A lot of family history research costs money, there’s no escaping it: document copies, website subscriptions, travel costs and so on.

However, there are some free resources to get you started. Here are some of our tips, including some free family tree charts.

Download free charts to help you plan
Free Websites
Genealogy Books
Find Full Text Books for Family History Online
Make use of Interlibrary Loans 

Download Free Charts to help your Research

When you take a Pharos genealogy course, you find yourself armed with plenty of information to expand your family tree. Charts summarise your research in a visual way. They help you identify problems and plan future steps and they are fun to fill out – use charts to get your kids or grandchildren involved in family history.

Pedigree Chart

The Pedigree Chart is a great way to summarise your family history research so far, focusing on your ancestors. Start by filling it in with yourself or your chosen ancestor on the left and then add the details of the parents, grandparents, etc. in the spaces to the right. This is your research road map, or skeleton.
Download here

Family Group Sheet

A Family Group Sheet is useful when you start work on a new family. It is also great to act as a prompt when talking to living relatives and wanting to make sure you have not missed any detail.  This chart looks at a single couple and their children.
Download here

Free Websites

When you are stuck it is handy to have some places to look for help. Here are some great general resources:

Cyndi’s List
GenUKI
FamilySearch wiki

Books Our Tutors Recommend

There are so many books about sources, methods, strategy, history and geography and it is impossible to recommend just one book. Here are some of our favourites:

England and Wales

• Amanda Bevan, Tracing Your Ancestors in the National Archives, The Website and Beyond, (7th ed. The National Archives, 2006)
• C R Cheney, (ed.) Handbook of Dates for Students of English History (Cambridge University Press, 1995).
• T. Fitzhugh and S. Lumas, Dictionary of Genealogy.  (A. & C. Black, 1998)
• Jeremy Gibson and Stuart Raymond, Probate Jurisdictions – Where to look for wills. , (Family History Partnership, 6th ed, 2016)
• Mark D. Herber, Ancestral Trails (The History Press Ltd; 2nd Rev Ed edition, 2004)
• David Hey (ed), The Oxford Companion to Family and Local History (OUP, 2008)
• C. Humphery-Smith, Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers (3rd ed., Phillimore, 2003)
• Helen Osborn, Genealogy: Essential Research Methods. (Hale, 2012)
• Colin D. Rogers, The Family Tree Detective (Manchester University Press, 3rd ed. 1997)
• John and Sheila Rowlands (eds), Welsh Family History: A Guide to Research (FFHS and Genealogical Publishing Company, 2nd edition, 1999)
• W.E. Tate, The Parish Chest (Phillimore, 1983)
• Andrew Todd, Family History Nuts and Bolts Problem Solving through Family Reconstitution Techniques (Allen and Todd, 2015)

Scotland

• Bruce Durie, Scottish Genealogy, (The History Press, 3^rd ed., 2017)
• National Archives staff, Tracing Your Ancestors in the National Archives of Scotland (Mercat Publishing, 2005)
• Michael Lynch, Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford, 2001)
• Chris Paton, Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry through Church and States Records: A Guide for Family Historians (Pen & Sword, 2019)
• Chris Paton, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians (Pen & Sword, 2020)
• The Parishes, Registers and Registrars of Scotland. Scottish Association of Family History Societies. (SAFHS, 1993, rep. many times)

Ireland

• John Grenham, Grenham’s Irish Surnames (Eneclann CD)
• John Grenham, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors (Genealogical Publishing Company, 3rd edition, 2005)
• George Handran (ed), Handran’s Townlands in Poor Law Unions  (Archive CD book at Eneclann)
• Richard Killeen, Short History of Ireland (Gill and Macmillan, 1994)
• Brian Mitchell, The New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland (Genealogical Publishing Company, 2002, reprinted 2008)
• Chris Paton, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians (Pen & Sword, 2^nd ed., 2019)

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Find Full Text Books for Family History Online

Part of the richness of family history research is the variety. It can take you into any part of a library looking up information on almost anything. Similarly you may want to search full-text books online on a wide range of subjects in addition to history and genealogy.

There are some websites for historians and family historians that either include full-text books or lead you to them. These are a few suggestions.

