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
19/01/2009
6 Weeks
This course has been prepared with the British-based researcher in mind and focuses on the Anglophone Caribbean (i.e., former British Colonies). Those researching British ancestors who had connections to the West Indies will also find it helpful. The five lessons provide the guidance you need to get started and to face the challenges, which include a shortage of indexed and transcribed sources. 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 know what to find using LDS family history centres. For anyone with Caribbean connections this course will set your Caribbean research on solid foundations.
Instructor: Guy Grannum
- Introduction to Caribbean Genealogical Research
- Archives and Internet Resources
- Life Cycle Records
- 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. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: Anglophone Caribbean (Barbados, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad, etc,)
23/04/2009
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
08/06/2009
5 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
20/01/2009
5 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
/To suit you/2008
Two to three 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
/T.B.A./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
05/05/2009
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: Sherry Irvine
- 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
10/03/2009
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
16/03/2009
5 Weeks
Second Stages in English Research
The course introduces many of the main sources for research into English ancestry 1600 - 1800 with an emphasis on what is available online. It will be assumed that students have some knowledge and experience of using the IGI and of accessing parish registers and that they have researched back beyond the start of civil registration in 1837 for at least one family line. The context of people's lives and of the records that recorded them will be discussed throughout, particularly with attention the value of context in solving problems. Uniquely, this course will be tailored to the interests of the students in the class. It is therefore important that students respond to a brief questionnaire about their interests prior to the start of the course.
Instructor: Helen Osborn
- The Parish Register and Beyond, records of vital events and the parish chest
- Occupations and Apprenticeships
- Non-conformists and Aliens
- Maps, Property and Voting
- Introduction to the National Archives, guidance and data
- TNA Case Studies, Chancery and Emigration (topics may alter according to the interests of the group)
Note: It is recommended but not compulsory that students sign up to one month's subscription at Origins Network. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England
/T.B.A./2009
6 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
02/02/2009
3 Weeks
The Poor, The Parish and The Workhouse: Records in the 1800s
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./2009
5 Weeks
All genealogical research must be conducted using the original records created at or near the time of the event. However, the explosive growth of the Internet has made a wealth of United States records available online in many formats. This course introduces the concepts and methodologies for online research. It also presents the major Web sites and databases, the types of information and data that they offer, the forms in which databases are presented and how to analyze results. You will learn how to select best resources and what to do next, at libraries and archives, on the Internet, and working the resources in tandem with one another.
Instructor: George G. Morgan
- How to Evaluate What You Find on the Internet
- Websites are for Reference, Data, and for Fun
- Web Sites, Online Databases, Message Boards, and Mailing Lists
- Using Online Catalogs of Libraries and Archives in Your Jammies
- Working All the Resources in Tandem
Note: It is recommended but not required that students in this course sign up for free trials of Ancestry.com and Footnote.com just prior to week 4 of this class, if they do not already have subscriptions. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: United States
/T.B.A./2009
5 weeks
US Immigration and Naturalization Records: Keys to Ancestral Origins
The time comes when you want to trace your ancestors’ migration across the ocean to the United States and what led them to make the journey. This class discusses the forces behind emigration to the US, "push and pull" factors, geography and personal circumstances and the records that help tell the story. Fortunately, ships passenger lists are available back to 1820 and are accessible online at subscription websites. The majority of naturalization records exist from ca. 1800 to the mid-twentieth century and can be located on microfilm and in the US National Archives and Records Administration facilities. The huge volume of records, and the many repositories, can be intimidating, but solid research methods will help you locate what you need. You will learn about the major immigration and naturalization documents, the various laws affecting the processes, and a variety of Internet resources for researching your immigrant ancestors. A bibliography of printed reference publications will also be provided.
Instructor: George G. Morgan
- Why do People Migrate?
- Voyages of Adventure: A Chronology of Ships' Passenger Lists
- Indices and Reference Materials
- Accessing & Working with Ships' Passenger Lists
- The Naturalization Process and Documents
- Strategies for Locating Naturalization Documents
Each lesson includes exercises and activities, and a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: United States, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and other European countries
/T.B.A./2009
6 weeks
Victorian Households: Links from 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 what the records state and tells you what they reveal. The census is a window on the Victorian household and this course looks inside 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 know your ancestors better, enjoy research more, and realize the genealogical value of a close acquaintance with past lives.
Instructor: Liz Carter
- Be sure you get everything from a census record
- What was the neighbourhood like?
- What was the home like?
- Learning about Victorian life
- 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
10/06/2009
5 weeks
Tracking ancestors changes from the fun of solving puzzles to the fascination of "meeting" people when their footprints in the past can be followed. Court records are among the best for turning names and dates into lives lived. Their pages contain petty thieves and robbers, murderers and bankrupts, as well as anyone granted a license, and the members of the juries. 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.
Instructor: Liz Carter
- Victorian Law Enforcement and How It Changed
- The Police
- Records of Local Courts
- Practical Applications for Genealogy
- High Courts
- Punishment
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 and Wales
/T.B.A./2009
6 weeks
Writing the family history is a logical result of genealogical research. Family histories make ideal presents for relatives and can be focal points of family reunions. The best ones tell the stories revealed by the research. This short course helps you plan your project and to find the resources and background that broaden its appeal.
Instructor: Brian Drescher
- Writing your family history: content, style and presentation.
- Using the Internet to find guidance for your project and to broaden its appeal.
Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: General
/T.B.A./2009
2 Weeks
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