Faculty:
- Coordinator and Instructor: Sunny Jane Morton
- Other Instructors: Elizabeth Hodges, MA, MSLIS (ACPL); Kelley Connor Lear, CG; Kimberly T. Powell, AG; Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, FUGA
Tuition:
- Regular Price: $615
- NGS Member Price: $575
Description:
Many adults learn best when they can immediately practice what they’ve just been taught. That’s what this practicum is all about. Led by a team of seasoned researchers and methodologists, you will focus on a trio of processes critical for genealogical success: research, analysis and writing.
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Research. In advance, two virtual sessions and a personal consultation with a librarian will help you prepare research plans to execute at the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) Genealogy Center. In-person, you will have guided and independent library research time and a workshop to organize/file your discoveries to build healthy post-research-session habits. Additionally, you will consider practical uses of DNA and receive a hands-on introduction to employing AI confidently and effectively.
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Analysis. Many genealogists falter when it comes to analyzing and correlating historical evidence to form confident conclusions. You will be guided through case studies and hands-on practice with topics such as transcribing and analyzing documents; using visual and written strategies to correlate evidence; and researching laws to better interpret genealogical findings.
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Writing (and storytelling). You will learn from leading experts in writing for analysis, publication, and story sharing! Learn how to discover what the records are saying through writing and get past “blank page” syndrome. Learn and practice how to shape genealogical data and documents into storylines. Try your hand with various writing styles to learn the pros and cons of different voices or approaches. A unique storytelling workshop will help you discover your best storytelling style and practice essential storytelling skills.
Student Prerequisites:
This course builds on GRIP’s 2026 Skill-Building Practicum, but you do not have to have attended it; however, you should not be a beginner. Read the course description: if it sounds like just the thing to improve your confidence and competence as a researcher, you are welcome.
NOTE: All times are listed in Eastern Time.
Live Sessions may be subject to schedule adjustments by your course coordinator.
| Day | Session | Time | Session Title | Description | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, 7 June 2027 | 6:30 PM | Getting Ready for Research at Allen County Public Library | This virtual session ahead of our in-person visit to Allen County Public Library (ACPL) Genealogy Center will give everyone more than a month to prepare. Before this session, students will be sent two research plan templates ahead of time (they may choose to use one of these or another of their own) and instructions on how to request an ACPL Genealogy Card (if they live outside Indiana) or a library card (for Indiana residents). During the session, they will learn to prepare an appropriate, specific research question to bring to this library in July. The Library’s Assistant Manager of Genealogy Services Elizabeth Hodges will teach about the strengths of Allen County Public Library; how to use the online catalog with your library card; and the online databases available to patrons from home and at the library. | Morton and Hodges | |
| Monday, 7 June 2027 | 8:00 PM | PERSI In Person: Get Ready to Use the Periodical Source Index at ACPL | The Periodical Source Index (PERSI) is one of the most unique and comprehensive resources available at the ACPL Genealogy Center. PERSI points you to 3 million+ articles from thousands of genealogical and historical magazines, newsletters, and journals–nearly all of which can be found on the shelves! Learn how to think about what you’re looking for in PERSI and the most efficient and effective ways for searching this subject index. Practice searches during the session and get tips on preparing your list of articles to pull from the stacks during your time at the Genealogy Center.
