Advanced Genealogical Methods course at SLIG

This is the second in a series of posts by guest authors on the courses at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. This one is by Susan Michaels, CG on the Advanced Genealogical Methods course. If you are interested in taking this course in January of 2013 registration will open on June 2nd and it will probably fill in the first day as it is a very popular course.

Course 9: Advanced Genealogical Methods

The primary instructor and course coordinator was Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FAGS, FUGA, FNGS. The guest instructors were Claire Bettag, CG, CGL and Rick Sayre, CG.

I have always enjoyed Tom’s conference lectures, so I chose this course for my first experience attending SLIG. He was an excellent teacher. It was a completely different environment from his lectures. It was very much an instructional versus lecture atmosphere. The syllabus was very complete. I took very few notes mostly to highlight extremely points or the references that he recommended. The syllabus has been a great reference to refer to after returning home from the institute. It was practically worth the price of admission alone. The course material was densely packed. The first two days were spent mostly on the first two modules: “Developing an Evidence Orientation” and “Developing Research Questions and Hypotheses; Planning an Exhaustive Search.” Tom spends a lot of time on these building block fundamental topics. By the end of Tuesday it appears that there is no way that everything in the syllabus can possibly be covered by the end of Friday; however, by the end of Thursday he has caught up with the printed schedule.

After thoroughly covering the foundations of developing an evidence orientation to reconstruct relationships and identities, the rest of the modules demonstrate using these techniques with various major record types including census, probate, tax lists, and local land records. He also discusses three “special problems” including: “Identifying Landless, Enslaved, Peasant, and Other Impoverished Ancestors,” “Finding Immigrant and Migrant Origins,” and “Identifying Female Ancestors.” He finishes the week explaining how to resolve conflicting evidence and solve genealogical problems by correlating sources, information, and evidence. He uses real-life examples from his personal and client research to demonstrate the techniques. As a class and in small groups, the students use the evidence provided on slides and in the workbooks in the syllabus to resolve these real-life problems themselves. I always learn best what I have to figure out for myself, so this was a terrific process to me.

Claire Bettag taught three modules covering how to research U.S. government records: “Archival Research,” “Federal Research: Government Documents,” and “Federal Land Records: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation.” She knew her topics inside out and was a very engaging and informative instructor. The first homework assignment was assigned by Claire on government documents. I learned a lot from this assignment and from all of Claire’s lectures.

Rick Sayre was the instructor for “Military and Pension Records Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation” and “Rural and Urban Map Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation.”  I have listened to Rick discuss maps before and no one knows/loves maps as much as he does and he loves to encourage others to use more maps in their research. I was unaware of his interest in military records but I learned a lot from him on using military/pension records to further my research.

I had a terrific experience in this course and I would highly recommend it to every researcher who aspires to performing at a professional level and for breaking down those brick walls that all of us have developed. This is definitely not a beginner course. There is optional homework but not of an onerous nature. For those who may have already taken “Course 4: Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis” instructed by Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL at IGHR, I recommend that you take this course at SLIG also. Tom and Elizabeth cover a similar topic from very different directions and teaching styles. The two courses are more complimentary than redundant. Since I had already taken Course 4 at IGHR, I was not sure about how much more I would learn from SLIG’s Course 9; but I am REALLY glad that I took both courses.

This was my first attendance at SLIG, but it definitely will not be my last. I am already anxiously waiting for June 2^nd so I can register for SLIG 2013. I hope I see you there.

Susan Michael, CG(SM)

SKM Genealogical Research, LLC

Monroe, NC

widget@carolina.rr.com

CG or Certified Genealogist is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by Board-certified genealogists after periodic evaluation, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.

Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh - Early Bird Discount

I received the following announcement from Elissa Powell, CG, one of the directors of the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. The institute will be held Sunday, July 22, 2012 through Friday, July 27, 2012 at LaRoche College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There is still limited space available in three of the courses: German Research, Intermediate Genealogy, and Problem Solving with Online Repositories.

May 21, 2012

Early Bird discount on courses at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh ends on Wednesday, May 31. See www.GRIPitt.org for more information on the courses offered and the evening lectures sponsored by the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania (GSP), the Western PA Genealogical Society (WPGS), the North Hills Genealogists [of Pittsburgh] (NHG), and the Great Lakes Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG).

One of the most unique courses to be offered is one that can be considered a "backdoor to the Internet" coordinated by D. Joshua Taylor. This course allows you to explore the gems on various archives and library websites that you might not know of otherwise. The title "Beneath the Home Page: Problem Solving with Online Repositories" also speaks to how these gems, once found, can help you in your genealogy. Bring your laptop, your family notes, and your curiosity and see what it is you can discover!

