Faculty:
- Coordinator and Instructor: Sunny Jane Morton
- Other Instructors: Sierra Green, MLIS; Cecelia McFadden, MISM, PMP; Gena Philibert-Ortega, MA; Kimberly T. Powell, AG®; Rachel Popma, MA; Judy G. Russell, JD, CG®, CGL®, FUGA
Tuition:
- Regular Price: $615.00
- NGS Member Price: $575.00
Note: This course includes sessions at the Heinz History Center (on Tuesday).
Description:
Successful genealogical research requires a range of skills that aren’t always well-taught in books or conferences. From the outset of every project, you must create a workable research plan; take a historical approach to geography; navigate record collections and their descriptions; track your findings; and confidently use archives. You need targeted strategies for searching fielded and unstructured digital data and learning historical context (sometimes very specific context). Interviewing (and listening!) skills are also crucial, as is the confident navigation of archives and research libraries. Analyzing and organizing research findings, writing for discovery, building citations, researching laws, reading old handwriting, and sharing your findings…all are essential steps that require skill and finesse.
At the beginning of the course, you’ll be asked to consider your own overarching goals as a genealogist–and you’ll return to that sense of purpose at the end of the week when it’s time to consider your writing or publication plan. During the rest of the course, you’ll have focused instruction from seasoned professionals who have honed specific strategies, tools and insights. You’ll have hands-on practice to boost your understanding and confidence–including dedicated time in both archive and research library settings.
Student Prerequisites:
Students should have some experience with genealogical research. This is an excellent course for someone who has never attended an Institute course. This course is perfect for those who want a confident, well-rounded suite of genealogical and related research skills, especially if their learning path has been self-taught or scattershot.
Recommendations:
Ahead of time, it is recommended that attendees be familiar with the principles and practices taught in a book such as The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4th edition by Val D. Greenwood or The Family Tree Toolkit by Kenyatta D. Berry. During the course, many more resources will be recommended for the specific needs, interests and skill levels of attendees.
Important Notice Regarding Course Materials:
An electronic syllabus for personal use.
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 13 July |
Intro | 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM | Class Introductions | We will kick off our week together by introducing ourselves and the course content, setting expectations, and giving everyone a chance to relax and look forward to the week ahead. | Morton |
| 1 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Set Yourself Up for Success: A Plan and a Process | Consider your purpose as a genealogist. Learn to create research plans based on specific goals and document your process. Get practical tips for keeping track of citations and discoveries as you work. | Morton | |
| 2 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | How to Conduct More Powerful, Enjoyable Interviews | Whether you’re talking to a relative or local historian, you need strong interviewing skills–and many genealogists don’t realize they lack them. You’ll learn how to prepare, how to prepare your subject, thoughts about recording conversations, how to listen and ask productive follow-up questions, tips for managing difficult topics and emotional responses respectfully, and more. | Morton | |
| 3 | 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Tracking Down Record Collections | Learn to find the record collections you need. Navigate major online resources for finding records that themselves may be online or offline. Analyze the completeness of record collections (does the dataset include the years or populations you’re seeking?). Learn about offline finding resources you may encounter at repositories. Track a derivative record back to the original. | Morton | |
| 4 | 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM | Understanding Locality and Using Maps | Learn to take a historical approach to issues of geography in your genealogical research. Learn to find and use maps to answer genealogical questions. | Powell | |
| Tuesday 14 July |
5 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Online Name-Searching Strategies | Learn a variety of strategies for searching for names in individual records. Learn about the functional difference between record hinting and the targeted searches you carry out. Learn about the benefits and limitations of optical character recognition (OCR) searches and how they differ from fielded data searches, so you’ll understand why you search them differently. Review and practice with FamilySearch’s full-text search technology. Practice using wildcards and searching in different kinds of databases. | Morton |
| 6 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Reading Old Handwriting | Learn strategies for reading different “hands” (handwriting styles) commonly used in old U.S. records. Explore old handwriting manuals to better understand how people were taught to create the strokes. You’ll do practice exercises in reading old documents and try writing with a dip pen yourself. | Morton | |
