Advanced Library Research Course at IGHR

As part of my continuing series of guest authors reviewing courses at different genealogical institutes, Laurel Baty, CG writes about the Advanced Library Research course at Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. This course is scheduled every other year, so will be available again in 2014.

 Advanced Library Research:

 Law Libraries & Government Documents

You’ve found your family in the census, searched for probate and deed records, read the neighborhood newspapers, and located any applicable military records. Are you ready to write your family history, sure that you have mined all available sources? Well you might first explore the records that exist in government documents and law libraries! The class Advanced Library Research: Law Libraries & Government Documents will provide you with the skills you need to explore these under-utilized records.

This class challenges you to determine who in your family interacted with the federal, state, and local government. If you have not yet explored government documents and published court cases you will be surprised to find how many of your ancestors left records hidden among the vast published records of the courts and government. During the one week course I located:

·         The appointment of my husband’s grandparents as postmaster of a small South Dakota town 
·         A case appealed to the Georgia State Supreme Court by my  paternal 2^nd great grandmother 
·         A private act of the State of Georgia created to settle the estate of my paternal 3^rd great   
             grandfather 
·         A case appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court by my maternal 2^nd great grandmother 
·         A case appealed to the United States Supreme Court by my maternal 2^nd great granduncle 
·         A case appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court by my maternal 3^rd great grandfather

Thanks to access to an expensive online database normally available only at law schools, but provided to the students of the Advanced Law Library class through June 30, I am still searching! I highly recommend this class, offered in alternate years at IGHR. One of the course coordinators, Ann Carter Fleming, announced her retirement at the Thursday night banquet but I am sure the course will continue under the able leadership of Benjamin B. Spratling and the talented team of lecturers for the course: Claire Mire Bettag, Kay Haviland Freilich, Ruth Ann Abels Hager, Brenda Jones, and Patricia Walls Stamm. 

Laurel Baty, CG^SM

laurelbaty@comcast.net

New Course on Genetic Genealogy

I am excited about this new course from NGS. Here is the press release with all the details:

NGS Announces New Course by Dr. Thomas H. Shawker:

Genetic Genealogy, The Basics.

The National Genealogical Society proudly announces the release of its newest American Genealogy Studies course, Genetic Genealogy, The Basics, developed by Dr. Thomas H. Shawker.

Thomas H. Shawker, MD, is a physician with the National Institutes of Health, a nationally recognized lecturer on genetics, and chairman of the NGS Genetic Genealogy Committee. In 2004 he authored the NGS book, Unlocking Your Genetic History.

Now, Dr. Shawker shares his medical expertise in the six-lesson self-paced course Genetic Genealogy, the Basics. Topics covered in the course include:

• the structure of the DNA molecule, how it is organized, how it replicates, and how it functions;
• human chromosomes and how the Y chromosome is inherited;
• the two types of DNA markers used in genetic genealogy;
• haplotypes and haplogroups;
• evaluation of a Y chromosome surname project and a discussion on how to evaluate the test results of the participants; and
• the structure of the mitochondrial DNA molecule, how it is inherited, and how it can be used in genealogy. 

The course is designed for independent study. Students check their work with an answer key that immediately follows each self-test. Genetic Genealogy, The Basics is available on a PC- or MAC-compatible CD in a PDF format. The tuition is $45.00 for members and $70.00 for non-members. For further information, or to purchase the course, visit the NGS website at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org and click on the Educational Courses tab.

Please visit the course web page at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/genetic_genealogy for more information.

NGS American Genealogy Studies courses are designed for both beginners and established genealogists who want the convenience of completing their genealogical studies at their own pace in their own home.

Other available courses include:

•          American Genealogy: Home Study Course

•          Using Federal Population Census Schedules in Genealogical Research

•          Introduction to Civil War Research

•          Introduction to Religious Records

•          Social Security Sleuthing

•          Special Federal Census Schedules

•          Transcribing, Extracting, and Abstracting Genealogical Records

•          Working with Deeds

Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogy education, high research standards, and the preservation of genealogical records. The Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, research guidance, and opportunities to interact with other genealogists. 

Research in the Midwestern Course at SLIG

Continuing the series of posts by guest authors reviewing courses at genealogy institutes, LeRoy Atkins shares his perspective on the Research in the Midwestern United States at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.

If you have never taken a course coordinated by Kory Meyerink, don't miss "Research in the Midwestern United States." The 2012 guest instructors included Jill Crandall, Luana Darby, Russ Lynch, Debra Mieszala, Gordon Remmington, Paula Stuart-Warren, Kelly Summers, and Linda Turner. All of them are well qualified, interesting people. 

