Hello Listers, Just in case you have not already received this, I am posting it on all my lists. Sounds good, featuring some of our best genalogists and local historians from Ulster. Just a pity there are no speakers from America or the Antipodes to make it truly "the Route Home". Dear Family Historian, Thank you for your interest in THE ROUTE BACK HOME 2010 family history festival. We now have an entertaining and informative selection of speakers booked for THE ROUTE BACK HOME 2010 (see attached). Representatives from many of the important centres for genealogical research in Northern Ireland will be here to share their knowledge. The varied programme is designed to appeal to both beginners and experts. In addition to the talks, there will be plenty of opportunities to discuss ideas, ask for advice and enjoy the company of a room full of genealogists who are all searching for their 'roots in the Route'! If you would like information on any of the talks, or any other aspect of the festival, please feel welcome to get in touch with me. To book a place on THE ROUTE BACK HOME 2010, please see http://www.visitballymoney.com/the_route_back_home_2010.aspx . On behalf of Ballymoney Museum, I wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Keith Beattie Museum Manager And this is the programme: EVENT PROGRAMME The following is a list of the speakers who will be taking part in the family history festival. FRIDAY, 1 OCTOBER 2010 10.30am - 12.00pm ENROLMENT Auditorium, Ballymoney Town Hall During enrolment, the auditorium in Ballymoney Town Hall will contain a display of trade stands, bookstalls and other attractions for the delegates to enjoy. 1.30pm - 3.00pm NORTH OF IRELAND FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Auditorium, Ballymoney Town Hall The first session of the day will be hosted by the North of Ireland Family History Society, Coleraine Branch. Many of the members come from the North Antrim area, (or 'The Route') and will have invaluable advice on where, how and what is available for the visiting genealogist. Web address: www.coleraine-fhs.org.uk 1.30pm - 3.00pm PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE OF NORTHERN IRELAND - DR. ANN MCVEIGH Cramsie Room, Ballymoney Town Hall The role of Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) is to identify, preserve and make available records of interest to present and future generations. PRONI is now making records more widely available through our website, our e-catalogue, our databases and our partners. This talk will explain how to start research into your family tree and will also outline the resources that will be available during preparations for the move to our new building. PRONI will be closing in September 2010, reopening to the public in Titanic Quarter in May 2011. Web address: www.proni.gov.uk 3.30pm - 5.00pm ULSTER HISTORICAL FOUNDATION - DR. WILLIAM ROULSTON Auditorium, Ballymoney Town Hall As anyone who has attempted to search for their ancestors knows, finding out much information about them before 1800 is far from easy. The loss of so many records in the destruction of the Public Record Office of Ireland in 1922, coupled with less systematic record keeping presents problems that are not easy to overcome. Nonetheless there is a large body of information out there that can be utilised by historical and genealogical researchers. Dr. William Roulston will provide some direction as to the main genealogical sources that can be utilised in searching for ancestors from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with a particular focus on surviving records for the Route. Web address: www.ancestryireland.com 3.30pm - 5.00pm NI LIBRARIES - MICHAEL LYNN AND LEAH TWEED, LOCAL STUDIES SERVICES AND BALLYMONEY BRANCH LIBRARY Cramsie Room, Ballymoney Town Hall The branch library in Ballymoney and the Local Studies Services in Ballymena are an important resource for everyone researching local and family history in the Route. Staff from NI Libraries will be available to highlight their extensive resources and the best way to access the information you need. Web address: http://www.ni-libraries.net/ 6.00pm - 10pm DINNER & ENTERTAINMENT Auditorium, Ballymoney Town Hall Delegates who would like an evening of top class entertainment are invited to join together for a delicious dinner and some 'great craic'. The Route is well known for its welcome and hospitality and everyone in promised an evening to remember. More details will be confirmed nearer the time SATURDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2010 10.30am - 12.00pm EMIGRATION & MIGRATION IN IRELAND - DR. PADDY FITZGERALD, CENTRE FOR MIGRATION STUDIES, OMAGH Auditorium, Ballymoney Town Hall Dr. Paddy Fitzgerald explores the theme of migration (immigration, internal migration and emigration) in the four centuries since the Plantation of Ulster and its importance when researching family history in Ireland. Web address: www.qub.ac.uk/cms 10.30am-12pm & 1.30pm-3.00pm GRIFFITH VALUATION - NORMAN PARKES, NALIL Cramsie Room, Ballymoney Town Hall The Griffith Valuation of 1848-64 gives a complete list of occupiers of land, tenements and houses. Its official title is the "Primary Valuation of Ireland", but it is better known after the Commissioner of Valuation, Sir Richard Griffith. Norman Parkes has carried out detailed studies of the Griffith Valuation for the Ballymoney region. Over the coming months, delegates will be invited to send requests for searches of the valuation which he will perform before your visit. Many of the maps associated with the valuation still exist and it is often possible to locate the exact site of the dwelling houses of those listed in the printed valuation books. This will allow delegates to use the information he provides during their stay to their best advantage. Norman has also offered to run tutorials on the Saturday where delegates can be instructed in the use of the Valuation and also ask questions concerning their own research. Web address: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nalil/ 1.30pm - 3.00pm LOCATING FAMILIES AND HOUSES IN NORTH ANTRIM, C.1830 TO 1911 - DR. WILLIAM MACAFEE Auditorium, Ballymoney Town Hall Finding the exact location of a house or a farm in which an ancestor lived during the nineteenth and early twentieth century can, sometimes, prove difficult, particularly for researchers who live abroad. The purpose of this particular session is to demonstrate, through the use of case studies, how this can be done by using a set of sources that span the period c.1830 to 1911. The sources include the Tithe Records of the 1820s and 1830s, the Townland Valuation of the 1830s, the Griffith's [Tenement] Valuation of c.1860, the Griffith's Revision Books which cover the period c.1860 to c.1930, and the Census Returns of 1901 and 1911. Web address: www.billmacafee.com 1.30pm - 3.00pm TOUR OF BALLYMONEY OLD CHURCH GRAVEYARD - DOROTHY ARTHUR Dorothy Arthur has written a definitive book of the people buried in this graveyard which has proved hugely popular with family historians. The headstones in the cemetery date back to the 1600s and Dorothy will guide the tour around the more interesting graves and the colourful background to many of the families. There will also be an opportunity for delegates to request information on specific graves and families. Web address: www.ballymoneygraveyard.com 3.30pm - 5.00pm OPEN FORUM & CLOSING ANNOUNCEMENTS Auditorium, Ballymoney Town Hall The final session of The Route Back Home will be an opportunity to pose questions to a panel of local family historians and also to provide your feedback on the content of the festival. Please note that the speakers and content of each session may be subject to change at a later date. If you come along to the Saturday session, you will have the added bonus of meting yours truly! Merry Christmas to one and all. Boyd Gray http://familytrees.genopro.com/boydgray26/Boyd/default.htm http://www.westulstergenealogy.com/