We have lots and lots of great courses coming up for you to choose from in the next month.

Still to come, in May:

Introduction to One-Name Studies

Tutor: Julie Goucher
Start date: 31st May 2022
Course length: 5 weeks

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. 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.

Lesson Headings:
* About One-Name Studies
* Surnames and their History
* Core Records you will need and Information gathering
* Analysing and making sense of your data
* Practical aspects of running your own One-Name Study

and, coming in June:

Your Military Ancestors

Tutor: Simon Fowler 
Start date: 6th June 2022
Course length: 4 weeks
COURSE FULL but booking now for October 2022

Victorian Crime and Punishment – Courts, police and prisons

Tutor: Dave Annal
Start date: 6th June 2022
Course length: 5 weeks
FULLY BOOKED

So You Think You Know FamilySearch – A Guided Tour

Tutor: Barbara Baker
Start date: 6th June 2022
Course length: 4 weeks

Since its beginning in 1998, FamilySearch.org has been a leading family history website on the Internet. The website provides access to many of the records, indexes and resources available at the Family History Library, which has one of the largest collections of published, microfilmed and digitized British and Irish records in the world. In recent years technological advances have made it possible for you to search and browse formerly inaccessible records, check geography and boundaries and obtain research advice anywhere, anytime. This course guides you through the highways and byways of FamilySearch.org, offers tips about searching data and using the helps, and brings you to the point where you can say that you really know the FamilySearch website.

Researching Your Welsh Ancestors

Tutor: Eilir Daniels  
Start date: 6th June 2022
Course length: 5 weeks

Wales is unique and Welsh research is different. The course is aimed at those who have some basic knowledge of family history research in England and deals with those particular aspects of family history research in Wales which are different to that of England. Despite the fact that, by and large, Wales used the same legal and bureaucratic framework as England, the country’s social, linguistic, cultural and religious fabric mean that a different kind of approach is necessary. The context of research is vitally important and there are difficulties, even for those who have a good level of knowledge and experience with family history research.

Lesson Headings:
* Key differences between Welsh & English research
* The Welsh language, place names and surnames
* Nonconformity in Wales
* Occupations, migration and emigration
* Sources and records specific to Wales

Demystifying DNA for Family Historians

Tutor: Karen Cummings
Start date: 13th June 2022
Course length: 5 weeks

DNA testing is becoming an increasingly popular tool in genealogical research and has the potential to solve mysteries and brick walls, where other records do not survive. The more its popularity rises and the number tested increases, the greater the chance of success. However, with so many tests available and so many companies to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to start.

This course starts at the beginning, providing you with the tools to understand and demystify DNA testing for use in your own research. You will be guided through what to consider before testing, the different types of DNA, who can test and which test is the most appropriate in different circumstances. You will learn about how DNA is passed down the generations and why this is important, what haplogroups are, and how much you really can rely on ethnicity estimates.

You will work with examples of real data and have the opportunity to work through techniques with your own results (if appropriate). At the end of the course you will have a toolbox of techniques to interpret your DNA matches with increased confidence.

The course is suitable both for absolute beginners and those who have taken a test and are beginning to decipher their results.

Students said:
“Karen ‘demystified’ the science-speak and with the clear notes and charts, I now feel I have a good understanding of the area.”
“It has been a fascinating insight into a large, complex and growing area of genealogical research”

Employment Records

Tutor: Alec Tritton
Start date: 16th June 2022
Course length: 5 weeks LAST FEW PLACES

Records of employment can do two things; reveal important facts for furthering the genealogical information about a family and provide vivid details of the way your ancestors lived. Records of employment will vary from the scant to the copious; much depends on the occupation. This 5 week course examines what is likely to be found in official and unofficial sources and where and how the information can be used as further insights into the lives and times of our ancestors.

Lesson Headings:
* The Professions
* Merchant Seamen and Coastguard
* Government employees
* Town folk
* Country folk

That’s all for this month, happy studying!