England

• Institute for Historical Research, British History Online
  https://www.british-history.ac.uk/
• Medieval Genealogy – http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/
• Ancestry has lots of books in its family and local histories sections for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland; access these via the Search page, here – https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/ – and click on the appropriate part of the interactive map, or use the Card Catalogue.

Scotland

• National Library of Scotland Digital Library https://www.nls.uk/collections/digital-collections

Ireland

• Library Ireland – https://www.libraryireland.com/

For those who want to wander off into other topics and search more widely for online books, try these resources:

• Project Gutenberg – www.gutenberg.org
• University of Pennsylvania Online Books Page – https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu
• Google Books – https://books.google.com
• Hathi Trust – https://www.hathitrust.org/

Make use of Interlibrary Loans

Interlibrary loans are available at most public and university libraries throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, United States, Australia, New Zealand and countless other countries. This is an inexpensive way to access books needed for research that are not available locally.

You can borrow from other libraries outside your library system if the item you want cannot be found its catalogue. All libraries ask that you check the catalogue of your own system before placing an interlibrary loan request.

Certain items may be restricted and unavailable via interlibrary loan:

• Old books in poor condition
• Books less than 12 months old
• Books that cost less than a stated amount
• Audio or video tapes, CDs
• Any other book that a library considers must not be loaned

Your library may have limits on how many interloan books can be in process at one time. The lending library determines the period of the loan. There may be a fee charged by your home library and by the lending library, and charges for a late return are likely to be higher than the usual rate. Expect to wait for a while, particularly if the book must come a considerable distance.

Check the website of your own library system for local information or ask at your library.

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There are many, many more. If you have your own recommendations please leave a comment below.

We have a bumper selection of courses coming up next month, including our brand new course on heraldry, Scottish and European research and a focus on research in the 20th century.

Unlocking Heraldry for Family Historians

Tutor: Richard Baker
Start date: 11th July 2022
Course length: 4 weeks

* COURSE OF THE MONTH*

This brand new course on heraldry comes from renowned heraldry expert, Dr Richard Baker. Heraldry was originally a means of personal identification in a world that was largely illiterate, by means of easily recognisable designs which we know as coats of arms. The hereditary character of coats of arms means that the subject is inextricably linked to genealogy and family history.

This course begins with an introduction to heraldry and the terminology. We will look at different types of coats of arms, and examine how they are being used for personal, civic and corporate identity. We will examine the components of an achievement of arms and the language of heraldry and you will learn to blazon simple coats of arms.

In the second half of the course, we will move onto ways in which coats of arms are combined in families, how to begin to identify an unknown coat of arms and where to dig for more genealogical information.

By the end of this course students should be able to:

* Describe a coat of arms in the language of heraldry or draw a coat of arms from a description
* Understand the different methods of marshalling arms
* Identify marks of difference on a coat of arms and be aware of their meaning
* Implement strategies to identify the bearer of a coat of arms

Scottish Research Online

Tutor: Chris Paton
Start date: 4th July 2022
Course length: 5 weeks

Scotland was one of the first countries to digitise its major family history records collections for accessibility online, and continues to this day to use such resources to promote a worldwide interest in family history for those with Caledonian connections.

In the first of our two courses on Scottish research, Chris Paton will lead you through the major websites and record types that you will encounter in your research, and how to analyse the results.

Lesson Headings:

* Understanding Scotlands People, FindmyPast, Family Search, Ancestry, and FreeCen
* Essential Maps and Gazetteers
* Civil Registration and Census Research
* Searching in Church of Scotland Registers
* Scottish Wills and Inventories
* Take It From Here

A previous student said: “Excellent tuition from Chris Paton; very good course materials; well-paced; excellent value for money. I very much liked the opportunity to work at my own pace.”

Discovering Your British Family and Local Community in the early 20th Century

Tutor: Janet Few
Start date: 11th July 2022
Course length: 5 weeks

Family historians often neglect the twentieth century as being not really history but there is plenty to be discovered about individuals and the communities in which they lived between 1900 and 1945. Twentieth century research brings with it the difficulties of larger and more mobile populations as well as records that are closed to view. This course sets out to provide advice for finding out about our more recent ancestors and the places in which they lived.

