Come To The Fair!

The programme has been announced for the first Tayroots Local History and Genealogy Fair, which is being held in Kirriemuir’s newly-refurbished Town Hall on Saturday, May 15.

The Tayroots Local History and Genealogy Fair takes place in the middle of Barrie 2010, Kirriemuir’s two-week celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of JM Barrie. The Fair will include fascinating glimpses of the history of the Angus towns and villages and the people who lived there, as well as providing valuable information and advice to anyone tracing their family tree.

Tayroots is a major initiative established by Angus Council and Dundee City Council to help people uncover their ancestral links to Angus and Dundee, whether their family is well and truly embedded in the local area or if the link was broken several generations ago. During the Fair, Lisa Simmonds, a local history lecturer at Dundee University, Caroline Brown of Dundee University Archives, Maureen Shearer of the Aberdeenshire Registrars Service and Fiona Scharlau, Senior Archivist at the Angus Archives, will be giving expert talks throughout the day.

“We will also be offering informal photo help between 10am-11.45pm and 2-3pm,” said Fiona. “Bring along a mystery image and we’ll see if we can suggest further ways to date and identify it using fashion resources and our photographer database. We’ll also be providing a first look at the new Poor Relief and Kirrie Connect indexes.”

The Fair will be attended by local history societies from across Angus, as well as Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre and organisations such as Tay Valley Family History Society, Abertay Historical Society and Aberdeen and North East Family History Society. Deceased On Line, which provides online access to the burial records of all the Angus graveyards, and Aberdeenshire Council Registrars Service have also taken stalls so there will be no shortage of expert knowledge at the Tayroots Local History and Genealogy Fair.

In recognition of Kirriemuir’s status as the birthplace of the creator of Peter Pan, the Fair will include two free storytelling sessions, which will be held at 10.30am and 2.30pm in Kirriemuir Library, next door to the Town Hall. Stories will be told by Sylvia Troon and Robbie Hetherington of Dundee Storytelling Group, with each session lasting for 45-50 minutes. The storytelling sessions will be suitable for all ages - children under eight years old must be accompanied by an adult – but places are limited and can be booked by calling the Library on 01575 572357.

The Library Service, in partnership with Tayroots and Angus Archives, will also be offering free ScotlandsPeople internet research at intervals throughout the day, offering visitors a free starter search for their own Tay roots. 

For more information about the Barrie 2010 events, visit www.barrie2010.org.uk. For more information about Tayroots, visit www.tayroots.com