A TEAM of archivists and family historians from the Devon Record Office will be visiting Okehampton next week offering on-the-spot advice about family history research. This marks the latest in a series of roadshows visiting Devon towns to use local historical resources to help people find out more about their ancestors. The Discovering History Days use Devon In Touch, Devon County Council?s pioneering mobile information vehicle, to take staff members and resources from the Devon Record Office in Exeter out and about. The roadshow will be at the Okehampton Museum of Dartmoor Life on Wednesday, September 13, between 10am and 4pm, following the success of a programme of visits earlier this summer in South Devon. Local people can drop in to find out how to use websites to research family and local history. Ian MacGregor, archive information manager at the Met Office, will also be present to advise on the extensive range of historical weather-related material available at the National Meteorological Archive in Exeter and how to access their ?on-line? catalogue of holdings. There will also be a display illustrating examples from their collections. Visitors to Devon in Touch get instant access to a world of information aboard the purpose-built vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with six computers, linked to the internet by satellite, for free use by the public. The start-up costs were met by dedicated money made available by the Government for local authorities. Executive member for culture, Cllr Sheila Hobden, said: ?Genealogy remains extremely popular. ?This will be a great opportunity for local people to find out how to trace their family tree using resources from the Museum, the Devon Record Office and the library. ?Our helpful staff can show people the way round genealogical web sites and help them start their research, even if their family is not from Devon.?