The course is content rich. You will be exposed to many new sources specific to the eight Midwestern states. Millions of people passed through, created records, and/or lived in the Midwest. (The strategy for the area is also useful in the Great Plains states.) In addition classes include methodology applicable to the Midwest and to genealogy in general. 

Subjects include:

•        Migration
•        Religious and Ethnic Groups
•       Immigrant Origins
•        Finding Aids
•        Local Histories
•        Biographies
•        State Census Records
•        Cemetery Searching in the Midwest
•        19th Century Passenger Lists
•        Public Domain and Local Land Records
•        State and Local Vital Records
•        Church Records
•         Manuscript Collections in the Midwest
•         Midwestern Archives
•         Internet Sources for the Midwest
•        Newspaper Research
•        Big City Research

Maximize the value of the course. Come prepared with a research plan to answer a specific genealogical question about a Midwest ancestor. The course has no specific homework assignment. Use your evenings to implement the practical knowledge taught in "Research in the Midwest..." You should be able to supplement your research plan, and find answers to your questions. If you elect to do so you may submit your problem for recommendations from your classmates during one of the sessions. Kory is a very sharing and helpful coach and teacher.

One of the final sessions included an interactive case study. It started with a pedigree chart, limited known information, and a goal to learn details to extend the pedigree. That class demonstrated a practical application of the methodology covered during the week. 

If you have ancestors that lived in the Midwest, or will assist others who do, I recommend this course.

A. LeRoy Atkins

A. LeRoy Atkins earned a B.S. in Accounting at Brigham Young University. He is a retired local government auditor and print executive. He began doing genealogy work in 1957. Currently he volunteers at the Mesa (Arizona) Family Search Library. He may be contacted at Lmatkins@cox.net.

My "Genea-bucket List"

I think for the first time ever I will participate in Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun. I am usually busy with family on Saturday's but I saw his blog posting on Facebook and decided I liked the topic. Randy posted his "genea-bucket list" and I decided to do my own.

Randy's instructions are on his blog, but the main idea is to answer:

What is on your Genealogy Bucket List?  What research locations do you want to visit? What do you want to accomplish with your genealogy research?  List a minimum of three items - more if you want!

Here is my list:

1. Become a certified genealogist through the Board for Certification of Genealogy.

2. Visit the towns and parishes of my ancestors' homelands in England, Denmark and Sweden.

3. Write up the history of my ancestors in a fully documented format, one line at a time. This I will share with my family, including distant cousins I have found who share my interest, and the libraries and historical societies in the locations my ancestors lived.

These would be on my "genea-bucket list" if I had not already completed them:

1. Complete the Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis course at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research taught by Elizabeth Shown Mills. (completed June 2010)

2. Give a genealogy lecture at a national conference. (completed May 2012 at NGS in Cincinnati)

British Institute: Advanced Methodology for Irish Research

This post is part of my continuing series of guest authors sharing their perspective on different courses at genealogy institutes. This one features Laurel Baty, CG writing about a course at the British Institute held each October in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A Unique Course: Advanced Methodology for Irish Research Taught by David E. Rencher

My first experience with Genealogy Institutes was in October 2007 when I attended David Rencher’s class, Irish Research: Sources and Methods for Research in Ireland, at the annual British Institute in Salt Lake City. I was a novice to Irish genealogy and learned so much during that first class and had a wonderful experience. I have attended the British Institute annually since 2007 and enjoyed every class I have taken. The British Institute, sponsored by the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History [ISBGFH], offers a unique format: lectures in the morning with instructor consultations and guided research in the afternoon at the Family History Library. Where else can you learn about records in the morning and have hands on research in the same records in the afternoon? The instructor consultations are a wonderful addition to the classes.

At the British Institute in 2011 I attended Advanced Methodology for Irish Research taught by David E. Rencher which will also be offered in October of 2012. I highly recommend this unique class. The other Irish classes I have taken from David Rencher were about the records of Ireland and how to locate them [Governmental Records of Ireland in 2009 and Making the Transition from Irish Church Records to Irish Land Records in 2010]. The Advanced Methodology class taught us what to do with the records once we found them and how to utilize Irish records to solve genealogical problems.

Each day was organized around a broad topic, with multiple lectures each day:

·         Monday: Strategies for a Sound Beginning

·         Tuesday: Strategy and Methods to Sharpen Your Skills

·         Wednesday: Research Methodologies for Catholic Research

·         Thursday: Strategies for Scots-Irish Research

·         Friday: Strategies for Church of Ireland Research

After a morning packed with lectures we headed off to the Family History Library in the afternoon to test our new found knowledge and consult individually with David Rencher, a world renowned expert in Irish genealogy who also happens to be the Chief Genealogical Officer of Family Search! The consultation is worth the cost of the class! Make sure to bring your Irish research problem—you may topple a few brick walls.

