Course Descriptions
Courses Sorted Alphabetically By: Title - Start Date - Country of Interest
Become a Better Genealogist: Research in England and Wales
Genealogists who get results pay attention to methods, sources and the essential foundations of all research, history and geography. Regardless of how long you have been searching, there is something in this course that will make you a better genealogist. The lessons pay particular attention to how you tackle research problems, where you can find sources, and how to extract maximum value from online databases. Among classes of records discussed during the course you will discover some materials are available only in archives and libraries. You will learn how to locate original records, transcripts and copies. By the end of the course you will have acquired new skills and gained a better understanding of effective research techniques - from the present back to the 1830s.
Instructor: Gill Blanchard
- Looking Around: Your Genealogical Landscape, present resources and past locations
- Introducing Databases: large, small, free, paid etc.
- Civil Registration
- Directories and Electoral Registers
- Census Returns
- Parish Registers
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England, Wales
08/09/2009
6 Weeks
Britain’s first colony in the West Indies was settled in 1625. Over the next three centuries hundreds of thousands went out to the Caribbean as merchants, traders, soldiers, sailors, labourers, transported traitors and felons. The slave trade brought many times that many to the region. If your genealogical research has turned up a connection to one of Britain’s colonies in the Caribbean this course is your opportunity to expand your family history. You will learn about vital records, passenger lists, immigration sources and records of the slave trade. You will be able to make use of sources on the Web and learn about resources accessible in archives and libraries. For anyone with Caribbean connections this course will set your research on solid foundations.
Instructor: Guy Grannum
- Caribbean Research: Essential Facts, Useful Background
- Web Resources, Archives and Libraries
- Records of Birth, Marriage and Death
- Migration and Settlement
- Sources for Researching Enslaved People and Slave Holders
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: West Indies (Barbados, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad, and other islands that have been British)
24/09/2009
5 weeks
Devon, tucked away in the West Country of England, has a rich heritage that inspires and delights family historians. Devon’s recorded past is an equally rich source of information and this course presents county resources in the context of landscape, events and people. The four lessons describe the extensive resources available for your research and how to access them, including the benefits of joining a family history society. Local history and geography are themes within the course as you learn the value of maps and about the contrasts in the lives of the people in town and country.
Instructor: Kirsty Gray
- Online Sources for Devon
- Family History Society Sources
- Contrasting parishes and populations – ancestors of coast, town and country and their occupations
- Sources and Archives - the rich and the poor
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England
05/10/2009
4 weeks
Enclosure Maps and Records for Family Historians
Maps and records detailing the enclosure of open fields and common land in England and Wales are valuable resources for your family history. After 1760 over 5100 Parliamentary Enclosure Acts affected more than 6.5 million acres. The maps and award records are one of the best sources of information on land ownership, tenure and landscape change. This short course presents the background from Tudor times to the Victorian era and, through the use of case studies, demonstrates the research value of enclosure records. In addition, you will discover connections with familiar sources and view the context of your ancestors’ lives from a new perspective.
Instructor: Liz Carter
- The Enclosure Process: history and controversial issues
- The Enclosure Records: maps and awards, examining the records
- Making Links: Other sources, new ideas
each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England, Wales
/T.B.A./2009
3 weeks
Introduction to One-Name Studies
A one name study is an exciting new journey into your surname’s past. It involves the collection of all the occurrences of a surname and biographical data about everybody who shares that surname. This course is an introduction to one name studies, written with the guidance of the Guild of One-Name Studies and is suitable for all genealogists who have woken up to the knowledge that they have an interesting and unusual surname.
You will learn about the history and study of surnames, which surnames are suitable for a study, what a one name study consists of, and how to get started. We cover how to collect and analyse data from the core records. You learn about all the practical aspects of running a one name study; collecting data, how to publicise your study, data protection, publish results and make sure your study is preserved for others in the future. You will also learn how the Guild of One-Name Studies guides and supports its members.
Non Guild members signing up for the course will get FREE Guild Membership for the remainder of the financial year.
Instructor: Helen Osborn
- About One-Name Studies
- Surnames and their History
- Core Records you will need and Informartion gathering
- Analysing and making sense of your data
- Practical aspects of running your own One-Name Study
- SORRY - The April and June Courses are NOW FULL, this course starts 17 September
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
17/09/2009
5 weeks
Ireland: A Practical Approach to Family History
Research into Irish Ancestors is considered particularly difficult, a generalization that is too readily accepted. There are challenges, but until you match knowledge of resources - online and off - to the circumstances of your ancestors you do not actually know how difficult your own search will be. The focus of this course is on records, the context of your own Irish research and creating practical strategies. If your Irish ancestors were alive for any period after 1785, if you want to know whether you really can find your Irish origins and take them back beyond 1800, then this course is what you need.