The course is all about examining more recent family members in the context of their community and their time. It is ideal for anyone aiming to tell their story in more detail. The course is not just about individuals but also about the communities in which they lived, so local historians and those conducting one-place studies should also find inspiration from these five weeks of study. This year has seen the addition of the 1921 census to the researchers’ toolkit and the course includes a new section about how you can get the most out of the 1921 census.

Researching Ancestors in Continental Europe (750)

Tutor: Julie Goucher
Start date: 12th July 2022
Course length: 5 weeks

Europe is a complex Continent, spanning more than 50 modern Countries. Europe has seen a huge amount of change, forced religious changes, border changes, war, mass displacement and much more. This course is about creating a solid foundation to research in continental Europe.

The course explores the standard resources across Europe, key websites, reading material and much more, providing the building blocks for robust and solid foundation research in Europe. We will consider the reasons for migration in the context of historical events. We will also look the culture that the migrants brought with them from their native land, keeping those links alive and also look at the impact of war and displacement and Europeans beyond Continental Europe.

Each student will receive a set of European Country information sheets with core material for genealogical research meaning that students complete the course with the knowledge and core information to research further.

Before the Modern Census – Name-rich sources from 1690 to 1837

Tutor: Else Churchill
Start date: 26th July 2022
Course length: 4 weeks
FULLY BOOKED

That’s all for this month, happy studying!

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!

Family Tree magazine is offering readers a free digital issue of the magazine through to the end of the month, when you sign up to their newsletter.

This is part of a new drive to promote the hobby and get more people researching their family history.

Simply sign up to the email at: www.family-tree.co.uk/account/register

Once you sign up you will immediately receive access to the full April 2022 issue, as a digital ‘page-turner’ edition.

Editor Helen Tovey said: “We want everyone to sample our wonderful magazine and this seemed like a great way to get people involved and for them to find out more about family history. We’re so proud of our monthly mag, it’s been going since 1984 and is packed with information and inspiration, and we also love putting together our weekly newsletter. Family history is all about sharing and so we’d thought we’d give something back!”

Highlights of the April issue include:

• Determining the origin of surnames
• How your ancestors’ birth dates can hold the key to the past
• How to use kirk session records
• The lives and working conditions of tailors, dressmakers & seamstresses

Our courses starting in May will appeal to a wide variety of interests: Scottish research, title deeds and Chancery records, one-name studies and the road to professional genealogy.

Scotland 1750-1850 – Beyond the Old Parish Registers

Tutor: Chris Paton
Start date: 9th May 2022
Course length: 5 weeks 

This is an intermediate course in Scottish family history and assumes students have some experience with research in the Old Parish Registers (OPRs) of the Church of Scotland and in using major websites for Scottish research.

The 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.

Deeds and Disputes

Tutor: Susan Moore
Start date: 9th May 2022
Course length: 6 weeks (5 lessons with a reading week)

Title deeds and the records of the equity courts, such as Chancery, are often neglected sources for family history, because they are considered “too hard”. In this course they are brought to life by Susan Moore, the recognised expert on Chancery records and a published author on the subject.

As this course is part of our Advanced programme good palaeographical skills for the periods covered are assumed. A knowledge of Latin, while helpful for some title deeds, is not essential.

Professional Genealogist – Become one, become a better one

Tutor: Karen Cummings 
Start date: 16th May 2022
Course length: 4 weeks

Do you have ambition to become a professional genealogist? Have you already started taking on clients but are looking for guidance or want to check you have thought of everything? Whether you are already researching for clients or planning to do so, this 4 week professional genealogist course guides you through the professional skills that form the foundation for success.

This course was developed in association with the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA), the professional body for genealogists in England and Wales.

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

That’s all for this month, happy studying!

Here are our courses that start in April,  including a course in Irish research to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, getting organised with your genealogy and taking a look at community history.

Progressing Your Irish Research Online

Tutor: Chris Paton
Start date: 4th April 2022
Course length: 5 weeks 

* COURSE OF THE MONTH*

Many believe that researching Irish ancestry is a non-starter because “all the records” were destroyed during the Civil War in 1922. This course demonstrates that this is simply not the case and will describe the many state created records and church records that can be used to research your Irish ancestry. It will provide a context to understand why they were created, and by whom and point out exactly where to find them online, and how to use them effectively.

