A Review of the "Advanced Genealogical Methods" course
Course coordinator - Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
Review written by Victoria Kinnear
Tom Jones’s
Advanced Methodology class is something of a legend at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. There are tales of
excessive homework and the overall difficulty of the class. For many students,
there is even a certain amount of apprehension about taking the course but when
graduated students were asked about their experiences and if it was worth it,
have all replied affirmatively and that the course has made them better
genealogists.
In the course
prerequisites, the class is described as being “intense” and for “high intermediate”
genealogists with experience in having taken an intermediate genealogy course
and have experience researching original records
including probate and land. There are appropriate descriptions of the course
and the necessary skills for getting the most out of it. Without solid research
experience, students would be, for the most part, lost.
Before the
course, several articles were provided to the class and were required to be read
before the class began. This material should be studied and known very well in
order to get the most from the class. A casual reading of the articles will not
serve a student well as they are examined in great detail in the class during
the week.
On the first
day of of the class, the students introduced themselves and discussed why they
were taking the course. Everyone was an experienced researcher who wanted to
improve their skills, hopefully break down some brick walls, or were
considering certification.
The class was a
mix of a genealogy “how to” reviews and exploring several methods of research. Much of the content reminds experienced
researchers how to logically and completely research a question. An examination
of the research process, developing a hypothesis, planning research, and the
types of evidence were covered. Additionally, resolving conflicting evidence
and research correlation were discussed. All were
solid reminders of how to approach problems logically and with discipline and
focus rather than getting excited and chasing squirrels in the middle of
researching a problem.
Among the
research topics covered were Archival Research, Probate Records, Military and
Pension Records, Transcriptions and Abstractions, Land Records (including
Federal), Maps, and Immigration and legal issues.
In addition to Tom
Jones, Judy Russell, along with Pam and Rick Sayer were additional lecturers in
the class. Each of the instructors were able to present information to the
class that they had years of experience in performing as well as having a clear
passion and depth in their lecture topics.
What I found to
be most helpful was that I was able to examine where my strengths were as well
as confirming some areas where I wanted to spend more time working to improve
my skill levels.
Tom and the
other instructors exhibited great patience and answered all of the classes
questions thoughtfully and thoroughly. Tom even took the time to answer the
questions after class and during breaks.
There was optional
homework every night, some of it more challenging than others. It was all
geared toward obtaining results if the time and effort was put into the tasks.
For those who took the time to at least attempt the homework, positive and reinforcing
results were learned.
Overall, the
class is well worth taking for a serious genealogist and those wanting to go on
to the next level of certification. It reinforced the things that I know and
confirmed some areas that I need to work on to become a better genealogist.
Victoria Kinnear
Victoria Kinnear is
the owner of My Ancestors Lived Here and has researched for television shows
including Finding My Roots and Genealogy Roadshow. A strong believer in
continuing education, in addition to completing the BU Certificate course in
Genealogy and NIGR (Now GENFED), she attends GRIP, SLIG, IGHR, NGS, FGS, and OGS
annually. She has deep Maryland roots and is the
current President of the North Capital Area Chapter of the Association of
Professional Genealogists Chapter and serves on the Executive Board of the
Maryland Genealogy Society.
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