First Steps to a One-Place Study (241)
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, associates and neighbours 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. There is some focus on British sources but the techniques described should be applicable to studies world-wide.
AIM: To enable you to begin to undertake a one-place study, by suggesting methods, sources and techniques that will enhance your understanding of a community and the people within it.
This course complements the Pharos Discovering Your British Family and Local Community in the early 20th Century course. There are some minor overlaps in the records and techniques discussed.
Reading List:
Students often ask us for recommended reading for their courses, that they can look at before the course starts. Here is a suggested book list for this course.
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
Relevant countries: England, Wales
What to expect:
Each lesson includes lesson notes, activities and forum exercises for students to complete during the week and a one-hour live tutorial (text chat or Zoom) with the tutor and the rest of the class. Times for the tutorials are set at the beginning of each course by the tutor.
- Tutor: Janet Few
- Length: 5 weeks
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Start date: Mon 11 Oct 2027
£70