Courses

Starting My Next Course: Demystifying Culture and Folklore

Shannon Bennett, Student A good story can captivate the hearts and minds of listeners for years. Sometimes, when you have heard a story repeatedly, you can pick up the little embellishments and the differences that occur as a story develops and changes. Family stories are the same way. They captivated us as children, intrigued us as adults, and are information to be proved as genealogists. The next course I am enrolled in is Demystifying Culture and Folklore. I have to admit that as soon as I saw the title on the course list I knew I wanted to take it. In college I took a folklore class and have been fascinated by mythology from different cultures my whole life. It is one of those odd interests of mine that I love to feed with a good story from time to time. Judging from the course description, Demystifying Culture and Folklore promises to be a great class. The focus will be on looking at various cultures and how their traditions and folklore shaped the people of today. There will be a module on how a new culture affected immigrants and cultural assimilation. Plus connecting the stories of our ancestors to who we are today. Of course, you can’t have a class like this without talking about Joseph Campbell. For many people he is the face of modern mythology and folklore research. Lucky for me I have read his series of books “The Mask of God” and “A Hero with a Thousand Faces.” If you are interested in mythos and folklore they should be at the top of your reading list. I will be interested to read what our instructor thinks of him. I admit that I am intrigued by the assignment teaser given on the introduction page: “students will be encouraged to apply course theory to their own lives and the lives of their forebears in personal application essays.” Oh, I love to write, almost as much as I love to talk, and being able to analyze my family through this lens should produce some amazing results. Or, fingers crossed, I hope it will. This should be a very interesting class and I am excited to turn the microscope on my family to see what I find. Hope you will join me over the next month as I take this course. It should be a great time! See you online!  …

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Methodology, Part 2: Finishing Up

Shannon Bennett, Student Another Methodology  course done, another four to go! Whew, I will make it because you will cheer me on right? This one was, once again, packed full of information to help a researcher build a good foundation for their genealogical research. I know the information taught here will help me and others who take the class be better in their genealogical endeavors.   The theme of organization was carried on throughout the course. We were shown new forms we could use, ways to organize our finds, our time, and our office. All things that I know many genealogists struggle with from time to time. Just know that you are not alone in that, but maybe these ideas will help you with it. I know I picked up a few new tips! I particularly found the words of encouragement from the summary section helpful. In it the instructor walks us through how to stay focused, organized, and on task. I don’t know about you, but I struggle with the “oh shiny” problem from time to time. Remembering to stay focused and not go down rabbit holes was always a struggle for me. Using the tips and tricks learned here I am sure I will be able to focus better in the future. Once again I discovered new information in the research skills section. While I am pretty confident in my research abilities I found myself nodding along with the list and mumbling to myself “I never thought of it that way before!” Again, no one should ever scoff at basic level lectures, programs, or classes. You never know when inspiration will strike or if someone will present something in a way that just clicks with you. Hopefully you will join me at the chat I will be doing where you can hear more about my thoughts on these first two methodology courses.  Join me on  April 17th at 11:00am (EST). See you online!  

Methodology, Part 2: That 1 Thing

Shannon Bennett, Student What’s the biggest complaint among serious hobby or professional genealogist? Do you know?  Well, from the comments I have seen and heard, that would be source citations. More particularly, the lack of them. Are you guilty of this, because if so when you take Methodology, Part 2 and get to module 6 you will find out why citing your sources is important. On the first page of the module you learn why citing your sources is critical: These two items are the underpinnings of good research practices. People who read your research in the future must have confidence in you. They have confidence in you because of the types of materials you use. Those researchers know what types of sources you used due to the citations you create.  Without them how do they know where you found that information? For all they know you could have made it up. Through the module you will learn what elements need to be recorded to have a complete citation. One of the elements a lot of people may not realize is important is including a description of the location you retrieved the information from. For a website it could simply be a list of the clicks you preformed (Ancestry.com > 1880 US Census > Indiana > ….) that way you or someone else could get back to that exact page. Or if you visited a brick and mortar building you should include information on which collection you looked at and any particular identifiers another researcher will need to follow on where they should look for this information (County Courthouse > Clerk’s office > Collection name > …) The key is consistency. If you choose to use your own method, the suggested way in the module, or the examples from Elizabeth Shown Mills book Evidence Explained stick with one and do it that way for everything you create. Use the same style, punctuation, italics, etc. for every citation you write.  It will help you and not leave you second guessing what you wrote down. One last important note.  Source citations are a fundamental part of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS).  The GPS, set by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), is what serious researchers use as their guidebook.  If you don’t have a copy of their standards manual you should think about picking one up.  Every researcher needs a copy…