Instructor: Sherry Irvine
- Then and Now: The Context of Your Search and Use of the Internet
- Civil Registration, Directories, Schools
- Land Valuations of the 1800s, Censuses and Lists
- Church Records and Probate
- In or Out of Work: Occupations and Poor Relief
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: Ireland
/T.B.A./2010
5 Weeks
I’m Stuck! How Can the Society of Genealogists Help Me?
In this short two week course, Else Churchill of the Society of Genealogists will take you through the steps needed to help you think logically about your research problems and how to solve them. She also introduces you to records and specialist indexes held by the Society of Genealogists which can be used to break down those brick walls, and will show how these can help you extend your family tree. Emphasis is also placed on learning how to apply research techniques to solve your problems.
Students taking this course will find useful a basic familiarity with and an understanding of the use of the genealogical sources including census, civil registration, church records and probate.
Instructor: Else Churchill and Helen Osborn
- Understanding Your Research Problems
- Records and Services at the Society of Genealogists
- SoG members should email the membership secretary for a discount code
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England & Wales
/T.B.A./2010
2 Weeks
Military Men and Women: Records of Britain's Armed Forces 1750 - 1920
Just about everyone with British or Irish roots can find a soldier or sailor in the family tree. If you have sailors, soldiers or airmen in your family tree and want to find out more about them, then this course is for you. We will look at the increasing number of resources available online on both The National Archives as well as on commercial websites and those maintained by enthusiasts. The course will also look at researching the original records at Kew and look at resources available at regimental museums, through LDS family history centres and national archives and museums across the Commonwealth. At the heart of the course are the service records for the three services which provide vital genealogical facts and a wealth of helpful detail that can take your research back into the 18th century and reveal the life of your ancestors in the army or navy 200 years ago. The lessons cover what records exist, how to combine records to best effect, what can be achieved on the Internet and what must be done at Kew or elsewhere.
Instructor: Simon Fowler
- An introduction to TNA online resources (data, exhibitions and guides)
- Background to record keeping in the Navy Army and Royal Air Force
- Working with catalogues, TNA, FamilySearch and others
- Viewing documents online and using online clues
- If you can't get to TNA and more useful websites
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, Canada
06/10/2009
5 Weeks
Old Handwriting for Family Historians
Old handwriting, or palaeography, often presents difficulties for family historians. This course takes a practical approach to Secretary Hand which was a commonly used form during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Family historians will come across Secretary Hand in many types of documents such as parish registers and wills and inventories. The course aims to equip students with their own set of steps to successful transcription, as well as provide insights into the development of Secretary Hand.
Instructor: Ruth Davies
- Introduction to Secretary Hand and Methods of Transcription
- Challenging Details
- Steps to Successful Transcriptions
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. NOTE: Students are asked to purchase A Secretary Hand ABC Book by Alf Ison, which is available from the online bookshops of The National Archives and the Society of Genealogists. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: General
27/07/2009
3 weeks
Puzzled? Stuck? Perhaps a course does not seem like the solution. One to one tuition with Sherry Irvine could be just what you need. This is a unique opportunity to have an experienced genealogist consider what you know and what you have done and then take you through the best research steps to solving your problem. Sherry begins by finding out something about your computer skills and your knowledge of genealogical records. Then she will ask you to complete a questionnaire about the research problem and work with you to select a date and time for the one to one session. As she analyses and plans the research steps for your problem you may be asked to provide more information. The Internet chat will last one hour and will be conducted using a chat room or a free VOIP service such as MSN Messenger or Skype. The chat takes you through the steps required for advancing your research and includes information about resources and their access. You will receive your research plan either in the form of an edited text file of the chat room conversation or a report of the VOIP conversation.
Instructor: Sherry Irvine
- Questionnaire and email discussion of your research problem
- Online one to one tutorial at a time and date to suit you
- Personal research plan for you to keep
See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Canada
/Select a date/2009
Two to three weeks
As you research your family history, you collect information, charts, copies of records, notes, lists of sources searched, etc. Whether you are just starting your research or whether you have been at it a while, it is important to be organized and have a record keeping system. It should be easy to file and store information when you get it, and to find it long afterward. Good organization and record keeping will help you assess what you have, what you have learned, and what you need to learn. This three-week course is designed to help you get organized, stay organized and be ready for research online and on location by developing good record-keeping habits.
