Faculty:
- Coordinator and Instructor: Cecelia McFadden, MISM, PMP
- Other Instructors: Kate Townsend, CG®; Zachary Brodt; Sydney F. Cruice; Alec Ferretti; Sunny Jane Morton; Judy G. Russell, JD, CG®, CGL®, FUGA
Tuition:
- Regular Price: $615.00
- NGS Member Price: $575.00
Note: This course includes a day at the University of Pittsburgh Archives (on Wednesday).
Course Description:
This intermediate to advanced curriculum will use the 1890 US Census as a case study for hands-on skill building to close gaps created by non-extant population schedules of ancestors expected to be enumerated during the 11th Census of the United States. Skill growth will be achieved through course instruction and surrogate record exploration that will provide a platform for putting learning into practice. Assignment work will involve group discussions, session exercises, and fieldwork with primary artifacts and research tools.
Student Prerequisites:
Prerequisites: Students should have a basic understanding of US census records from the 10th and 12th Censuses of the United States as well as, experience with communicating research findings to an audience and a course completion certificate from a genealogical institute or equivalent.
Recommendations:
Students should plan to have a laptop for use during class meeting times for in class course work that includes an installed browser that can support Chrome or Firefox. Access to word processing, spreadsheet and family tree software is a plus.
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 | Icebreaker & Your “Why” | Connect with Peers and share your course goals | McFadden |
| 1 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Enumerating the Nation and Record Destruction: Understanding the 1890 Census | In this session, students will gain an understanding of the 11th decennial census, its forms, schedules and intent as well as context for its paradox – archival tragedy and record preservation catalyst. | McFadden | |
| 2 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | 6,160 Voices: Finding and Interpreting the Surviving 1890 Census Entries | This session guides participants through the surviving remnants of the 1890 US Census, offering practical strategies for locating and interpreting the 6,160 surviving individual entries. | McFadden | |
| 3 | 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Beyond the Federal Count: State and Local Censuses as 1890 Substitutes | This session delves into the crucial role of state and local census records as substitutes for the missing 1890 US Federal Census. The session will cover which states conducted censuses during the late nineteenth century Attendees will learn how to locate these records using major genealogy platforms, state archives, and local repositories, as well as strategies for navigating gaps or missing counties within state collections. | McFadden | |
| 4 | 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM | Advertisements, Articles, and Ancestors: Mining 1890s Newspapers for Clues | By the end of this session, participants will be equipped to: • Identify and access relevant 1890s newspaper archives • Extract genealogical clues from a wide variety of news items and advertisements • Integrate newspaper findings with other sources to reconstruct families and communities |
Morton | |
| Extra | 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM | 1890 Online Search Strategies | Homework | McFadden | |
| Tuesday 23 June |
5 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Year by Year: Reconstructing Families with City Directories | Participants will learn how to use city directories to trace ancestors year by year, enabling the creation of detailed timelines that reveal migrations, changes in occupation, and shifts in household composition. The session will also cover the use of modern digital collections on platforms such as Ancestry, MyHeritage, and FamilySearch, as well as strategies for accessing physical and microfilm directories in libraries and archives. | Townsend |
| 6 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | From Customs to Clues: Tracing Immigrants in Evolving Passenger Travel Documentation | The session will guide attendees through the evolution of immigration documentation, from early customs passenger lists (1820–1892) to more detailed immigration passenger lists created after 1893 and offer best practices for culling information in absence of a Census baseline. | Ferretti | |
| 7 | 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Declarations, Petitions, and Papers: Tracing Ancestors through Naturalization Records | Participants will learn about the types of naturalization records available, including declarations of intention, petitions for naturalization, and certificates of citizenship. These records, which could be filed in federal, state, or local courts prior to 1906, often contain key genealogical details such as an individual’s name, date and place of birth, occupation, immigration year, residence at the time of naturalization, and sometimes information about spouses and children. The session will explain how and when naturalization records became more standardized and comprehensive, with duplicate copies maintained by the courts. | Ferretti | |
| 8 | 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM | Ports of Call – Records for All | In this session, participants will explore the range of port-related records that can shed light on ancestors’ journeys and early experiences in America. The session will introduce attendees to documentation created at ports of arrival and departure that aren’t typically considered and are outside eastern seaboard geography. | Ferretti | |
