Raleigh, N.C. — Are you interested in learning about your family’s past, but don’t know where to start? Plan a visit to the Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site in Fremont Saturday, Jan. 20, 9 a.m.– 4 p.m. for a beginning genealogy workshop, the first in a series of three.

Staff members from the State Archives of North Carolina and the Government and Heritage Library of the State Library of North Carolina will present an overview of basic genealogy and teach attendees how to be productive and organized in their research. Learn how to decipher colonial handwriting and discover important resources for conducting genealogical research available at the library and archives.

An intermediate level workshop will be held Saturday, Feb. 17, 9 a.m.– 4 p.m. This session will go beyond, and will build upon, the basics of genealogy. It will focus on how to overcome genealogical problems and roadblocks using resources and specific case studies. In addition, the workshop will teach attendees how to effectively analyze documents and will address other intermediate concepts.

An advanced genealogy workshop will be held Saturday, March 24, 9 a.m.– 4 p.m. This workshop will focus on effectively using specific record groups in the State Archives, and ways to stay organized as you gain more genealogical experience and information. Topics include how to find female ancestors, effectively using deeds, and how to bring research together to write a family history.

Space is limited to 35 participants for each session and preregistration is required. Register by calling 919-242-5581 or emailing aycock@ncdcr.gov. The cost of the beginning workshop is $20 for adults, $10 for students and Friends of the Archives members. The fee for the intermediate workshop Feb. 17 is $30 for adults, $20 for students and Friends of the Archives members, and the fee for the advanced level workshop March 24 is $40 for adults, $30 for students and Friends of the Archives members. Sign up for all three workshops for a combined fee of $80 for adults, $50 for students and Friends of the Archives members.

The Gov. Charles B. Aycock Birthplace is located at 264 Governor Aycock Road, Fremont, N.C. Aycock Birthplace is part of the Division of State Historic Sites within the Division of State Historic Sites in the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.

NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.