Adventures in Genealogy Education: December 2015

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Monday, December 28, 2015

NIGR Renamed Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed)

I was interested to receive the following press release regarding the renaming of the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR) as the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed). I attended NIGR in 2008 and taught at NIGR in 2011. It is an excellent institute program on researching in federal records, and I am excited about the changes for 2016.

December 28, 2015

The Board of Trustees of the National Institute on Genealogical Research has announced that the institute’s name was changed to the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed) on December 22, 2015. The institute, held annually at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., was founded in 1960 as a three-week general course on genealogy. In 1987, it narrowed its focus to federal records.

The institute was incorporated in 1989 as a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization. Trustees are representatives of the American Society of Genealogists, Association of Professional Genealogists, Board for Certification of Genealogists, Federation of Genealogical Societies, National Genealogical Society, and the institute's alumni association. The National Archives, a non-voting member, provides strong support.

“Given the growth in genealogical education, it made sense to choose a name that clearly identifies the institute’s mission,” said Malissa Ruffner, JD, CG, director. “A new website, www.gen-fed.org, offers a closer look at the program, which is scheduled for July 11–15, 2016. You can also follow the institute on Facebook and Twitter (@GenFedInstitute).”

Diane Dimkoff, coordinator of research customer support at the National Archives, stated, “We are pleased that the institute’s new name reflects the significance of federal records and look forward to continuing our traditional collaboration.”

Gen-Fed is for experienced genealogists, and for archivists, historians and librarians interested in using federal records for genealogical research. It is designed to instill a methodological framework and foster creative thinking about relevant records. Online registration for the 2016 session will be held in late February.

Malissa Ruffner, JD, CG℠
Director

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Review of “Genealogical Evidence and Proof”

Once again I am pleased to have a guest author review one of the courses from the Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research. This post features a course on genealogical evidence, and is written by my friend Cari Taplin, CG.

Review of “Genealogical Evidence and Proof” taught by Warren Bittner, CG for the Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research

by Cari A. Taplin, CG^{^[1]}

When I first learned about the “Genealogical Proof Standard” and its five components, I was overwhelmed; a lot of beginning or intermediate genealogists probably are. It took a long time for me to embrace the GPS in my daily genealogical practice. No matter how many lectures you might attend on the subject, the process will never be as simplified and broken down into steps for you like the latest course by Warren Bittner from the Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research (VIGR) titled “Genealogical Evidence and Proof.” It is a must have in your genealogical education plan.

This course cuts through a lot of GPS confusion and breaks it down to manageable and understandable pieces. The four lectures this course consisted of are:

• “Complex Evidence: What it is, How it works, Why it matters”

• “The Web of Evidence: Proof and Disproof”

• “Proof Arguments: How and Why”

• “Exhaustive Research, Evidence Analysis, and Genealogical Proof”

Each of these lectures contained educational gems for genealogists of any level. Every class began with a reminder that genealogy is the pursuit to: identify an individual and identify correct relationships between individuals. “Failure to do these two things is a waste of time,” he said throughout the course. Proper use of the GPS ensures we are not wasting our time.

Warren has a gentle teaching method yet still tells it like it is. One of my favorite quotes from the second class, “There are two kinds of genealogists: those that read the NGSQ and those that don’t.” He pointed out that he (and other top-notch genealogists) learned to use the GPS and write proof arguments through reading quality journal articles, not only from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, but also the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, The American Genealogist, The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society Record, and the American Society of Genealogists’ The Genealogist. Only by reading and studying other, high quality proof arguments, regardless of their geographic subject or the surnames involved, will we be able to craft our own.

He especially encouraged the class to complete GPS step five, “a soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion,” because failure to write down our thought process identifying the correct person or relationship dooms the next generation to repeat the research.^{^[2]} Warren discussed approximately sixteen different steps for writing a proof argument, beginning with making a statement about what is going to be proven, stating the type of proof that will be used (direct, indirect, conflicting or most likely a combination of all), and working through steps for analysis, resolving conflicts, and drawing conclusions. Sixteen! I have never had an instructor break the process down so completely. It was utterly amazing and his course made so many often unnoticed details become visible.