Institutes are a great way to explore a topic in-depth for a week and get to know your classmates and instructors in a community of learning. Who says kids have all the fun at "summer camp"?

An Insider's View of the Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum

I will be featuring a few guest authors on my blog in the next two weeks as a lead up to registration for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) opening on June 2nd. I have asked people who attended some of the courses at SLIG in January of 2012 to share their experiences and a summary of the course. 

The first guest author is Harold Henderson with his insights into the Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum course:

Want to spend a week solving the toughest genealogy problems, a new one every day?

That describes the most challenging genealogy course I've ever taken, the Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). Oh, I learned more in the advanced methodology classes given annually by Elizabeth Shown Mills at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) at Samford Univeristy and Thomas W. Jones at SLIG. I could not have functioned in the practicum without them. But the level of difficulty in the practicum is something else because I had to apply that knowledge repeatedly, and found out right away whether I had headed in the right direction or found the answer. I also had to adjust to very different record environments and kinds of problems than I was used to working on.

The course actually grew out of the 2011 session of Tom Jones' Advanced Genealogical Methods class at SLIG. He gave a couple of homework assignments involving a problem to be solved, with evidence provided. We enjoyed the challenge and wanted more of this type of assignment. One day four of us were sitting around and somehow the idea was born of trying to design a whole course consisting entirely of this kind of homework. Now two of that group are coordinating the 2013 course, one is the director of SLIG, and I'm the only one remaining with a purely student's-eye view.

The format of the Practicum course is simple. Every afternoon a different expert, usually a board-certified or accredited genealogist, presents the initial evidence for a genealogical case that they have worked on and solved but not yet published. In some cases, all the evidence and documents are provided and the students analyze and correlate it, trying to come to a well-grounded conclusion. In other cases, some evidence remains to be found, either on line or in records at the Family History Library. Where off-line records are required (as they were in four of last year's five cases), the information is available in digitized files on request if the student can figure out exactly what s/he needs (since even the Family History Library can't be expected to create two dozen copies of those particular microfilms everyone will be wanting). The following afternoon, the group reconvenes to discuss their research and evidence-evaluation adventures with the expert and find out how they approached and solved the problem. And then it's time for the next case to be introduced.

The format differs from most genealogy institutes in that there are five faculty members (experts), so you deal with a new personality every day as well as a new problem. The 2013 lineup of instructors is mostly different from last year, but my main sense last year was, “I had no idea there were so many different ways to be equally excellent!”

Compared to the usual SLIG class schedule, this course looks light. So few hours in the classroom! But few of us had time for anything else. (I had invested in some evening lecture sessions but ditched most of them because the problems were so tough, and one of my main approaches to such problems is to spend a lot of time fussing.) Most participants found it both educational and humbling. Questions of research strategy arose that I'd never heard discussed so specifically anywhere else. If you've been through an advanced course or the equivalent, and want a truly challenging workout in a friendly setting, this is the course for you.

Harold Henderson lives in northwest Indiana. He has been a professional writer since 1979 and a professional genealogist since 2009 (midwestroots.net). He has published 30 genealogical articles in six states and spoken at local, state, and national levels. He blogs at midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com. At any given time he would probably rather be reading a grantor index.

Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum Instructors Selected

I am very excited for the Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum course at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). This is a different type of course where the focus is hands-on experience solving genealogical problems. The students are given a new case to work through each day rather sitting listening to lectures. It is designed for advanced genealogists who want additional experience analyzing evidence and working on complex cases. See my previous post on the 2012 course here.

I am co-coordinating the Practicum course with Kimberly Powell, and Thomas W. Jones serves as advisor to the course. We have selected five excellent instructors to prepare genealogical problems for the Practicum to be held in January of 2013. These cases will cover a variety of geographic locations and time periods. They will provide experience working with different methodologies as the students research and then analyze and correlate evidence to solve the cases.

Registration for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy opens on June 2nd and there are eleven courses to choose from. Descriptions of each of the courses can be found on the SLIG website. The Institute will be held January 14-18, 2013 at the Radission Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah just two blocks from the Family History Library.

