This course has a new team of instructors including:Thomas W. Jones
Judy Russell
Debbie Parker Wayne
John Phillip Colletta
Craig R. Scott
Kimberly Powell
Angela Packer McGhie
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Provide in-depth instruction on records essential for genealogical research, including census, federal and local land, immigration, naturalization, military, pension, newspaper, tax, city directory, manuscript, probate and court records.
- Emphasize how to locate, use and understand the intricacies of each type of record.
- Expand the students’ knowledge of essential research planning skills and evidence evaluation techniques.
- Enhance the students’ ability to locate genealogical information on the Internet through online research strategies and use DNA evidence to supplement traditional research.
- Enable the students to apply the concepts they are learning directly to their own research through a student project.
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS:
Introduction
and Essential Skills
Instructor:
Angela Packer McGhie
This session is
an introduction to the course and a discussion of “essential
skills” for genealogists including: thorough research, developing a research
strategy, creating a research plan, and citing sources. We will discuss the Genealogical Proof Standard and set the tone for the rest of the course.
Using Genealogical Evidence
Instructor: Thomas W. Jones
Genealogists use the
processes of analysis and correlation to test the accuracy of evidence and
potential conclusions. Analysis shows whether a source's information is more or
less likely to be correct. Correlation shows how that information and the resulting
evidence resembles or differs from other information and evidence items.
Through explanations, examples, and activities, students will learn how to
detect, assess, and assemble direct and indirect genealogical evidence into
proof statements and proof summaries.
Order
in the Court: Using Court Records in Genealogical Research
Instructor:
Judy Russell
From the most local courts
of limited jurisdiction to the Supreme Court of the United States, from
colonial times to the present, the records of American courts have been of
critical importance to the genealogist. This session will present an overview
of the typical court structure of most American jurisdictions, the reasons why
individuals interacted with the courts of their day, the records kept of those
interactions, and the clues to identities, relationships and lives that can be
found in those records. Case examples drawn from both trial and appellate
courts will demonstrate how to look beyond the index to the rich array of
detail that court records provide.
The
Records of Death: What Probate Records Add to Genealogy
Instructor:
Judy Russell
Where there’s a will,
there’s a probate: the legal process of settling an estate. Often when there isn’t a will, there’s still a probate. Understanding the legal
process and finding the records created when ancestors died can help break
through genealogical brick walls. This session will review the different
processes followed for testate and intestate estates, comparing and contrasting
the records created within the probate process and those that might exist
outside of the probate court, and reviewing the law guiding the process. Case
examples will demonstrate both the direct use of the records to solve
genealogical questions as well as their indirect use to provide context as to
the times in which the records were created.
Instructor: Debbie Parker Wayne
DNA
is becoming an acceptable part of standard genealogical research. This session covers all types of DNA tests that are beneficial
for genealogical evidence. Just enough biology is included for the
genealogical use to be clear. An understanding of DNA inheritance factors helps
researchers determine what kind of DNA test on which relative will provide the
evidence needed for a particular research problem—and when DNA evidence will
not be helpful. Case studies of real genealogical problems illustrate how to
determine who to test along with an introduction to basic analysis of the DNA
test results in reference to the problem.
Additionally, the best places to learn more about genetic genealogy and
advanced analysis techniques are covered.
Have You Really Found Everything
Available? Online Search StrategiesInstructor: Kimberly T. Powell
Locating genealogical and historical information online goes well beyond searching for names and knowing how to use wildcards. This session will use examples and hands-on activities to demonstrate techniques for determining the best search terms for a specific purpose or database; evaluating the content and context of a database or collection and using that knowledge to your advantage; and identifying the best resources available for a particular research goal.
Instructor:
Angela Packer McGhie
Census records are an
essential resource for genealogists and readily available online. This session
will focus on going beyond basic use of the census, and assist students in understanding
the pre-1850 census records; discovering how
the non-population schedules can enhance research; locating and using state
census records; and evaluating information from every census column to maximize
the information gleaned from the record. Examples will be shared of each type
of census, and emphasis will be placed on locating every census record during an
individual’s life and correlating the census with other records.