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Morton | |
| M | 8:30-9:00 | Let’s Get Started: Introductions and Orientation | At this short meeting, we will all introduce ourselves and have a quick orientation on how the course will progress during the week. We’ll set expectations for an unforgettable, fun class culture. | Morton | |
| M | 1 | 9:00-10:15 | Group Research Practicum Planning Session | Before setting you free to get lost in your own research, we will work through one or more “practice” research questions as a group. (It’s easier to focus on the research process–absorb the concepts and strategies–when you’re not working on your own family.) In this session, you’ll learn what is already known about a research subject and review documents that have already been found. Then we will develop one or more research questions and plans to work on together in the library. We will divide up the work so each person may be exploring different aspects of the question (and not fighting over the same resources). | Morton |
| M | 2 | 10:45-12:00 | Group Research Practicum Guided Library Session I | The class will head to the Genealogy Center for a group research session. We will start with a short tour by Elizabeth Hodges, Assistant Manager of Genealogy Services, so you’ll know everything needed to have a productive, confident research experience. She will show you how to find the materials you need; how to map out your research plan for greater efficiency (and less walking); and logistics for copying/imaging and security. The rest of the time is for you to carry out research with the group practice questions. We will have a dedicated seating area to keep our experience cohesive (and to guard your “stuff” when you head to the stacks). Sunny will be there and you will also have access to the experienced, knowledgeable librarians on duty. | Morton and Hodges |
| M | 3 | 1:30-2:45 | Group Research Practicum Guided Library Session II | Your group research session continues, as you get more experience and confidence finding library materials, imaging relevant resources, processing findings sufficiently to evaluate next steps, and continuing or modifying your research plan in real time, consulting with expert staff as needed. | Morton |
| M | 4 | 3:15-4:30 | Group Research Practicum: Report Back and Process What You Found | If you’re like many genealogists, you won’t want to leave the library, but we will pull you back to the classroom to digest what you’ve just done. Each student will report on their findings (or lack of them) for the group research question. We’ll talk about how to organize findings after a research session so they can be found again–and what you’ll do with any intriguing “to-do” items that come up while chasing another research question. This process gives you real-time practice with creating a preliminary summary of research discoveries, identifying next steps, and keeping track of future lines of inquiry. | Morton |
| T | 5 | 9:00-10:15 | Independent Library Research Time I | Because you completed two course sessions virtually before coming to Fort Wayne, you’ve got two sessions of “free” research time for your own genealogy! And after your practice the day before, you’re prepared for solo research time. | Morton |
| T | 6 | 10:45-12:00 | Independent Library Research Time II | Your solo research time continues! During this second session, you will also have the option to attend a hands-on practice session with reading handwriting and transcribing a document, if you prefer to receive instruction rather than to do research. | Morton |
| T | 7 | 1:30-2:45 | The Genealogists’ Mindset: Problem Analysis and the Research Process | Good genealogical research begins with how we think about the problem. Reliable conclusions require critical thinking, thorough research, and the discipline to question our own assumptions. This session introduces the habits of analytical research: defining what we want to know, understanding people in the context of place, time, and relationships, evaluating information and evidence, and considering other explanations for what we find. Hands-on exercises will provide practice applying these ideas to real research situations. | Powell |
| T | 8 | 3:00-4:15 | Every Last Drop: Analyzing Sources and Extracting Evidence | Even the most common or seemingly simple sources hold more than a first glance suggests when they are thoroughly (and unrelentingly) analyzed. This session moves past pulling names and dates and into deep record analysis, teaching researchers how to mine every source for direct, indirect, and negative evidence. Strategies include considering the provenance of the source, harvesting the full context of a document (for witnesses, neighbors, as well as what lies in the margins), evaluating informants to gauge the reliability of what they reported, and understanding what a record is and isn’t capable of proving, so its evidence can be used with confidence. | Lear |
| W | 9 | 9:00-10:15 | More Than a Name: Building Identity Through Connections | People rarely appear in records alone. They are surrounded by relatives, neighbors, witnesses, business associates, church members, and others whose repeated presence can help us identify them and understand their relationships. Learn how to notice these connections, decide which ones may be significant, and keep track of them as your research develops. Hands-on exercises will focus on correlating people and relationships across records. | Powell |
| W | 10 | 10:45-12:00 | Finding the Neighbors: Building a Local Research Cluster | Neighbors are one important part of the network of people surrounding a research subject, but they are not always easy to identify. Learn how to move beyond the census household and use land, tax, church, court, map, and other locality records to determine who lived nearby and how those people were connected. Hands-on exercises will help you practice identifying and organizing a neighborhood cluster to support further research. | Powell |
