Who are we?
Whanganui Branch New Zealand Society of Genealogists
On March 15, 1975, a group of nine family history enthusiasts got together to form the Whanganui Branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists. Meetings were to be held every second month, on Saturday afternoons, at members homes. Fifty years later, the Branch has a membership of over 60 people, meetings are held monthly, and there are additional activities such as Winter Daytime Meetings, and our DNA Interest Group.
At an early stage, it was realised that transcribing and indexing projects are the key to record accessibility, and some members have been particularly active in this respect over the years. We continue to collect and transcribe school enrolment records, and a team of people have supported the Wanganui District Council Project to digitise the Historic Rates Records. One of our members, at present, is working towards developing short biographies of all service veterans buried at the historic Heads Rd Cemetery, which are being gathered into three volumes.
Historic Rates Project
School Registers Project
DNA Interest Group
Tech Week
However, the most important activity of the branch is to encourage and support people in investigating and sharing their own family history. This support happens in many ways. Regular monthly meetings cover a range of topics. We support local festivals and events such as La Fiesta, the Heritage Festival, and the Alexander Heritage Library Tech Week Event. Additionally, extra meetings are run for our DNA Interest Group and Daytime Winter Meetings. Genies are in the Alexander Library every afternoon Monday to Friday, from 1pm to 4pm, to assist with getting you started on your research.
Come along to a meeting. We’d love to see you.
Talk to us
Have any questions? We’d love to hear from you. Use our contact form or come to a meeting.
Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of each month, at the Alexander Library – Te Rerenga Mai o Te Kāuru, 1 Pukenamu Drive. Doors open at 6.15pm and meeting proper starts at 6.45pm.