Digging
Deeper into Local Land Records
Instructor:
Kimberly T. Powell
Land records are an
important key for solving many difficult genealogical problems, from
determining family relationships and migrations, to sorting out men of the same
name. Students will learn how to dig into the small clues that local land
records can provide, hidden among the terminology, signatures, dates, and even
the laws that governed the transfer of land. Software and a variety of Internet
resources will be explored for locating grants, plats, deeds, and other land
records on the websites of local governments and state archives, and using them
in conjunction with historical maps. Examples will demonstrate how to trace a
piece of property both forward and back, along with those of the neighbors, when
necessary to obtain a complete property description, as well as the potential
of a simple neighborhood reconstruction.
Read
All About Your Ancestors in Historic Newspapers
Instructor:
Angela Packer McGhie
Newspapers are a valuable
resource for genealogical data and historical context when researching
ancestors. They are being digitized at a rapid pace, and are becoming easier to
search. This abbreviated session will help students discover the many types of
newspaper articles that may contain genealogical clues, as well as which
newspapers were printed in the time and location their ancestors lived.
Detailed research hints and information on how to access newspapers both online
or offline will be included.
Federal
Land Records
Instructor:
Angela Packer McGhie
Beginning in 1789, the
United States passed laws governing the purchase or claim of land in the public
domain. Individuals could acquire federal land through cash or credit purchases,
as well as preemption, homesteads, donations, and other types of claims. The
records resulting from the application process can be valuable for locating
individuals in a specific place and time, and may also contain valuable
family information. This presentation discusses the federal land records in
detail including the rectangular survey system, the Acts of Congress that
established various types of land transactions, and the records created in the
land acquisition process including surveys, land entry files, patents, and
tract books.
Locating and Using Manuscript
Collections
Instructor: Kimberly T. Powell
Instructor: Kimberly T. Powell
Manuscripts
are an often under-utilized resource with significant research potential for
genealogists. This session will focus on why genealogists use manuscript
collections, how such materials are organized and described, the types of
papers that may be found in them, and a variety of tools and finding aids for
locating manuscript collections of interest, including NUCMC, ArchiveGrid, and
SNAC. Case studies will demonstrate how manuscript materials left by friends,
neighbors, and associates can be used to help tell the story of an ancestor and
his community, and how collections held by repositories in three states can be
used to reconstruct a pre-Civil War South Carolina family, despite extensive
loss of “official” records.
Military
Strategies, Part I: Pensions
Instructor:
Craig R. Scott
Military pension files may
contain a wealth of genealogical information. Students will learn how to locate
and use these files, and then go beyond them to research in pension law,
pension ledgers, payment vouchers, and last and final payments. This session
will also cover pension correspondence, half-pay widows pensions, and pensions for orphans of
soldiers who died in the service. At the end of this session the students will
understand how to analyze a pension application file, interpret a pension
ledger, and obtain copies of all types of pension records.
Military
Strategies, Part II: CMSRs and Bounty Land
Instructor:
Craig R. Scott
Genealogists can learn about
their ancestor’s volunteer military service through Compiled Military Service
Records (CMSR), as well as other military records. For those that served in the
Regular Army, there are no CMSRs, so they must be created from other records. Students will be encouraged to search for bounty land applications
and warrants for those ancestors who served in the military before the Civil
War. At the end of this session the students will understand how to create
their own CMSRs for soldiers in the Regular Army, locate material beyond the
CMSR for volunteer soldiers, and understand how to access the bounty land records
at both the National Archives and the Bureau of Land Management.
Beyond Certificates: Alternative
Sources for Births, Marriages and Deaths
Instructor: Angela Packer McGhie
Genealogists
seek for records of their ancestor’s birth, marriage and death not only to fill
in blanks on a pedigree chart, but to define the scope of their life. In the
twentieth century most states created birth and death certificates, but for
earlier time periods there can be many places to look for evidence of these
major life events. This session will cover alternative sources such as birth
and death registers, church records, delayed birth certificates, family bibles,
newspaper notices, cemetery records, burial records, and military records. The
discussion will also include estimating a birth or death date from census, tax,
probate and other records.