Lesson Headings:
* Understanding Ireland’s boundaries, key repositories and platforms
* The vital records of Church and State
* Documenting the people: Irish censuses and substitutes
* Valuation records and inheritance
* The Decade of Centenaries

Organizing Your Genealogy

Tutor: Barbara Baker
Start date: 4th April 2022
Course length: 3 weeks

This is a hugely popular course on getting organized with your genealogy research. As you begin your family history journey you can quickly become overwhelmed with information, charts, copies of records, notes, lists of sources searched, etc. You may have been researching for years and stop and think “I really need to get more organized here”.

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 organisation 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 organised, stay organised and be ready for research online and on location by developing good record-keeping habits.

Nonconformity – Its Records and History 1600 – 1950

Tutor: Alec Tritton 
Start date: 7th April 2022
Course length: 4 weeks
COURSE FULL but booking now for October 2022

Recording the Poor – From Parish to Workhouse and beyond

Tutor: Simon Fowler
Start date: 18th April 2022
Course length: 4 weeks
COURSE FULL but booking now for August 2022

Church and Community, Selected records 1540 – 1800

Tutor: Emma Jolly
Start date: 25th April 2022
Course length: 4 weeks

This is one of the courses in our Advanced Certificate programme, but can also be taken in isolation.

This course considers the places our ancestors lived in the context of the wider community. It gives you the tools to understand the nature, jurisdictions and administrations under which different types of community existed in the past, and seeks to bring genealogy and local history closer together.

Lesson Headings:
* Introduction to Communities in the Past
* Details of Parish Life
* The Diocese and Church Court
* City and Borough

17th Century Sources

Tutor: Stuart Raymond
Start date: 27th April 2022
Course length: 4 weeks

This is one of the courses in our Intermediate Certificate programme, but can also be taken in isolation.

For genealogists the 17th century presents new challenges. These are not discouraging – if anything, challenges add interest and enthusiasm to research. Historically it is a fascinating period, and genealogically some familiar records continue to be used so the research is not with entirely new material. Themes within the course include: the structure of a gentry dominated society, the records created by 17th century civil and ecclesiastical government, and the problems created by the “Commonwealth Gap”.

That’s all for this month, happy studying!

There are lots of courses starting in February and March, including Scottish records, writing up your family history and getting practical with your one name study.

Scottish Research Online

Tutor: Chris Paton
Start date: 28th February 2022
Course length: 5 weeks 

* COURSE OF THE MONTH*

Scotland was one of the first countries to digitise its major family history records collections for accessibility online, and continues to this day to use such resources to promote a worldwide interest in family history for those with Caledonian connections. This course describes the major sites and record types that you will encounter in your research, and how to analyse the results. Most importantly it will inspire you to actively pursue your interest in Scottish genealogy and take it to the next level.

Lesson Headings:
* Understanding Scotlands People, FindmyPast, Family Search, Ancestry, and FreeCen
* Essential Maps and Gazetteers
* Civil Registration and Census Research
* Searching in Church of Scotland Registers
* Scottish Wills and Inventories
* Take It From Here

Wills and Administrations; the riches of probate records

Tutor: Linda Newey
Start date: 21st February 2022
Course length: 4 weeks
COURSE FULL but booking now for September 2022

Victorian Crime and Punishment – Courts, police and prisons

Tutor: Dave Annal
Start date: 23rd February 2022
Course length: 5 weeks
COURSE FULL but booking now for June 2022

Advanced Methods and Reports

Tutor: Karen Cummings
Start date: 28th February 2022
Course length: 4 weeks
ONE PLACE REMAINING

This course provides students with the techniques and tools to ensure the best possible evidence for their pedigrees and trees, and is suitable for hobby and professional genealogists alike.

We look at problems of identity and interpretation, standards for evaluation and analysis, and how to build a case for proof. We will consider the display of charts and genealogy research reports, showing the conventions and standards that are used and that enable written research to be of a high scholarly standard. Students will also practise writing short research reports.

Before the Modern Census – Name-rich sources from 1690 to 1837

Tutor: Else Churchill
Start date: 1st March 2022
Course length: 4 weeks
COURSE FULL but booking now for July 2022

Local History – Uncovering the Places and Communities connected to your Ancestors

Tutor: Joe Saunders 
Start date: 7th March 2022
Course length: 4 weeks
COURSE FULL. New date coming soon.

