Record Office next month for another day of information and help.

FAMILY historians in Sidmouth have been invited to the Devon Record Office next month for another day of information and help.

Members of the Devon Family History Society (DFHS) will be on hand at the Record Office to untangle problems that people have encountered while tracing their family trees.

Devon County Council Heritage Outreach Officer Katherine Weston said: "The sorts of issues people most commonly encounter range from second marriages and illegitimate births to people moving around a lot or misspelling their names. There are ways to crack all of these problems and we are pleased to have the experts on hand to help."

The special day will be held on Thursday 9 July at the Record Office which is situated at Great Moor House, Sowton, Exeter.

Family tree tracers are invited to book a 45 minute slot with a member from the DFHS between the hours of 10am and 3pm, to find out how they can use popular websites including www.ancestrylibrary.com. Using this site searches can be made for ancestors using the 1841-1901 census and the birth, marriage and death indexes. There will also be guidance on how to find out more from the wealth of written records stored at the Record Office.

Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council's Cabinet Member for Environmental and Regulatory Services, said: "This is a great opportunity for everyone to visit the Devon Record Office for an informal chat and receive some valuable help with family history research. This hobby remains popular but can prove extremely frustrating when people get stuck, so I'm delighted that the Devon Record Office has the support of the DFHS in order to help people who need a little assistance."

The Devon Record Office can be easily accessed using the Honiton Park and Ride bus service. For further information please go to www.devonfhs.org.uk. To book your 45 minute slot please ring 01392 384253.