Articles by Cheryl Levy

Follow us on Pinterest

Do you use Pinterest? It is a free social media website where you can create a collection of visual bookmarks on whatever topic you are interested in. This quickly became very popular, but…. Did you know that it is NOT just for Recipes and Crafts? You can actually use it for Genealogy! It can become a useful online tool. The International Institute of Genealogical Studies has a Pinterest account and you can follow us HERE. As you are researching online, you visit many websites while working on your research projects – how can you organize and keep track of them? Where can you keep them all in one place and have access to them wherever you are? In our Social Media Tools for the Wise Genealogist course, you will learn that Pinterest is a visual bookmarking website. It allows you to create “Boards” for various topics, which are like Bulletin Boards. You can “Pin” various website bookmarks to the appropriate topical board to be referenced later. These pins capture an image from that webpage and display it inside the board, along with a short description. The URL is linked so that when the image is clicked, that website will open. Boards are created with a title, which reflects your research topics and are usually displayed alphabetically. Inside your board, choose one of the pins with an image that best expresses what that board is about and save it to be displayed as the “cover” of that board. This provides a quick visual prompt as to what each board is about and builds a virtual library of your bookmarks. Pinterest Research Tips 1. When you pin all the websites you used for a specific genealogy project to one designated board, it is a great way to check back for all of the URL sources for your bibliography or reference materials.  2. When discussing a genealogy topic and you want to share a great resource site or database, you can quickly access it through the Pinterest app and share it on the spot. The International Institute of Genealogical Studies has created boards with links to many of our courses, packages and programs. For those who are visual learners, this is a way to quickly get an overview of what is being offered. New Boards and Pins will continue to be added until all of our courses are covered. Click on the course pins…

Continue reading

Cultural Assimilation

Cultures involve more than just identifying specific groups of people. They actually involve deeply rooted psychological elements which tend to govern the behaviour of the members. The folkways of a family, such as traditions, foods, music, stories, etc., can be an asset when assimilating into another culture that is very similar to their own; however, it can also be a hinderance in adapting to a new environment that is glaringly different. Exploring some of the more subtle aspects of Cultural Assimilation reveals how they impacted not only the interactions of our ancestors in their new environments, but how they may have been aided, or hampered, by the folkways of their cultural group. As you research this aspect, you will need to investigate whether our ancestors fit in easily, or if they struggled to relate. This could be especially revealing when you study the challenges they may have faced in their places of employment. Every day would have exposed new situations with so many norms for them to learn that were not “normal” to them at all. In some cultures, adapting would naturally have been easy; however, other cultural differences would emerge in stark contrast to the expected social interactions, creating uncomfortable or embarrassing situations. By breaking down these elements and analyzing cultural identities, you can begin to piece together a picture of what our ancestors faced in their acculturation process. This could very well reveal the origins of family traits that seemed out of character, but seem to persist in the following generations. In Demystifying Culture and Folklore, you will get a glimpse into some of the social aspects of your ancestors’ lives as they attempted to embrace a new culture, or how they struggled with conforming to a society that may not have resembled their expectations at all. Understanding these pieces of the puzzle may well explain feelings of acceptance or rejection experienced by family members. Blog posts in this series:  Part 1: Demystifying Culture and Folklore: Intro http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/04/demystifying-culture-and-folklore-intro/ Part 2: Our Primary Cultures http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/04/our-primary-cultures/ Part 3: Our Immigrant Ancestors’ Culture http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/05/our-immigrant-ancestors-culture/  Part 4: Cultural Assimilation http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/05/cultural-assimilation/ To request a student advising appointment, call the number below or drop a note in the chat app at our website https://GenealogicalStudies.com Contact information: 1 (800) 580-0165 x1 www.GenealogicalStudies.com blog.GenealogicalStudies.com