Are You Sitting Comfortably? Writing and Telling Your Family History

Tutor: Janet Few
Start date: 14th March 2022
Course length: 5 weeks

Writing your family history is the logical step after genealogical research, and sometimes while research is still in progress. To avoid gathering dust, a family story must be written to appeal to a broad spectrum of relatives and readers, to answer questions of relationships and to stimulate the sharing of knowledge. The history of a family blends a range of information: the ancestors and their stories, the places they knew, and the context of contemporary conditions and event. A good story, based on sound research, is a focal point of a family re-union, and it makes a great gift.

This five-week course begins with advice on making decisions about what to write about, and what to include, and how to make some order out of the potential chaos of information. It goes on to discover the historical context and how to add interest into your story with background about what was happening nationally and locally and how this might have affected your ancestors. It looks at how knowledge about occupations can bring an ancestor to life, and how and why social history helps you to make sense of it all and frame your story. Finally in week five, you will discover how to add photos and other illustrations as well as options for publishing.This course is about acquiring skills that will help you to present your family history in a coherent and interesting way.

The course is relevant to anyone who has researched a British or Irish family, with examples taken from English history and records but the techniques can be applied to families from elsewhere as well.

If you wish to receive feedback and assessment on your writing, there is the option to submit a piece of writing of up to 3,000 words for marking. You will have two months after the course finishes, before this needs to be sent to the tutor.

STUDENTS SAID: “The course has provided me with everything I could possibly need (and more) to sort out my main goals of prioritising family history, research, recording and writing up the stories during the coming year and beyond. I now know the way ahead and am very much looking forward to putting my plans into action.”

Practicalities of a One Name Study

Tutor: Julie Goucher
Start date: 15th March 2022
Course length: 5 weeks (4 lessons)

This course sits between the two other one-name and surname study courses: Introduction to One-Name Studies (901) and Advanced One-Name Studies (902) and focusses on the practical elements of running a study.

The course is designed to enable students to explore the practical steps of maintaining and developing their one-name study through a variety of mediums and to give some context to the various considerations they will need to explore.

It is expected that students for this course will already have a one-name study or surname study registered, or will have identified a surname to register and begin working upon. They will be familiar with the material covered by Introduction to One-Name Studies and will have begun to collect data, or be at the stage where they are considering the options and would like further guidance.

Lesson Headings:
* Understanding and making the best use of spreadsheets in your study
* Genealogical Software, what to consider
* Online Trees and other software
* The next steps: Preservation and Sharing

That’s all for this month, happy studying!

As we approach the holiday season you may be looking for gift ideas. Why not buy a Pharos gift voucher for the family historian in your family?

We are coming to the end of our courses for 2021 now but we have another bumper selection for you in January, including two BRAND NEW courses:

Introduction to Medieval Genealogy

Tutor: Gillian Waters
Start date: 5th January 2022
Course length: 5 weeks (4 teaching weeks)

* COURSE OF THE MONTH*

This course outlines some of the ways that you can break into medieval genealogy. It will help you create the foundations for researching medieval records, describe the nature of medieval records, on-line locations and finding guides that can improve your chances of finding direct or probable relations. It will also help you understand the geographical and political landscapes of medieval England, including general histories and the key events which generated records.

Topics covered include using medieval pedigrees, heralds visitations and how to prove (or disprove) the genealogies given by using inquisitions post mortem, feet of fines, chancery and other government records as well as taxation, church and military records.

Lesson Headings:
* Starting out on Medieval Research- identifying families to track
* Planning the move to Medieval Records-getting to grips with medieval pedigrees
* Records of the Landed Classes- the structure of medieval society and the meanings of terminology
* Reading week- a chance to do some background research
* Medieval Church records, Military records and Taxation

This is one of the courses in our Advanced Certificate programme but can also be taken as a standalone course.

Using Printed Sources in Family History

Tutor: Simon Fowler
Start date: 3rd January 2022
Course length: 3 weeks

* BRAND NEW COURSE *

The study of genealogy most often involves research using a variety of original historical documents, whether online copies or transcriptions, or copies or original documents in archives. You will often hear it said: make sure you look at the originals! We are so used to working in this way that it is easy to overlook the value and additional context that can be gained from printed sources.

