FAMILY historians are invited to find out about tracing ancestors who immigrated to or emigrated from County Durham.

In the latest in its series of popular Branching Out talks, Durham County Record Office will host a session about ancestors who left England for foreign climes or arrived here from elsewhere.

The talk, on Thursday October 17, has been developed for people who are already comfortable with the basics of family history research and who are looking to find out more.

It will look at general patterns of emigration and immigration, what records survive and how people can use them to find out more.

Dawn Layland, education and outreach archivist, said: “Our ancestors could and did range far and wide, often travelling hundreds of miles, or even moving abroad in search of a better quality of life. We will spend an hour exploring how immigration and emigration worked, and what records are available for people to use to look into their own family history. Visitors will have the opportunity to browse our records and use our research facilities to conduct their own research.”

The session runs twice, from 10am to 12 noon and from 6pm to 8pm, and places must be booked in advance.

Tickets, priced at £10 per person, are available online from recordofficeshop.durham.gov.uk or can be booked by calling 03000-267-619.