Wagga family history researcher Leanne Diessel uncovers family's criminal past

On Monday residents were invited to join Ms Diessel at the Wagga and District Family History Society's annual open day which coincides with National Family History Month.

The society opens its library up to residents each August, giving them access free of charge with volunteers available to help with research.

Ms Diessel said this was the first time the event has been held since COVID-19 disruptions.

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"The past two years we weren't able to have the open day because of COVID-19. It wasn't as successful as it has been in the past, but it goes for the whole month," Ms Diessel said.

Ms Diessel, curious by nature, said she helps people from all around the world when it comes to family research, and it doesn't stop at her.

"I'm always tripping over my own family when I'm doing other people's research because my family has been in Wagga since 1848," she said.

"I've got a long history with Wagga, so I'll always find things like my grandfather attending a funeral."

Ms Diessel said for her, family research is like putting a jigsaw puzzle together.

"You've got to look at it from all angles, just like you would a jigsaw puzzle and that's usually how you find the answers because usually people come to us when they have hit a brick wall and I like to solve brick walls, that's why I do it."

Ms Diessel said they get a lot of people who were adopted who don't know their biological families, or who are looking to find the family of a family member who was adopted.

"We also get a lot of Aboriginal requests, tracking Aboriginal lines which isn't as easy," she said.

"We also get requests from overseas, so it's not just local."

Ms Diessel said some of the most interesting discoveries are criminal records, although she said she is always cautious when handing that information over to the family.

"People sometimes aren't very happy to find out their relative was a criminal, so you've always got to be careful in that regard," she said.

Ms Diessel said the society is having a visitor come from England in the next few days who is on a mission to find the relatives of the people whose initials were engraved on a Land Rover which he shipped over to London.

On the side of the Land Rover were 'E M' and 'J W Davies' of Wagga and it is believed the vehicle was purchased from Lichfields cars in Wagga.

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