Certificates – Page 18 – International Institute of Genealogical Studies

Congratulations to – Colleen Murray, PLCGS!

By Colleen Murray, Student Last week marked a major milestone in my genealogical education. I finished my 40 courses required to earn the PLCGS (Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies) from the International Institute of Genealogical Studies! Though immersed in celebration this week, I have returned to my computer to write this account of my experiences and reflect on how I got here. I was always a business-minded individual. I initially thought I’d be an accountant, and completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree. But finding myself at a soul-sucking job after graduation, I quit to follow my dream of opening a retail tea shop in Edmonton, Canada. Six years later, I sold it when our family moved to Ontario. Small children took up most of my day, and I happened on genealogy as a hobby that I could do in spare moments to maintain my sanity. In 2010, having moved back to Edmonton, I started researching genealogy educational programs. I wondered if perhaps my hobby could be translated into a career? I settled on the Interational Institute of Genealogical Studies because of its Canadian stream of courses. It was very important to me that my education be relevant to my location. It also allowed me to take Irish courses, which is where my cultural heritage lies. Best of all, I could work at my own pace. I started out the program very slowly, trying out Methodology parts 1 & 2 before moving on to the beginner level Canadian package. I look back with some amusement on that first year, I did not usually tackle more than one course at a time, and did not usually submit more than one module per week. Part of this was due to being a bit of a perfectionist, and part due to family commitments. My slow start may explain why it took me five more years to complete my 40 courses! By 2011, I was fully committed to becoming a professional genealogist, and I decided to pursue the PLCGS. The 40-course requirement would allow me to finish up to the advanced level of Canadian courses, and up to the intermediate level of Irish courses, while of course still taking the methodology, analysis and other required courses. I still completed my classes slowly, but really picked up the pace when my family spent a year travelling on sabbatical in Ireland and Australia. With few other…

Join Genealogist Kirsty Gray in Canada!

Director of English Records Kirsty Gray is on a speaking tour of Canada. Don’t miss the chance to see her present on some great English research topics. November 1: The Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch Workshop “Industrial England.” Come hear Kirsty provide the keynote address on How the Industrial Revolution Changed the World. For more information, see the OGS website. November 2: At the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa she will be presenting two lectures, Searching for Names: Challenges, Pitfalls and the Downright Ridiculous and Solving Problems Through Family Reconstruction. To check out a calendar of Kirsty’s presentations, see her website.

Blogging about German Courses: Meet Michele Simmons Lewis

We are happy to announce that Michele Simmons Lewis is joining The National Institute as a blogger. She’ll be blogging her thoughts as she proceeds through the German Records Certificate program. Before you read her posts, we thought we’d sit down and ask her a few questions. The National Institute: How long have you been doing genealogy? What got you started? Michele: I have been doing research for 23 years. My dad accidentally let a family skeleton slip and I was determined to either prove or disprove what he said. I ended up disproving it and I haven’t stopped researching since. What amazes me is how much things have changed in those 23 years. When I first started everything was done on paper and the only way you found information was by doing onsite research. The National Institute: Do you have a favorite research project ? Michele: One of the biggest projects I am working on is determining the parents of James Simmons of South Carolina. He migrated with his family to the Mississippi Territory in about 1798. Right now I am plotting out all of the original land owners in Perry County, Mississippi. I am tackling it one township at a time using the records at the Bureau of Land Management. James had three parcels of land and I want to analyze all of his neighbors to see if I can find any sort of familial links. Perry County is a burned county as was its parent county, Greene County. It goes downhill from there because Greene County’s parent county, Wayne County, is also a burned county. There are very few records to go on. Getting James back to the correct county in South Carolina is a challenge. There are several James Simmons’ in South Carolina in the 1790 census. I am hoping that the people I uncover in the land records also migrated from South Carolina (people tended to travel in groups). If I can associate James’ neighbors to a particular county in South Carolina I might discover which of the James’ in the 1790 census is the correct one. The National Institute: Why did you decide to take courses from The National Institute for Genealogical Studies? Michele: I was born in Germany as was my mother so we are the first immigrants in her line. All of my relatives, both living and dead, are in Germany. Most of the research I have done has been on my father’s side because it…

Happy Graduation!

Join us for our 2014 graduation ceremony, on Friday the 2nd of May as we honor Graduates of the Certificate in Genealogical Studies program. This year, it will be held at St. Catharines, Ontario at the start of the Ontario Genealogical Society’s Annual Conference between 3:30 and 5:30 pm (Eastern Daylight Savings Time). Our students and graduates are from all around the world. Naturally, because of the far away distances, many graduates have difficulty attending this ceremony. For the last two years, through the use of our Virtual Meeting Room, we were able to reach a much greater number of students and graduates virtually. Again this year, we will use the Virtual Meeting Room for those who cannot attend locally. The National Institute for Genealogical Studies invites you to come celebrate with us, our students, our graduates and our instructors. Everyone is invited. May 2, 2014 at 3:30pm (EDT) Brock University 500 Glenridge Avenue St. Catharines, Ontario (90 minutes south-west of Toronto) If you would like to attend virtually : MEETING LOCATION: http://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/graduation/ (NOTE: No user name or password required. Please type in your first and last name; then click “Enter as a Guest”.) If you have never attended a Virtual Meeting, see the Instructions link on the right hand side of the Virtual Learning Room page. Hope to see you online or in person on Friday, May 2nd. ——————– OGS CONFERENCE Canada’s largest annual gathering of family historians, the Ontario Genealogical Society’s Annual Conference will be held in St Catharines, Ontario from May 2nd to the 4th 2014. This year’s theme, “Genealogy Without Borders,” is based on the simple idea that genealogical research can be done almost without ever having to leave your home. Whether you’re looking for a headstone picture in England or a 1921 Canadian Census data image, the Internet provides access to thousands of documents to thousands of people. More recently, there has been an explosion in the use of social media sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, to connect family researchers to both sources of information and family members – around the globe. Hear some of The National Institute instructors ‘How can I Create an eBook to Share Family History in no Time’ with Luana Darby from Utah; or ‘Local History Online-Adding Social Context to your Family History’ with Marian Press from Toronto; Kirsty Gray, Director of the English Records program will present ‘Child Migration…