The instructors for the 2013 Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum course are:

Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS, has co-edited the National Genealogical Society Quarterly since 2002. He lectures frequently in national and local venues, where he is known for information-packed lectures benefitting genealogists at all skill levels. Many of his articles, lectures, and classes address genealogical research methods, proof, and problem solving. Tom teaches “Evidence Evaluation and Documentation” in Boston University’s Genealogical Certificate Program, he coordinates and teaches “Writing and Publishing for Genealogists” at Samford University’s Institute on Genealogy and Historical Research, and he teaches and coordinates advanced methodology courses at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. He is a professor emeritus at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., where he taught for twenty-seven years, and he is a trustee and a past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. He enjoys solving “brick wall” genealogical problems.

Stefani Evans, CG, was certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) in 2005 and currently serves as a trustee for the BCG and the BCG Education Fund. As a current director for the National Genealogical Society (NGS), she is conference chair for the NGS 2013 Family History Conference in Las Vegas, 8-11 May 2013. A former elementary school teacher, Stefani is also a Ph.D. student in the History of the U.S. West at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and has presented lectures at the NGS 2012 Family History Conference, the Whitsett Graduate Seminar in California History, and at conferences of the Urban History Association, Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, and the Nevada Historical Society. She has authored articles in the BCG quarterly newsletter, OnBoard; the National Genealogical Society Quarterly; the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Record; the journal of the UNLV chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, Psi Sigma Siren; and the Utah Genealogical Association’s Crossroads. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

Dr. William M. Litchman is the author of genealogical articles for such periodicals as The National Genealogical Society Quarterly, The Newfoundland Ancestor, and The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, including “Teaching Analysis, Logic, and the Research Process: A Seminar Approach,” NGS Newsmagazine, Nov/Dec 2000, pp 340-343. He has produced an 11-volume index, AnEvery-Name Index of the 1865 New York State Census for Jefferson County, and An Every-Name Index for the 1921 Census of Newfoundland: Burgeo-La Poile District. He teaches genealogy classes for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and in Albuquerque, and speaks about specific research topics for genealogical groups, including the NM Genealogical Society and the Albuquerque Genealogical Society.

J. Mark Lowe CG, FUGA, is a full-time professional genealogist,
author, and lecturer and researches primarily in original records and
manuscripts throughout the South. He also serves as a Course
Coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and
Samford University’s Institute for Genealogical and Historical
Research (Research in the South) and Director of the Regional In-depth
Genealogical Studies Alliance (RIGS Alliance), learning sessions and
hands-on research focusing on original documents and manuscripts at
regional archives. Mark has worked on several genealogical television
series including African American Lives 2, Who Do You Think You Are?
appearing on a recent episode featuring Lionel Richie.

He is a Past-President of APG, Past-President of FGS, and Past-President of the Southern Kentucky Genealogical Society. Mark is a Certified Genealogist and a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association, and was awarded the Graham T. Smallwood award by the Association of Professional Genealogists.

J. H. (“Jay”) Fonkert, CG, is a genealogical researcher, writer and lecturer specializing in 19th-Century Midwest, English and Dutch genealogy. He has published more than 30 research, teaching and review articles in National Genealogical Society Quarterly, NGS Magazine, Minnesota Genealogist, The Septs, and Family Chronicle. He has lectured at conferences of NGS and the Federation of Genealogical Societies, as well as at workshops from Florida to Washington to Ontario. A past president of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, he is in his second term as a Director of the Association of Professional Genealogists. 



The course coordinators are: 

Angela Packer McGhie is a genealogical researcher, lecturer, and instructor. She is the administrator of the ProGen StudyProgram (studying Professional Genealogy) and president of the National Capital Area Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Angela is a genealogy instructor for Howard Community College, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and the National Institute on Genealogical Research. She has presented lectures at local, regional and national venues including the NGS 2012 Family History Conference, and is a contributing author to the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. She was a 2010 recipient of IGHR's Walter Lee Sheppard
Jr. Prize and received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Kimberly Powell is a professional genealogist, author, and blogger. She has been writing/blogging about genealogy for About.com (http://genealogy.about.com) since 2000. She is the author of several
books including The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy, 2nd edition (Adams Media, 2011), as well as articles for popular genealogy magazines such as BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? magazine. Kimberly is the Vice President of the Association of Professional Genealogists, where she also serves as chair of the Professional Development Committee, and Assistant Director for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She was a 2010 recipient of IGHR's Walter Lee Sheppard Jr. Prize. She currently volunteers with FamilySearch Indexing, as coordinator for ProGen 12, and as webmaster for the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society.