Our Immigrant Ancestors’ Culture

Our Immigrant Ancestors faced many challenges as they embarked on the journey of resettling in a new and foreign land. Their original root cultures traveled with them, embedded in their very being and preserved within the traditions they practiced. As we Demystifying Culture and Folklore of those bravely making these life-changing decisions, we may also discover the encounters and trials they faced. How they responded often reflects their culture’s beliefs. When we look at How Culture Affected Our Immigrant Ancestors’ Lives, many aspects become clear. We are all familiar with the term “Culture Shock,” but have you personally experienced it? Shock says, “This is not the same as what I have been used to!” Many major changes are to be expected in our new circumstances, but there are always surprise encounters that catch us off guard with stumbling blocks and obstacles to deal with that we didn’t see coming. Misunderstandings are sure to occur as cultural differences emerge and an alternate perspective is revealed. How did our ancestors adapt to their new environments? What did they keep “from the old country” and what was exchanged for their new experiences? Their struggles were real and their stories may be revealed as you carefully explore this time period in their lives. Everyone’s story will be different, but with familiar similarities as they found their place in their new communities. Whether it was in the work place, or interacting with new neighbours, our ancestors made adjustments to fit in. It is interesting to see some strong traditions thrive, while other customs from the home country are traded or forgotten in just a few generations. As you continue to work through the Demystifying Culture and Folklore course, you will recognize elements for their root cultures have indeed survived, although you may not have known its origins until revealed by digging deeper into your family’s traditions. Blog posts in this series:  Part 1: Demystifying Culture and Folklore: Intro http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/04/demystifying-culture-and-folklore-intro/ Part 2: Our Primary Cultures http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/04/our-primary-cultures/ Part 3: Our Immigrant Ancestors’ Culture http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/05/our-immigrant-ancestors-culture/  Part 4: Cultural Assimilation http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/05/cultural-assimilation/ Contact information: 1 (800) 580-0165 x1 www.GenealogicalStudies.com blog.GenealogicalStudies.com admin@GenealogicalStudies.com

Religious Records

The Religious beliefs of our ancestors influenced, not only their daily lives, it often impacted the direction of their life journey. It caused some to pull up roots and leave friends and family members behind in their country of origin in order to pursue emigration, and perhaps religious freedom as well. Many relocated their own families to new areas with others of similar beliefs. Wherever they were, they have left records behind that tell that part of their stories. Every country-specific certificate program includes research into this vital part of their family story. In addition to Birth, Marriage and Death records, we need to look for Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, along with other religious ceremonies, according to their beliefs and customs. Here are many of the religious records courses: American: Religious Records – Part 1 American: Religious Records – Part 2 Australian: Church Records  Canadian: Religious Records  Eastern European: Church Records English: Parish Records  English: Poor Law & Parish Chest Records  English: Non-Anglican Church Records  German: Church Records  Irish: Conformist and Non-Conformist Church Records Italian: Catholic Church Records – Part 1  Italian: Catholic Church Records – Part 2  Research: Jewish Records  Scottish: Old Parish Records  Scottish: Beyond the OPRs  Religious Records provide an intimate glimpse into the personal lives of its members. Three additional courses that will assist you in expanding this aspect of your ancestors’ research are listed below. Each will inspire you to dig deeper and learn what motivated the decisions they made – sometimes altering the futures of their family members for generations. Research: Social History  Life of Our Ancestors  Demystifying Culture & Folklore  The Palaeography course goes beyond looking at handwriting and transcriptions; it takes an in-depth look into a variety of historical documents, including older church records. Those may contain records written in Latin as well as the languages of their country of origin. The course material covers many of the feast days and festivals they would have attended in the church calendar, and reveals restrictions which explain why ceremonies occurred – or didn’t occur – on specific dates. The Holiday Traditions of today may be quite different than how your ancestors celebrated in their time period. Palaeography: Reading & Understanding Historical Documents  All of these bring greater understanding of their lives. When you are researching, take note of the religious affiliations recorded on records such as census returns or civil registrations. These could be…

Continue reading

Our Primary Cultures

When Demystifying Culture and Folklore, we see that who we are is a compilation of many influences. Some of these can be traced to ancestral traditions, behavior, historical events, etc. and lead to insights about our progenitors as well as ourselves. In Module 1, we look at The Value of Folklore within a Culture. This involves identifying and understanding our root cultures and the various factors contributing to its structure. Time is spent exploring several aspects, which is a good exercise to recognize the origins of our family traditions and beliefs. Within this analysis are the three primary cultures of race, ethnicity, and nationality. These are the core elements of who we are that we inherited directly from our ancestors. There will likely be overlaps as very few of us can claim a single origin. Sub-cultures are where we personally connect and are revealed by our involvement and degree of participation. Folkways bring these elements together and keep the folklore of the group alive into future generations. As you uncover the surviving fragments, many will experience “aha” moments and declare “That’s why they do what they do!” As you work through the course material, you will discover which cultures have influenced your family and identify the elements that have survived and are being perpetuated to the next generations. You may be surprised by what is revealed. Demystifying Culture and Folklore takes you on a journey, one that you didn’t realize you were already on. Pieces begin to fit together to reveal how race, ethnicity and nationality are uniquely interwoven in your family. Blog posts in this series:  Part 1: Demystifying Culture and Folklore: Intro http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/04/demystifying-culture-and-folklore-intro/ Part 2: Our Primary Cultures http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/04/our-primary-cultures/ Part 3: Our Immigrant Ancestors’ Culture http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/05/our-immigrant-ancestors-culture/  Part 4: Cultural Assimilation http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2020/05/cultural-assimilation/ Visit our website for a complete list of online courses offered by The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. Contact information: 1 (800) 580-0165 www.GenealogicalStudies.com blog.GenealogicalStudies.com admin@GenealogicalStudies.com