And you may think that your ancestors werent grand enough to be mentioned in a newspaper, let alone a directory or local history book. But stories from the lives of millions of our forebears have been captured in this way particularly in newspapers and magazines. There may be no other ways to discover them.

This course looks at how to use printed material in your genealogical research. There will be a special focus on studying newspapers and magazines and also discuss biographical dictionaries, trade and street directories, record society transcripts and calendars.

This course will provide background about the records how and why they were created as well as suggesting the best research methods to use online and in archives. There will be plenty of opportunities for students to explore the records for themselves.

Apprenticeship Records

Tutor: Stuart Raymond
Start date: 5th January 2022
Course length: 4 weeks
COURSE FULL 

Researching Online for Advanced Genealogists

Tutor: TBC very soon!
Start date: 5th January 2022
Course length: 4 weeks

The internet is now an essential research environment for family history: many indexes to genealogical records are now available only online, and the internet provides access to a wealth of information and contacts for family historians. This course examines the main types of internet resource which are useful in carrying out research in English and Welsh family history and aims to improve your search skills so that you can be more confident with your search results.

Lesson Headings:
* Resource Discovery
* Genealogical Records Online
* Online Pedigrees & Genealogical Contacts
* Reference Resources for Family History

Building on a Solid Foundation – Genealogy methods and techniques

Tutor: Karen Cummings
Start date: 5th January 2022
Course length: 4 weeks
COURSE FULL but taking bookings now for May 2022

Employment Records

Tutor: Alec Tritton
Start date: 6th January 2022
Course length: 5 weeks
LAST FEW PLACES

This is one of the courses in our Intermediate Certificate programme, but can also be taken in isolation.

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. Many documents uncovered during our research indicate an occupation, perhaps several in which our ancestor was employed. 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.

Researching Ancestors in Continental Europe

Tutor: Julie Goucher
Start date: 17th January 2022
Course length: 5 weeks

* BRAND NEW COURSE *

Have you found ancestors that originated in Continental Europe? This course introduces you to the broad context of Europe, offers advice for tracking European ancestors, expands your knowledge and assists in problem solving.

During the course we will explore the similarities and differences across Europe and encourage the consideration of some practical factors when conducting your research. There are a great many resources that can be used to assist your research. This course is about creating a solid foundation to research in continental Europe. We will look at defining Europe and what countries are in Europe (it is not always as obvious as you might think!) We look further at the European Empires and the impact on migration to and from the continent. We look too at the borderlines and unifications.The course explores the standard resources across Europe, key websites, reading material and much more, providing the building blocks for robust and solid foundation research in Europe.

We will consider the reasons for migration, e.g. work opportunities, emigration schemes, persecution, internment and following military service, in the context of historical events. We will also look the culture that the migrants brought with them from their native land, keeping those links alive.

Discovering more about your Agricultural Labouring Ancestors

Tutor: Janet Few
Start date: 25th January 2022
Course length: 5 weeks
LAST FEW PLACES

This very popular course from Janet Few is booking fast! This course might have been called “Finding your Agricultural Labouring Ancestors” but few genealogists have any difficulty discovering Ag. Labs. on their family tree. They jump out from census returns, certificates and parish registers with unfailing regularity. Agricultural labourers are not all the same. The labourer on sheep farm in Northumberland led a very different life from someone who worked on an arable farm in Lincolnshire, or a fruit farm in Kent. This course helps to set Ag. Labs. in a broader context and suggests sources that will reveal more about the lives of those rural ancestors and the farms on which they worked. The focus is on British farming from 1700-1950.

Lesson Headings:
* Your Farming Ancestors and British Agriculture in Context
* Finding the Farms
* Discovering about the Farms and their Workers
* Working the Land
* Farming Hazards

So You Think You Know FamilySearch – A Guided Tour

Tutor: Barbara Baker
Start date: 31st January 2022
Course length: 4 weeks

Discover what you don’t know about English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh resources at the FamilySearch website with the help of an experienced guide. Barbara Baker has worked in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City for more than 30 years and is an expert in FamilySearch resources.

That’s all for this month, happy studying!

The nights are starting to draw in. What better way to spend the colder evenings is there, than working on a Pharos course? We have a wide variety of courses coming up in October for you:

Unlocking Heraldry for Family Historians
Are You Sitting Comfortably? Writing and Telling Your Family History
Practicalities of a One Name Study
Victorian Families – Your Ancestors in the Census
17th Century Sources
Manorial Records for Family and Local Historians
Nonconformity – Its Records and History 1600 – 1950

Carry on reading to find out more.