| 7 | 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Navigating Archives Like a Pro (Heinz History Center) | Learn your way around an archive. Learn about manuscript finding aids and the processes archivists use that affect how you may access their collections. Learn best practices for visiting archives in person. View representative manuscript record collections of the kinds often found at historical societies that are genealogically significant. | Green | |
| 8 | 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM | Archive Hands-on Experience (Heinz History Center) | Following up on lessons learned in session 7, you’ll have a guided, hands-on experience at the Heinz History Center archive. You will choose an archival collection to work with that fits your research interests (even if your personal research doesn’t pertain to western Pennsylvania). Using best practices, you will spend the afternoon working with original materials, archival tools as appropriate (gloves, cradles, etc.), and note-taking in an archival setting (especially in situations where you can’t make copies). You’ll leave a more confident, experienced archival researcher. | Morton | |
| Wednesday 15 July |
9 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Historical Context Matters | Wrap your head around the kinds of historical background you might want to explore for different kinds of research questions. Learn about various tools we haven’t yet discussed to help you research historical context: JSTOR, Google Scholar and additional resources available in research libraries. Prepare for another live research session, this one in secondary materials that may give you insights from a historical, religious, educational, ethnic, labor, health, community, or other viewpoint. | Philibert-Ortega |
| 10 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Library Hands-on Experience with Historical Context Research | Following up on lessons learned in session 9, you’ll have a guided experience in a research library where you’ll have access to materials and resources to help you dig more deeply into the historical world of your research subject: books, articles, theses, dissertations, and other materials. While doing this in person, you’ll also learn strategies and resources you can use when researching remotely. | Morton | |
| 11 | 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Finding the Laws that Affected Our Ancestors | It’s essential to look at records in the context of the law at the time and in the place where the records were created. Easier said than done, with 50 states and the federal government all passing laws! Learn how to find the laws and see a simulated case study. | Russell | |
| 12 | 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM | Spilling the TEA: Transcripts, Extracts, Abstracts | You may find yourself needing to transcribe, abstract, or compile from old documents at any point during the research process: while visiting an archive, analyzing your findings, or writing them up. Learn about the technical skills and judgment calls involved. You’ll also consider how to layer in historical moments, maps, and other devices to build a narrative around transcriptions to bring them to life. | McFadden | |
| Thursday 16 July |
13 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Working with Your Research Notes | What do you do with all the research discoveries you make, all those notes you’ve taken? Learn strategies for extracting pertinent information, analyzing what you find and writing for discovery. | Powell |
| 14 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Organize your Findings for Correlation and Analysis | Learn various methods for organizing your research findings so you can more effectively correlate and analyze the data. You’ll work with timelines, tables, and mind maps and consider which might be best for your situation. | Powell | |
| 15 | 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Understanding Sources and Building Citations | This will be the most fun you’ve ever had with a footnote! Learn the elements of a source citation and get practice building them using standard genealogical documentation formats. You’ll also briefly consider less-traditional options for acknowledging sources, and which approaches may work best for specific situations. | Popma | |
| 16 | 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM | Introduction to the National Archives | When and how does the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) fit into your research plan? You’ll learn what every genealogist with U.S. roots should understand: a) what record treasures are available; b) how records are generally distributed across the NARA system; c) databases you can use to see if your relatives may be included in various record collections; and d) how to successfully request records remotely and/or prepare for a trip to NARA. | McFadden | |
| Friday 17 July |
17 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Planning and Outlining a Successful Family History Writing Project | Deciding what to write and how to write it can be a big barrier for many people wanting to write up their family history discoveries. You’ll complete a hands-on worksheet during the session while considering several interrelated issues: your specific topic, audience, publication format, writing style, citation method, and more. | Morton |
| 18 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Next Steps Discussion: Lessons Learned and Next Steps | After spending all week reviewing essential skills, you’ll have a chance to evaluate your learning and plan your next steps. You’ll consider what skills you’d still like to learn more about and how you plan to apply what you learned in your next project. A class discussion will help students learn from and encourage each other. | Morton |