| Extra | 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM | 1890 AI Strategies | Discussion of specific prompts to produce results for 1890 US Census research. | McFadden | |
| Wednesday 24 June |
9 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Archives and You – The 1890 Use Case | University of Pittsburgh Archive Staff will give an overview of their collection, access and retrieval best practices and examples of collections that can supplement student’s 1890 research queries. | Brodt |
| 10 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Blue Collar Gold – Industrial Worker Record Methods | This session delves into the rich but often overlooked records documenting the lives of blue-collar workers during the late 19th century—a critical era of American industrialization and urban growth. The session will provide practical strategies for identifying which industries and workplaces shaped ancestors’ lives and for locating repositories that hold valuable records on miners, factory hands, railroad workers, laborers, and craftsmen. | Townsend | |
| 11 | 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Research Rites – An Overview of Christian Church Records | This session illuminates the genealogical treasures found within Christian church records, focusing on their importance as alternative and supplementary sources during the late 19th century—especially when census and civil documentation are incomplete or unavailable. Participants will learn about the diverse array of records kept by churches and denominations, and the best practices for identification, retrieval and retention. | Morton | |
| 12 | 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM | Gilded Age Treasure – Industry Magnate Finds | Step into the glittering world of the Gilded Age and unearth genealogical treasures hidden in the records of America’s industry magnates. This session guides participants through the unique types of documentation generated by and about prominent business leaders—railroad tycoons, steel barons, coal magnates, and their ventures—during the late 19th century. | Townsend | |
| Thursday 25 June |
13 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM (Recorded with Live Q&A) |
Vital Statistics in the United States – A Legal Perspective | This session examines the evolution, purpose, and genealogical significance of vital statistics—birth, marriage, and death records—in the United States through a legal lens. Attendees will explore how state and local laws shaped the creation, content, and accessibility of these crucial records, with special emphasis on the fragmented development of civil registration in the 19th and early 20th centuries. | Russell |
| 14 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM (Recorded with Live Q&A) |
Women, Children & Property – The Law and Records of the Time | This session explores the often-overlooked intersection of law, property, and family history as experienced by women and children in the late 19th century United States. Participants will examine how legal restrictions and reforms shaped women’s and children’s property rights, inheritance, guardianship, and familial status—transforming the types of records they appear in, and the evidence left behind for genealogists. | Russell | |
| 15 | 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Westward Ho! – Territory Land Records | This session invites participants to journey westward into the rich tapestry of land records created as Americans moved into territories and frontier regions during the 19th century. Focusing on the legal, historical, and genealogical significance of territorial land documents, the session explores how waves of migration and federal land policies left traces in deeds, plat books, homestead files, bounty land warrants, preemption claims, and township maps. | Cruice | |
| 16 | 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM | From Plats to Pathways: Mapping Ancestors When Census Records Fail | This session explores the use of historical maps and plat maps as essential tools for genealogical research, with a focus on their value in reconstructing communities and tracing ancestors when census records-such as the 1890 US Census-are missing or incomplete. Participants will learn how various types of maps, including plat (cadastral) maps, enumeration district maps, fire insurance maps, and topographic maps, can provide unique insights into where and how ancestors lived. | Cruice | |
| Extra | 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM | The Wealth of Community – Ethnic Record Finds | This session will guide participants to historic cultural organizations that may have records with ancestor data and context. | McFadden | |
| Friday 26 June |
17 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Timeline Methods – Your Genealogy Axis | Timelines are the foundation of genealogy research rigor—offering a powerful framework for organizing fragmented sources, resolving contradictions, and revealing patterns in ancestors’ lives. This session introduces participants to practical and advanced methods for constructing detailed genealogical timelines, emphasizing their value in research projects where traditional census records are missing or incomplete. | Townsend |
| 18 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Special Schedules, Special Stories: Bridging the 1890 Census Gap | By the end of this session, participants will understand how to leverage 1890 special schedules to uncover military service, family relationships, and community ties, transforming these fragments into powerful tools for filling the 1890 census gap. | McFadden |