Instructor: Barbara Baker
- Record Keeping Fundamentals
- Setting Up Your System on Computer
- Sources, Sources, Sources!
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: General
24/10/2009
3 Weeks
Researching Irish Ancestors Before 1820
Irish research becomes particularly challenging when working before the 1820s. Anyone taking this course should have taken Course 103, Ireland: A Practical Approach to Family History or have equivalent knowledge and experience. The six lessons of this course describe important and accessible records, notably estate papers and deeds, and provide information about the historical context that generated them. You will learn about content, survival, access and location, and understand the administrative structure in which they were used.. You will also become familiar with key finding aids online and in print, and will learn how to use catalogues to identify surviving records. The course will help you create a personal research strategy.
Instructor: Sherry Irvine
- Getting Ready for the Challenge
- Church Registers and Other Records
- Local Administration and its Records
- Land History, Land Records
- Deeds and Other Legal Records
- • Identifying More: Calalogues, Calendars and Research Strategy
Each Lesson includes exercises and 1 one-hour chat each week. See How the Courses Work. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: Ireland
13/10/2009
6 weeks
Scotland 1750 - 1850: Beyond the OPRs
This is an intermediate level course in Scottish family history for those who are going back beyond 1850. You should have some experience with research in the Old Parochial Registers of the Church of Scotland and in using major websites for Scottish research. This course discusses sources that fill the gap when the OPRs are uninformative or missing; for example, records of parish and town administration, occupations, land transfer and taxation. Using these records involves several different locations. You will learn how to check online finding aids and how to find the most effective way to obtain records that may be online, in print, on CD or microfilm. This is the second course in a planned program of three.
Instructor: Sherry Irvine
- Kirk Sessions records and parish poor
- Burgh records and town poor
- Occupations, taxation and early lists
- Land transfer and the value of sasines
- Land, inheritance and estates
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: Scotland
09/07/2009
5 Weeks
Scotland was first to have major records digitized and offer indexes and images online. It has also been a leader in placing resource information on the World Wide Web. This course describes the major sites, the types of information and data that they offer, the forms in which databases are presented and how to analyze results. You will learn to lay the foundations for searching a family, how to select best resources and what to do next either online or in libraries and archives.
Instructor: Chris Paton
- Scotlands People, Family Search, Ancestry, FreeCen: content, comparison, assessment
- Essential Maps and Gazetteers
- Civil Registration and Census Research Online
- Searching in Church of Scotland Registers Online
- Scottish Wills and Inventories Online
- Take It From Here
Note: it is recommended but not required that students in this course sign up for the basic search option, 30 units/seven days, at ScotlandsPeople (cost is six pounds)
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat s See How
the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: Scotland
24/08/2009
5 Weeks
Searching for Wills and Administrations in England and Wales
Records of wills and administrations are potentially the most informative sources for genealogical research. The course explains the systems for probate before and after 1858, describes records and online resources, and takes you through the steps of finding and using wills, administrations and death duty registers. You will learn how to extract maximum genealogical benefit from these probate records.
Instructor: Gill Blanchard
- Wills Before 1858
- Administrations Before 1858
- Wills After 1858
- Administrations After 1858
- Death Duty Registers
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England, Wales
27/10/2009
5 Weeks
The National Archives Catalogue - Finding People
Thanks to computers and the Internet, catalogues have come a long way, this one in particular. Not only does it describe more than 10 million documents, it can lead you to information about individual ancestors.
UK Government records, held at The National Archives (TNA), are a leading resource for genealogists. These are the historical records of a nation through more than a thousand years. They include documents about all parts of the British Isles and all parts of the world where the government had its agents, colonial officials or military forces.
Even if you cannot visit TNA in person, there is much to be gained from using TNA Catalogue online.
The lessons cover how to find the most genealogically valuable records and how to search for individuals. You learn what to do next, once you find an interesting listing, and how to discover useful background details about the records. The key to achieving this is navigation skill and you are shown how to navigate around the website. The emphasis is on remote access, how anyone, living anywhere, can make the most of The National Archives Catalogue.