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New Course: Research Italian Ancestors

  Searching for your Italian roots? Why not look for answers in our new course, Research: Italian Ancestors? Italian research can be done well by anyone, whether you know the Italian language or think you have linguistic ability. Most Italian records follow a standard format which is a great help when working in records created in a foreign language. Your language proficiency will grow with time and experience as you work with the records. This course will provide you with a solid foundation with which to begin your research. We will discuss: Historical Considerations – How did historical events affect record keeping? Finding Your Ancestor’s Place of Origin – Why is it important? Political Jurisdictions – How can you find the records if you don’t know how and why they were created? Language Resources – What languages are the records written in? Can I research in the records without being fluent in Italian? What about the handwriting? Available Record Types – We will discuss civil, ecclesiastical, and other records. Accessing the Records – Where are the records and what archives are there? Research Tips and Practical Applications – I’ll share tips gained from my experiences such as how to accurately cite a microfilmed civil record. History of Italian Immigration – The course contains short summaries of Italian immigration to six different countries. There are several more advanced resources that will be discussed briefly, but not expanded upon, because this course is meant to be a general overview of Italian genealogical research. Consider taking more advanced courses later, once you have more experience, where these records can be covered in more depth. By the end of the course, I have confidence you will be ready to start your Italian research and will say Andiamo! [Let’s go!] Research: Italian Ancestors begins April 7th. Register today and save 25% until April 7th!( Use code ita2014ma). Register online or give us a call at 1-800-580-0165.

Methodology, Part 2: Forms

Shannon Bennett, Student Modules 3 and 4 of Methodology, Part 2 focus on the types of forms to use during your research. I love forms. Seriously, love them. Of course I can be a little OCD about them, but that is another story. Forms, checklists, to-do lists, guides, etc. are a great way to provide road maps to your research. They keep you going forward, not lost in limbo with no direction. Think of them as genealogical compasses. Module 3 covered ways to track your research and module 4 covered ways to organize your research.  Both are important for you and those that follow in your footsteps, they let you have the compass pointed forward and not spinning in confusion. Clearly organized and documented research is a fantastic feeling. There were two suggested forms that really jumped out to me. They are things that 1) I already do and 2) I think that serious researchers should really do too. Hopefully you will see why by the end of this post. First is the Daily Journal. I can hear some of you making noises about that one already. Trust me, I am not a journal writer per se but keeping a research journal is very important. This is more a running list of things you do on a daily basis with your research. Who did you call? What did you search? What were you results? Did you get an email and what did it say? Those types of things. The one place that you can keep track of all the hills, plateaus, rivers, and cliffs while using your genealogy compass. Second, is a Repository Chart of research centers and websites that you use. Having a handy computer file, or binder with this form on the outside and all the brochures on the inside, is a great item to have on your genealogy bookcase. You can see where you have been, get clues for places you need to search, have the information for those repositories at your fingertips, and will not need to worry about forgetting what you can find where or wasting time with fruitless searches.   While we may get lost on occasion wandering around in the woods, if we use the tools that we uncover along the way our path may become a little straighter and a little less frustrating. The compass can only lead us when we know…

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