They
Came in Ships: Passenger Arrival Records, Colonial Times to Mid-20th
Century
Instructor:
John Philip Colletta
All genealogists have an
interest in tracing immigrant ancestors. This session will detail the sources
available for discovering the arrival time and place—and perhaps the ship—of an
immigrant to colonial America. It will continue with U.S. passenger arrival records,
especially records created between 1820 and 1957, which are available on
microfilm and the Internet. Details will be given on what facts you need to
know to begin a search and a step-by-step process for how to conduct that
search. Specific examples illustrate how to use websites, National Archives
microfilmed indexes, book indexes, and other research tools, such as European
departure records and lists of ship arrivals at North American ports.
They
Became Americans: Naturalization Records, Colonial Times to Mid-20th
Century
Instructor:
John Philip Colletta
This session addresses the
legal means by which non-British settlers in colonial America could become
naturalized citizens of Great Britain. The U.S. naturalization laws and
processes, which began in 1790, will be explained, as well as the records that
resulted from them. Details on naturalization of both alien classes and
individuals will be discussed and guidance given on how to find an ancestor's
records, whether the naturalization occurred in a municipal, state or federal
court. Pertinent research tools such as Internet sites, manuals and indexes
will be demonstrated.
Mining Tax Rolls: More than Property Lists
Instructor: Debbie Parker Wayne
Tax rolls provide more
information than the name of an ancestor and the property owned in a given
year. Tax rolls often survive even in counties where other records have been
destroyed and the rolls can be used as substitutes for missing records. A profile
of an ancestor and the neighborhood they lived in can be created by mining
these records for details over multiple years. Case studies illustrate how to
interpret the basic information in a tax roll and how they can be used to locate
additional records on the life and death of an ancestor. Tax rolls from
multiple states are used to illustrate some of the differences that a
researcher may find in various locations.
Directory
Assistance: Using City and Other Directories
Instructor: Debbie Parker Wayne
Instructor: Debbie Parker Wayne
City directories contain a
one-line entry naming an ancestor and an address that places her in a given
place at a given time. But when a
researcher takes the time to analyze the details, a directory may reveal
occupation, religion, and marital status; help a researcher locate nearby
relatives, schools, churches, and businesses; and so much more that can lead to
other records with pertinent information on the ancestor. This session begins
with examples of different types of directories available: city, church, school,
social and occupational organizations, early telephone listings, and others.
Samples illustrate the types of information that may be found both for rural
and urban ancestors. Clear examples demonstrate how the information in a
directory can be correlated with other sources to expand the profile of an
ancestor and determine where they lived even when no exact address is listed
and no land was owned.
Techniques
Toolbox
Instructor:
Angela Packer McGhie
This session will cover research techniques such as creating spreadsheets, charts and timelines to
compare and evaluate research findings. Other techniques become essential in
certain circumstances such as separating individuals of the same name,
researching the extended family and associates of an individual, or using
identity characteristics besides name (occupation, birthplace, socioeconomic
status, etc.) to locate or identify a person. A comprehensive list of research
methods will be shared and detailed examples will covered. The session will conclude with a case study that employs many
of the methods to demonstrate their use in a real genealogical problem.
Student Project
Instructor:
Angela Packer McGhie
The
students will be given a
project to complete during the week so they can get the most out of
their
learning experience and immediately apply the information to their own
research. They will select an ancestor and create a comprehensive
research plan for that individual including
each type of record covered in the course. Students can
use online indexes and catalogs to make their plan detailed and
comprehensive.
This looks amazing Angela. Part of me is tempted to take it as a really solid review, which I'm sure would also fill in some of my own gaps. I think this course is a really important addition to the course "reportoire" at the national institutes.
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