David’s classes at the British Institute inspired me to take three research trips to Northern Ireland and plunge into Irish research. His classes also started me on the road to certification by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. David will offer the class in 2012 with some changes. Visit the ISBGFH webpage to read the course description: http://www.isbgfh.org/cpage.php?pt=7

 

I will be attending Tom Jones’ class, From Simple to Complex: Applying Genealogy’s Standard of Proof to Your Work, offered for the first time at the British Institute in 2012:. There is currently space available in both classes as well as the two other classes being taught this year:

·         British Military, Its Regiments and Records taught by John Kitzmiller, II

·         Records and Strategies for Beginning English Research taught by Judy Jones.

Laurel Baty, CG^SM

laurelbaty@comcast.net

Exploring Genealogy Institutes

There are four genealogy institutes in the United States which provide excellent genealogical training. They are the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), the National Institute for Genealogical Research (NIGR) and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP). I have attended three of these genealogical institutes and recommend them to all serious genealogists. The advantage of a genealogical institute over a conference is that you study one track or topic for the whole week, thus receiving an in-depth education from some of the top genealogists in the country. Two of the institutes, SLIG and IGHR, offer ten different tracks to choose from each year. 


The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, is held annually in June. Registration opens in January, and I recommend registering the first day as many of the courses will fill quickly. Courses offered at the 2013 institute held June 9-13 include: 

Course 1: Techniques & Technology 
Course 2: Intermediate Genealogy
Course 3: Historical Studies Research in the South, Part II 
Course 4: Advanced Methodology & Evidence Analysis 
Course 5: Writing & Publishing for Genealogists 
Course 6: Genealogy as a Profession 
Course 7: German Genealogical Research 
Course 8: Understanding Land Records 
Course 10: Scottish Genealogical Research 


The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) is held annually in January in Salt Lake City, Utah. Registration is now open for the next institute to be held January 10 -14, 2013. The following tracks will be offered:

Course 1: American Research and Records: Focus on Localities
Course 2: Bridging the 1780-1830 Gap: From New England to the Midwest (and points in between)
Course 3: Researching Your English Ancestors: Beyond the Parish Register
Course 4: Germany: Advanced Tools and Methods
Course 5: Researching in Washington D.C. without Leaving Home
Course 6: A Genealogist's Guide to the Internet Galaxy
Course 7: Principles of Forensic Genealogy
Course 8: Producing a Quality Family Narrative
Course 9: Advanced Genealogical Methods
Course 10: Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum
Course 11: Problem Solving

The Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) is new this year and has four courses available July 22 - 27, 2012. There is still space available in the German course and the Online Repository course for this July:

Course 1: Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper
Course 2: Advanced Research Methods
Course 3: Beneath the Home Page: Problem Solving with Online Repositories
Course 4: German Genealogical Research
 

The National Institute for Genealogical Research (NIGR) is held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. in July. This institute provides an on-site exploration of federal records. Presenters include professional genealogists and NARA archivists and cover records such as military, land, immigration, census, as well as many other types of federal records that can be used for genealogical research. There are optional evening sessions at the Library of Congress and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library. You can sign up online to receive a copy of the registration brochure to be sent out in February.

Learn Genealogy on YouTube?

Can you really learn about genealogy on YouTube? This is the first in a series of articles on locating genealogy teaching videos on various YouTube channels. I challenge you to watch at least one and learn something new. 

 

"Know Your Records" Now Online

Did you know the National Archives (NARA) has a YouTube Channel? The archivists are creating short videos on records in their possession as well as putting videos of recorded presentations online. Most of the recorded lectures come from their "Know Your Records" series of live presentations given at the National Archives since 2005. Now you do not have to go to NARA in Washington, D.C. to see the presentations, but can learn about these records from the comfort of your home. Here are links to a selection of the videos available, but there are hundreds more.


"Know Your Records" Programs

Know Your Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) for Genealogists

Passport Applications, 1795-1925 

Army Service in the Civil War: An Overview

Documenting Death in the Civil War

The Official Register of the United States, 1816-1959

Civil War Widows' Pension Digitization Project at the National Archives

This is a six minute video that shows what pension files look like and how they are digitized.

 

Genealogy Introduction Series - short 10 to 15 minute videos on basic records

Genealogy Introduction—Census Records at the National Archives

Genealogy Introduction—Immigration Records at the National Archives 

Genealogy Introduction—Military Research at the National Archives: Pension Records

Genealogy Introduction—Military Research at the National Archives: Volunteer Service

Featuring the 1940 Census

The 1940 Census - Introduction

Learn about the 1940 Census at 1940census.archives.gov 

Family finds in the 1940 census at the Genealogy Fair

The 1940 Census - Census of Population

The 1940 Census - Census of Housing

The 1940 Census - Census of Agriculture

1940 Census Invitational Workshop