Warren ended the series of classes by stating that “the more I work with the GPS the more I am impressed by it.” He also admonished those who have shied away from pursuing certification from the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) because they didn’t have a “good case study” for the portfolio. He said he doesn’t know one genealogist that doesn’t have at least two documents with points of conflict that could be written into an acceptable case study. Whether or not you are interested in certification, this course should be high on your list of educational requirements for yourself. Warren’s deconstruction of the process is invaluable for gaining a better understanding of the GPS process.

^{^[1]} CG and Certified Genealogist are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certified associates after periodic competency evaluations, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.

^{^[2]} For the description of step five of the GPS see Board for Certification of Genealogists, Genealogy Standards (Nashville, Tennessee: Ancestry, 2014), 3.

Cari Taplin is related to Roy Rogers. Or at least the stories her grandparents told her as a child said so. As a result, she has been working on finding her true heritage since the year 2000. She is a native of Wood County, Ohio but migrated to Wyoming, Colorado and now Pflugerville, Texas which is just outside of Austin. Cari is a Certified Genealogist and has served in a wide variety of volunteer and leadership positions for several state, local, and national societies, most recently elected as Region 2 - Midwest Director for the Association of Professional Genealogists, Director of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and the Education Committee Chair for the Austin Genealogical Society. She has been a speaker to local and state societies since 2004. As the owner of GenealogyPANTS, she provides speaking, research and consultation services. She is also a graduate of ProGen 16. When she’s not working on her genealogy, she is a wife and mother of two/too cute kids.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Legacy Family Tree Webinars Announces 2016 Schedule

I was excited to receive the announcement this morning about the 2016 Legacy Family Tree Webinars. I have enjoyed participating in the webinars for several years, as they are one of the best values in genealogy education. You can watch the live webinar for free, and for seven days after they are posted. You can also become a Legacy Family Tree Webinar member, and watch the recorded presentations at your convenience, including all of the past webinars with their handouts (more information on membership at the bottom of this post).

Here is the lineup of instructors for 2016! I know many of these presenters, and they will do a great job. Be sure to register early for your favorites.

2016 Schedule

January 2016

Tap Into Your Inner Private Eye - 9 Strategies for Finding Living Relatives by Lisa Louise Cooke. 1/6
Technology and Techniques for Differentiating Two People with the Same Name by Geoff Rasmussen. 1/13
Snagit software for Genealogists by Michael Brophy. 1/15
The Basics of Virginia Research by Shannon Combs-Bennett. 1/20
The Paper-Less Genealogist by Denise Levenick. 1/27
MyHeritage - Technologies and Content to Bolster Your Research by MyHeritage. 1/29

February 2016

The Scots-Irish in America by Peggy Lauritzen. 2/10
Getting Started with Microsoft Word by Thomas MacEntee. 2/17
Problem Solving with FANs by Beth Foulk. 2/19
A Guided Tour of Cyndi's List 2.0 by Cyndi Ingle. 2/24

March 2016

The War of 1812 Records - Preserving the Pensions by Michael Hall. 3/2
Making YDNA and mtDNA Part of Your Family History by Diahan Southard. 3/4
How Do I Know That's My Ancestor? by Amy Johnson Crow. 3/9
The Private Laws of the Federal and State Governments by Judy Russell. 3/16
Introduction to German Parish Records by Gail Blankenau. 3/23
Proof Arguments - How to Write Them and Why They Matter by Warren Bittner. 3/30

April 2016

Getting to Know Findmypast - Your Source for British and Irish Genealogy by Jen Baldwin. 4/6
Confirming Enslaved Ancestors Utilizing DNA by Melvin Collier. 4/8
U.S. Land Records - State Land States by Mary Hill. 4/13
Fire Insurance Maps - The Google Maps of Their Day by Jill Morelli. 4/20
England and Wales - Rummaging in the Parish Chests by Kirsty Gray. 4/27