Unlocking Heraldry for Family Historians

Tutor: Richard Baker
Start date: 4th October 2021
Course length: 4 weeks

* COURSE OF THE MONTH *

Have you often wondered whether your family is entitled to bear a coat of arms? Have you seen coats of arms displayed on buildings or on hatchments in churches and wondered as to the story behind them? This course will help you unlock the language of heraldry, a fascinating branch of family history research.

The course begins with an introduction to heraldry and the terminology. We will look at different types of coats of arms, and examine how they are being used for personal, civic and corporate identity. We will examine the components of an achievement of arms and the language of heraldry and you will learn to blazon simple coats of arms.

In the second half of the course, we will move onto ways in which coats of arms are combined in families, how to begin to identify an unknown coat of arms and where to dig for more genealogical information.

By the end of this course students should be able to:

* Describe a coat of arms in the language of heraldry or draw a coat of arms from a description
* Understand the different methods of marshalling arms
* Identify marks of difference on a coat of arms and be aware of their meaning
* Implement strategies to identify the bearer of a coat of arms

Are You Sitting Comfortably? Writing and Telling Your Family History

Tutor: Janet Few
Start date: 4th October 2021
Course length: 5 weeks

Writing your family history is the logical step after genealogical research, and sometimes while research is still in progress. To avoid gathering dust, a family story must be written to appeal to a broad spectrum of relatives and readers, to answer questions of relationships and to stimulate the sharing of knowledge. The history of a family blends a range of information: the ancestors and their stories, the places they knew, and the context of contemporary conditions and event. A good story, based on sound research, is a focal point of a family re-union, and it makes a great gift.

This five-week course begins with advice on making decisions about what to write about, and what to include, and how to make some order out of the potential chaos of information. It goes on to discover the historical context and how to add interest into your story with background about what was happening nationally and locally and how this might have affected your ancestors. It looks at how knowledge about occupations can bring an ancestor to life, and how and why social history helps you to make sense of it all and frame your story. Finally in week five, you will discover how to add photos and other illustrations as well as options for publishing.This course is about acquiring skills that will help you to present your family history in a coherent and interesting way.

The course is relevant to anyone who has researched a British or Irish family, with examples taken from English history and records but the techniques can be applied to families from elsewhere as well.

If you wish to receive feedback and assessment on your writing, there is the option to submit a piece of writing of up to 3,000 words for marking. You will have two months after the course finishes, before this needs to be sent to the tutor.

STUDENTS SAID: “The course has provided me with everything I could possibly need (and more) to sort out my main goals of prioritising family history, research, recording and writing up the stories during the coming year and beyond. I now know the way ahead and am very much looking forward to putting my plans into action.”

Practicalities of a One Name Study

Tutor: Julie Goucher
Start date: 5th October 2021
Course length: 5 weeks

This course sits between the two other one-name and surname study courses: Introduction to One-Name Studies (901) and Advanced One-Name Studies (902) and focusses on the practical elements of running a study.

The course is designed to enable students to explore the practical steps of maintaining and developing their one-name study through a variety of mediums and to give some context to the various considerations they will need to explore.

It is expected that students for this course will already have a one-name study or surname study registered, or will have identified a surname to register and begin working upon. They will be familiar with the material covered by Introduction to One-Name Studies and will have begun to collect data, or be at the stage where they are considering the options and would like further guidance.

Lesson Headings:
* Understanding and making the best use of spreadsheets in your study
* Genealogical Software, what to consider
* Online Trees and other software
* The next steps: Preservation and Sharing

Victorian Families – Your Ancestors in the Census

Tutor: Malcolm Sadler
Start date: 6th October 2021
Course length: 5 weeks

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. But, interpreting the social and local detail half hidden in these vital documents, bring their lives back to us! 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.

Lesson Headings:
* 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

17th Century Sources

Tutor: Stuart Raymond
Start date: 13th October 2021
Course length: 4 weeks
LAST FEW PLACES

This is one of the courses in our Intermediate Certificate programme, but can also be taken in isolation.

