Starting Palaeography: Reading & Understanding Historical Documents

By Shannon Combs-Bennett, Student Paleography (or palaeography) is an odd word isn’t it?  I mean, we all know what paleontology is (well, if you have kids you do since dinosaurs are awesome) and some of you may know a few other disciplines that begin with pale.  But what exactly is paleography? According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary it is: 1        the study of ancient writings and inscriptions 2      a :  an ancient manner of writing  b :  ancient writings So, for genealogists having a firm grasp in this discipline sounds like a must.  Do you agree?  Thankfully, The National  Institute offers such a course and I am diving into it full steam ahead. However, and many of you may be figuring this out about me, I have had exposure to paleography in the past. In fact, I have studied various forms of medieval calligraphy for the past decade. I simply love old handwriting and calligraphy. Some of it is amazingly beautiful. Some of it, well, is amazingly undecipherable! I bet you have seen some words, symbols, shorthand or other things that made you want to scream! Which is why I was excited to see that   Palaeography: Reading & Understanding Historical Documents covers more than just how things were written. I am particularly interested to learn more about weights and measurements plus Latin terminology. In school I took German, not Latin, and even though I am slowly picking up some words as I read old manuscripts, knowing more Latin would be helpful. I was intrigued to see that there is a workbook included with this course. There are exercises (hey, you get a dip pen too!) for each module that appear to put you through your paces. I love a good practical application, so I think this will be fun. Plus, it is unique as it is the first course I have taken with a workbook included. It is making me a little excited to see what is in store! So, I hope you enjoy reading the blog the next few weeks. I am sure that you will stay entertained as I slog my way through  Palaeography: Reading & Understanding Historical Documents. See you online!  

The Business of Learning: Methodology 6

By Shannon Combs-Bennett, Student Methodology Part 6: Professional Preparation and Practice concentrates on professional development and further educational opportunities.  This is a topic  I am always looking into, so I was very excited to jump into the information provided. Unlike many professions, there really is not a standard way a person becomes a professional genealogist.  Sure, you can take programs like the one from the International Institute of Genealogical Studies and others. You could go for certification or accreditation.  Maybe you decide after 30 years of researching your own family tree that you now want to try your hand at someone else’s. However, no matter your path, genealogists are left to learning about being a professional on their own. Anytime I am offered insight from a course, webinar, lecture, etc. that gives me a clue to what it means to be a professional (or just bring myself up to that level) I am all ears. You know what? You should be too. Even if you never “hang your shingle” you should still strive to be as professional as possible in your research. It will make your descendants very, very happy.  Trust me. Through the course I learned about: Setting up a business Managing clients Writing reports Teaching others These are all things that I do, nearly every day, and I still was able to pick up new pointers. Especially in the aspect of working for others (aka client work).  Even if your “clients” are friends or family (and they  may or may not be paying you), the ideas and skills taught in this course were outstanding and will be beneficial.  In fact, I have already started to use them. But, if you are like me, and have no business skills but want to make a living at your hobby then you will want to take this course purely for Module 2. It walks you through everything you need to consider when setting up your business.  I found the part on office planning (in the home or out of) to be very insightful.  Along with setting up your work area and marketing yourself.  There is so much that goes into creating a business from scratch! Most importantly is the section on ethics. Being the best, and most ethical, genealogist is always my goal. I hope that it is yours too. The last module in the course covers the Association for Professional…

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Tips for Giving a Great Presentation

By Kathy Holland, PLCGS Putting together a workshop presentation can be a daunting experience. Presenting the workshop can be downright frightening! But it doesn’t have to be daunting nor frightening. It’s just like talking “shop talk” with co-workers. As genealogists, we are each other’s co-workers, and we all know genealogy. A presentation is just a well-constructed conversation with our fellow genealogists. So, what makes a great presentation? Here are some tips: Know your audience. Yes, we are all genealogists. Although we may all have different experiences, we have a common thread that connects us all. Some of us are beginners, while others are more experienced. Some of us do client work, others write books and blogs. Others are speakers, and others teach. And some do all of these things. But we are all doing genealogy, no matter what. So, be aware that all types of experienced genealogists will be in your audience—and know that even the most experienced are open to learning new things! Watch other presentations—both online and in-person. What techniques are the speakers using? What works, what doesn’t? What techniques can you incorporate into your presentation? Choose your topic. It should be one that you are especially passionate about. One in which you can spend hours talking about. The one that you can become an expert on. One classic example is The Legal Genealogist—that’s Judy Russell. When genealogists think of all things legal in the genealogy community, we immediately think of Judy. She’s that go-to person, and the classic expert on genealogy and the law. What topic will make genealogists think of you? Plan ahead your timeframe. How much time do you have for the presentation? Thirty minutes? An hour? Even ten minutes can make a difference on how much you can cover. Tip #1: time yourself with your topic: how much can I cover in 10 minutes? 20 minutes? 30 minutes? And so on… Tip #2: Keep adding material until you have one topic that you can do as a 20 minute talk, then add more material until it becomes a 30 minute talk. Then add more to make the 60 minute talk—and now you have one topic, times 3 versions that you can do on a moment’s notice. End result: you have created a time-flexible topic that you can take to any society or conference as a speaker. Societies and conferences may ask a lot of…

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Will You Be There? The Great Canadian Genealogy Summit

TORONTO: For Immediate Release The Great Canadian Genealogy Summit (CANGEN) is pleased to announce their inaugural conference, to be held October 21-23, 2016, at the Courtyard by Marriott, Brampton, Ontario. The Summit showcases Canadian genealogists who have an expertise in the record sets relating to the early settlers of Canada. On Friday, October 21, we have arranged a day at the Archives of Ontario. And better still, for those with Loyalist ancestors who are mind boggled with the documentation required for your UEL certificate, former UELAC Dominion Genealogist Kathryn Lake Hogan will be offering a workshop at the Archives. Kathryn will share her expertise on what documentation is required and how to access the records at the Archives. Our Opening Plenary speaker on Friday evening is genealogist and author Jennifer DeBruin who will share with us some of the struggles of our Canadian ancestors. This energetic talk will be followed by a social time. A time to get to meet fellow Canadian genealogists, an opportunity to get to know the speakers better, or browse the vendors/exhibits in the marketplace. Saturday’s programming offers five streams of research. Registrants are welcome to mix and match: Ruth Blair – who will talk on researching Irish ancestors Mike Quackenbush – who will talk on researching English ancestors Louise St Denis – who will talk on researching French Canadian ancestors Kathryn Lake Hogan – who will talk on researching Canadian ancestors Christine Woodcock – who will talk on researching Scottish ancestors Sunday starts with Louise St Denis, Director of National Institute for Genealogical Studies, sharing her extensive knowledge on Methodology. THEN she is providing each registrant with a certificate for a FREE course at the Institute. We wrap up the weekend with Lynn Palermo, The Armchair Genealogist, who will help us to get a better handle on writing our family stories so that our work can be preserved for future generations. REGISTRATION for the full weekend is just $159cdn ($125 usd). Registration for the Saturday only is just $119cdn ($93 usd) http://www.cangensummit.ca/ All registrations include breakfast and lunch on Saturday, free access during the weekend to Findmypast, and admission to the exhibition hall/marketplace.