May 2016

Google Drive for Genealogists by Thomas MacEntee. 5/4
Dirty Pictures - Save Your Family Photos from Ruin by Denise Levenick. 5/11
Messages from the Grave - Listening to Your Ancestor's Tombstone by Elissa Powell. 5/13
Mining the Über-sites for German Ancestors by Jim Beidler. 5/18
Discover American Ancestors (NEHGS) by Lindsay Fulton. 5/25

June 2016

Get the Most from AmericanAncestors.org by Claire Vail. 6/1
Researching Your Washington State Ancestors by Mary Roddy. 6/8
Introduction to the Freedmen's Bureau by Angela Walton-Raji. 6/10
Ticked Off! Those Pesky Pre-1850 Census Tic Marks by Peggy Lauritzen. 6/15
Digging Deeper in German Parish Records by Gail Blankenau. 6/22
Circles or Triangles? What Shape is Your DNA? by Diahan Southard. 6/29

July 2016

Navigating Naturalization Records by Lisa Alzo. 7/6
A Genealogist's Guide to Heraldry by Shannon Combs-Bennett. 7/13
Finding French Ancestors by Luana Darby. 7/15
Organize Your Online Life by Lisa Louise Cooke. 7/20
Researching Women - Community Cookbooks and What They Tell Us About Our Ancestors by Gena Philibert-Ortega. 7/27
Solutions for Missing and Scarce Records by Tom Jones. 7/30
The Germanic French - Researching Alsatian and Lorrainian Families by John Philip Colletta

August 2016

Getting Started with Microsoft PowerPoint by Thomas MacEntee. 8/3
The Battle for Bounty Land - War of 1812 and Mexican-American Wars by Beth Foulk. 8/10
Homestead Act of 1862 - Following the Witnesses by Bernice Bennett. 8/12
Successfully Applying to a Lineage Society by Amy Johnson Crow. 8/17
Using Findmypast to Unlock Your Irish Ancestry by Brian Donovan. 8/24

September 2016

The Treasure Trove in Legislative Petitions by Judy Russell. 9/14
Clooz - A Document-Based Software Companion by Rich Thomas. 9/16
How to Use FamilySearch.org for Beginners by Devin Ashby. 9/21
Beginning Polish Genealogy by Lisa Alzo and Jonathan Shea. 9/28

October 2016

AHA! Analysis of Handwriting for Genealogical Research by Ron Arons. 10/5
Time and Place - Using Genealogy's Cross-Hairs by Jim Beidler. 10/12
Finding Your Ancestors' German Hometown by Ursula Krause. 10/14
Social History Websites That Bring Your Ancestor's Story to Life by Gena Philibert-Ortega. 10/19
Flip for Flickr - Share, Store and Save Your Family Photos by Maureen Taylor. 10/26

November 2016

Analysis and Correlation - Two Keys to Sound Conclusions by Chris Staats. 11/2
Publishing a Genealogy E-Book by Thomas MacEntee. 11/9
Dating Family Photographs by Jane Neff Rollins. 11/16
Nature & Nurture - Family History for Adoptees by Janet Hovorka and Amy Slade. 11/18
Multi-Media Story Telling by Devin Ashby. 11/30

December 2016

Becoming a Genealogy Detective by Sharon Atkins. 12/7
From the Heartland - Utilizing Online Resources in Midwest Research by Luana Darby. 12/14
Tracing Your European Ancestors by Julie Goucher. 12/16
An Introduction to BillionGraves by Garth Fitzner. 12/21

FamilyTreeWebinars.com memberships

All live webinars (register below) are free and their recordings are free to watch for the first 7 days. With a webinar subscription you also get all of this:

Access to 1) all the existing 284 classes in the library (428 hours of quality genealogy education), 2) plus the 61 webinars that will be added during the 2016 season, 3) plus any additional bonus subscribers-only webinars (30 of these so far in 2015) - all available for the duration of your membership
Access to all 1,260 pages of instructors' handouts plus the new handouts of the 2016 season
Chat logs from the live webinars
Additional 5% off anything at FamilyTreeWebinars.com
Chance for a bonus subscribers-only door prize during each live webinar
Additional members-only BONUS webinars
Playlist, resume watching, and jump-to features

It's just $49.95/year ($44.95 through 12/31/15).