For genealogists the 17th century presents new challenges. These are not discouraging – if anything, challenges add interest and enthusiasm to research. Historically it is a fascinating period, and genealogically some familiar records continue to be used so the research is not with entirely new material. Themes within the course include: the structure of a gentry dominated society, the records created by 17th century civil and ecclesiastical government, and the problems created by the “Commonwealth Gap”.

Manorial Records for Family and Local Historians

Tutor: Sue Adams
Start date: 14th October 2021
Course length: 5 weeks

This is one of the courses in our Advanced Certificate programme, but can also be taken in isolation.

Manorial records can be used to locate people within a community and to set them in their social and economic context. This course examines the place of the manor in the legal and social system, the records created by the manor, and changes that occurred through the centuries.

You will get to understand the complexities as well as the background historical context, and how local customs can differ from place to place. You will read court rolls, look at court books and learn about property transactions, surveys, maps, accounts and even people’s wills that may not be recorded elsewhere. Manorial court records offer genealogists and local historians more than just a glimpse of local justice being dispensed.

Nonconformity – Its Records and History 1600 – 1950

Tutor: Alec Tritton
Start date: 28th October 2021
Course length: 4 weeks
COURSE FULL but taking bookings now for April 2022

That’s all for this month, happy studying!

We have some great courses coming up in August and early September:

Recording the Poor – From Parish to Workhouse and beyond

Tutor: Simon Fowler 
Start date: 9th August 2021
Course length: 4 weeks
* FULLY BOOKED but booking now for later dates *

First Steps to a One-Place Study

Tutor: Janet Few
Start date: 25th August 2021
Course length: 5 weeks

* COURSE OF THE MONTH *

One-place studies are a fascinating blend of local and family history. They are frequently undertaken by family historians wanting to create a context for their ancestors. Through a one-place study, you can investigate the friends, neighbours and associates with whom your family may have interacted and you can begin to understand the community in which they lived.

This course is designed for those who are just starting on their one-place journey and for more experienced one-placers who would like guidance or inspiration, or who are seeking a more organised approach to their study. It will also be suitable for those who may not want to undertake a full-blown one-place study but who wish to investigate an ancestral area in more detail.

Lesson Headings:

• Choosing and Discovering your Place and its People
• Data Collection 1 – Using more Common Sources (oral testimony, diaries and memoirs; photographs; vital records of birth, marriage and death; gravestones, newspapers, directories and gazetteers, censuses)
• Data Collection 2 – Further Sources (tax lists, records of land ownership, records of education and occupation, records relating to the movement of people, records of local government)
• Connecting and Analysing your Data
• Putting your Findings in Context and Publicising your Study

Partnership offer: Students on our First Steps to a One-Place Study course, who are not already members, may claim free membership of the Society for One-Place Studies for their first year (details in the lesson notes). Existing members of the Society can claim a discount on the Pharos One Place Studies course (see member benefits section of their website).

Scottish Research Online

Tutor: Chris Paton 
Start date: 30th August 2021
Course length: 5 weeks

This course describes the major sites and record types that you will encounter in your research, and how to analyse the results. Most importantly it will inspire you to actively pursue your interest in Scottish genealogy and take it to the next level.

Lesson Headings:

• Understanding Scotlands People, FindmyPast, Family Search, Ancestry, and FreeCen
• Essential Maps and Gazetteers
• Civil Registration and Census Research
• Searching in Church of Scotland Registers
• Scottish Wills and Inventories
• Take It From Here

Wills and Administrations; the riches of probate records

Tutor: Linda Newey
Start date: 6th September 2021
Course length: 4 weeks
* FULLY BOOKED but booking now for later dates *

Organizing Your Genealogy

Tutor: Barbara Baker
Start date: 6th September 2021
Course length: 3 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 organisation 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 organised, stay organised and be ready for research online and on location by developing good record-keeping habits.

Local History- Uncovering the Places and Communities connected to your Ancestors

Tutor: Claire Kennan
Start date: 6th September 2021
Course length: 4 weeks
* FULLY BOOKED but booking now for later dates *

Building on a Solid Foundation – Genealogy methods and techniques

Tutor: Karen Cummings
Start date: 6th September 2021
Course length: 4 weeks
* FULLY BOOKED but booking now for later dates *

That’s all for this month, happy studying!