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy Registration Opens June 2nd

The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy has some great courses lined up for 2013. The Institute will be held January 14-18, 2013 at the Downtown Salt Lake City Radisson Hotel. The location is two blocks from the Family History Library, so it is very convenient to research at the library in the same trip to Salt Lake City. Registration opens on June 2nd at 9:00am Mountain Time and some of the courses will fill quickly. 

Here are hot links to the course pages for more information:




Course 1: American Research and Records: Focus on Localities with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FUGA, FMGS
 
Course 2: Bridging the 1780-1830 Gap: From New England to the Midwest (and Points in Between) with D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS

Course 3: Researching Your English Ancestors: Beyond the Parish Register with Apryl Cox, AG

Course 4: Advanced German Research with F. Warren Bittner, CG

Course 5: Researching in Washington D.C. without Leaving Home with Richard G. Sayre, CG, and Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL

Course 6: A Genealogist's Guide to the Internet Galaxy with Thomas MacEntee

Course 7: Principles of Forensic Genealogy with Melinde Lutz Byrne, CG, FASG and in partnership with Boston University

Course 8: Producing a Quality Family Narrative with John Philip Colletta, Ph.D., FUGA

Course 9: Advanced Genealogical Methods with Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS

Course 10: Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum with Angela McGhie and Kimberly Powell

Course 11: Problem Solving with Judith Hansen, MLS, AG

American Society of Genealogists Scholarship

The following announcement was written by the American Society of Genealogists:

 

The American Society of Genealogists gives an annual $500 scholarship that can be applied to any of three genealogy institutes: (1.) the National Institute of Genealogical Research at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.; (2.) the Institute of Genealogy and Historical research at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama; and (3.) the Certificate Program in Genealogical Research at Boston University. 

For details, see the ASG website at www.fasg.org.

ProGen Study Group Mentors and Alumni Speak at NGS 2012

I am very excited to attend the NGS Family History Conference in Cincinnati this week! I am also excited about presentations by some of the ProGen Study Group mentors and alumni. [The ProGen Study Program is designed for professional and aspiring genealogists to put into practice the principles found in Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers and Librarians, edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills. See the website for details.]

This is the first time that many of the ProGen alumni will be speaking at a national conference and I would like to encourage my blog readers to support them. (Disclaimer: I am one of those speaking).

Here is the schedule of mentors and alumni speaking in Cincinnati this week:

ProGen Study Group Mentors:

Claire Bettag, CG, CGL (ProGen 11)

10 May 2012       4:00 p.m.             Assumptions: A Genealogical Slippery Slope       

Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL (ProGen 1)

11 May 2012       9:30 a.m.              They Went West on the O-HI-O: Using the GPS to Follow a Family's Trail

12 May 2012       2:30 p.m.             The Mighty Ohio: Migration West From Pennsylvania    

Craig Roberts Scott, CG (ProGen 3 & 12)

09 May 2012       11:00 a.m.           Researching Your War of 1812 Ancestor                

10 May 2012       2:30 p.m.             Pension Research: You Stopped Too Soon

11 May 2012       9:30 a.m.             Known Dead of the War of 1812               

11 May 2012       4:00 p.m.             Union Provost Marshal Records               

Stefani Evans, CG  (ProGen 2)

10 May 2012       2:30 p.m.             Red Herrings and a Stroke of the Dead Palsy: Analyzing and       Correlating Evidence     

J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA (ProGen 5)

09 May 2012       11:00 a.m.           Focusing on Pathways ‘cross the Ohio River        

10 May 2012       8:00 a.m.             Understanding Court Records: Hands on Workshop        

ProGen Study Group Alumni:

Angela Packer McGhie (ProGen 1)

11 May 2012       8:00 a.m.              Read All About Your Ancestors by Locating Historic Newspapers               

Michael Hait, CG  (ProGen 5)

12 May 2012       8:00 a.m.              African American Genealogy: Tearing Down the Brickwalls          

12 May 2012       2:30 p.m.              Online State Resources for Genealogy: Beyond Ancestry(TM) and FamilySearch(TM)     

Harold Henderson (ProGen 1)

11 May 2012       9:30 a.m.              Orphans No More: Records of the Indianapolis Orphan Asylum 1851-1941           

12 May 2012       9:30 a.m.              Indirect Evidence: What To Do When Perry Mason Isn't on Your                Side      

Stephen J. Buffat (ProGen 9)

11 May 2012       11:00 a.m.            In Search of your Civil War Ancestry       

Thomas MacEntee (ProGen 4)

10 May 2012       9:30 a.m.              Utilizing Social Networks for Genealogy Research