Instructor: Helen Osborn
- An introduction to TNA online resources and Documents Online
- Using TNA Catalogue Effectively
- Widening your search: Global Search and links to other useful catalogues
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
/T.B.A./2010
3 Weeks
The Parish Chest: There was more to life than baptism, marriage and burial
The records and accounts of the parish make up what is collectively called the parish chest. From the reign of Elizabeth I the parish’s role in local affairs expanded to include many civil responsibilities that affected the lives of your ancestors. Parish officers - the churchwardens and overseers - raised taxes, kept accounts and managed parish affairs including maintaining the church, providing relief to the poor, setting local rates, repairing roads, maintaining law and order, and operating schools. You will discover other fascinating records as well, among them the wills of benefactors, militia records and parish magazines. This course explains how to locate parish chest records, describes indexes and finding aids, and discusses how to interpret and use search results. As a result you will build your family tree and expand your understanding of the parish and its day to day activities.
Instructor: Gill Blanchard
- What is the Parish and what role did it play in your ancestors’ lives?
- Churchwardens, Overseers and Vestry Records
- Property and Land Records
- The Parish Constable, School Records and Other Records
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England, Wales
13/07/2009
4 weeks
The Poor, The Parish and The Workhouse: Records in the 18th and 19th Centuries
Poor, illegitimate, sick, temporarily out of work, old, deserving or undeserving, those who could not or would not support themselves obtained help, in England and Wales, either from the parish, before 1834, or the poor law union, after 1834. Careful records were kept and they are helpful to family historians not only for what they reveal about those receiving assistance but about the local people who paid the rates and made the system work. The course explains how poor relief evolved, functioned and recorded its activities. You will learn how to use these records, how they can solve genealogical problems and what fascinating insights they offer into the lives of your ancestors. Online information and data are integral to the course. The course is for anyone searching poor law records for the first time or wanting to build on existing knowledge.
Instructor: Gill Blanchard
- Records of the Poor: background, terminology, how the Internet can help
- Parish Poor Law Records (1) types, use, indexes, access
- Parish Poor Law Records (2) other related parish records - bastardy, accounts, etc.
- Workhouse Records: content, use, access, life in the workhouse
- Other Related Records of the Poor including orphanages and charities
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England, Wales
/T.B.A./2010
5 Weeks
Victorian Crime and Punishment: Links from Court Records
Court records are among the best for solving problems and building vivid characters from your past. These documents are populated with petty thieves and robbers, murderers and bankrupts, members of juries and anyone granted a license. There are records for the new police force and the management of prisons. This course presents the background and the records, includes illustrations and case studies, and set forth the best research methods, online and in archives. If your family tree lacks privileged ancestors it may have other well-documented ancestors, those who made their way into records of crime and punishment.
Instructor: Liz Carter
- Victorian Law Enforcement and How It Changed
- The Police
- Records of Local Courts
- The Impact of Legislation
- High Courts
- Prisons and Punishment
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England and Wales
07/10/2009
6 weeks
Victorian Families: Your Ancestors in the Census
Victorian ancestors - we all have them but what do we really know about them? Facts from civil registration and the census tell us something, but say little about how they lived. This course takes you beyond the facts and explains what census records reveal. The census is a window on the Victorian family and this course helps you take a closer look at life - in fashionable streets, back alleys and the countryside, in large houses, town houses, cottages and tenements. It looks too at food, work, fun, life and death. You will learn to interpret what you have found, get to know your ancestors better, and realize the genealogical value of a close acquaintance with past lives.
Instructor: Liz Carter
- A closer look at the census - finding your family
- Investigating the neighbourhood - putting your family on the map
- Inside the Victorian house - family life in the 19th century
- The Victorian Environment - from slums to palaces
- Knowing them better and taking it further
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England, Wales
/T.B.A./2010
5 weeks
Writing a family history is the logical step after genealogical research, but family histories should be written to appeal to a broad spectrum of relatives and readers, not just those who are genealogical enthusiasts. Well-written family histories make ideal presents and can be the focal point of family re-unions. Themes within the lessons include occupations, women and children, taking photographs of significant places and setting up a family website. This course shows how the Internet and other resources can be used to broaden the appeal of family histories drawing on the social and economic conditions of the times when our ancestors lived.
Instructor: Brian Drescher
- People.
- Time and Place.
- Writing Your Family History
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: General
02/10/2009
3 Weeks
Your Family in England 1714 to 1830
The decades of the reigns of Georges I through IV brought significant changes to England which one way or another affected the lives of your ancestors. Words and names stir up ideas of all that was going on: steam and industry, turnips, the South Sea Bubble, Jeremy Bentham, turnpike roads, revolution, Thomas Malthus, the Napoleonic Wars, food riots, and Jane Austen. This course will guide your research into your family, their everyday lives, food, clothing, work and play in a framework of contemporary events and issues.
Instructor: Liz Carter
- Early Georgian Society
- The Changing Landscape
- War and Peace
each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England
03/09/2009
3 weeks
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