| W | 11 | 1:30-2:45 | All Together Now: Correlating Evidence and Resolving Conflicts | Even direct evidence has to be tested. But when we move beyond the basics of “Do these dates agree?” things can get a lot more complicated. A research question might require multiple pieces of evidence drawn from an array of sources, especially when working with indirect or negative evidence. This is where the power of correlation comes in. We’ll work through techniques to distill complex, tangled evidence and clarify analysis. Using examples from research reports, kinship determinations, and case studies, we’ll dig into the skills to recognize and organize relevant evidence, highlight patterns, and work through conflicts. Attendees will leave ready to correlate scattered evidence into reliable conclusions. | Lear |
| W | 12 | 3:00-4:30 | Find the Law, Solve the Problem | Why was property divided that way? Could they legally marry? Who inherited—and why? In this hands-on session, we’ll work through real genealogical problems, identifying the law that mattered, finding the law in effect at the time and place, and using it as evidence to reach sound genealogical conclusions. | Russell |
| Th | 13 | 9:00-10:15 | From DNA Matches to Records: Finding Your Next Research Step | DNA results can help us decide where to look next in the records. Learn how match relationships, shared matches, family trees, and clusters can suggest ancestral lines, locations, and people worth investigating. Through examples and discussion, we’ll practice turning patterns in DNA results into focused documentary research questions. | Powell |
| Th | 14 | 10:45-12:00 | Hands-On Introduction to AI for Genealogy | How can genealogists use AI without losing sight of the source? In this guided, beginner-friendly practicum, participants will work with a supplied genealogical record and a conversational chatbot. They will learn a simple prompt-and-follow-up structure; extract names, dates, places, relationships, and supporting text; create a source-grounded summary; and turn verified findings into a concise research-report note. Along the way, they will practice preserving uncertainty, checking AI output against the record, and protecting private or sensitive information. Participants will leave with a repeatable record-to-report workflow and firsthand experience deciding where AI can help—and where genealogical judgment must remain in charge. | Little |
| Th | 15 | 1:30-2:45 | Writing for Discovery: A Tool for Better Research | You don’t have to wait until the research is finished to start writing. Putting hypotheses and evidence into words can reveal gaps, contradictions, assumptions, and connections that are easy to miss while working source by source. Learn how to make informal writing part of your research process, using it to think through evidence, capture developing ideas, and keep your analysis moving forward. We’ll also explore practical strategies for getting started when you feel stuck. | Powell |
| Th | 16 | 3:00-4:30 | Finding Stories in the Documents: Mapping Out “Plots” for Various Audiences | Turning genealogy research discoveries into meaningful stories can be challenging. Ancestors didn’t live “story-shaped” lives. You’ll learn how to construct a story arc from research and what kinds of narrative arcs are appropriate for different audiences (from young people at the dinner table to readers of an academic publication). We’ll talk about what to do about gaps in a story or conflicting evidence that hasn’t been resolved yet. We’ll have a discussion about ethical storytelling, including what to do about complicated, secret, or traumatic stories or how to have consideration for living and dead relatives–and the truth. You’ll practice creating a simple story arc and we’ll discuss how that went. | Morton |
| F | 17 | 9:00-10:15 | Experimenting with Different Writing Voices | Aspiring authors are often told that the best training is to READ and WRITE. We’re going to follow this advice. We’ll compare samples of different kinds of writing voices and discuss which ones are more compelling or appropriate, depending on the audience and purpose. Then you’ll learn by doing, with writing exercises that help you to see for yourself how results vary when you write about the same topic in different ways. During this process, you will be invited to consider which kinds of writing voices best suit your own writing goals (and your own preferences). You’ll emerge a more confident writer with a stronger vision of how to write your own narratives. | Morton |
| F | 18 | 10:45-12:00 | Storytelling Workshop: How to TELL the Story Succinctly and with Style | This culminating session builds on what was learned in the previous two sessions. Many genealogists wish their storytelling skills could do justice to fascinating ancestral anecdotes. Oral stories are the way most relatives prefer to receive family history lore: oral stories are easy to enjoy, digest, and retell. But storytelling is a learned art. A storyteller needs to deliver–often on-the-spot–just the right amount of detail and drama. You need to be able to “read” your audience. Everyone has a natural storytelling style that can be nurtured and refined. In this session, you’ll learn to recognize the storytelling style that fits you best (funny? understated? ironic? energetic? personal?). You’ll compress your story arc from session 16 into a short, oral story and practice delivering it so when the time comes, you can step up more confidently to storytelling opportunities with relatives and friends. | Morton |