Genealogy – Page 40 – International Institute of Genealogical Studies

New Year ~ New Goals

Happy New Year 2021! The holiday celebrations are coming to a close and most schedules are returning to a more regular routine. Hopefully, you were able to complete your 2020 projects. Perhaps you were fortunate enough to have opportunity to interview family members, or break through one of your break walls in 2020. Don’t forget to record any family stories you were able to discover over this holiday season, as well as recording your own 2020 memories. It certainly was a year to remember! Now it is time to get ready for new genealogical opportunities for 2021! What will you discover? Instead of making “New Year’s Resolutions” that may or may not be attainable, make Realistic Genealogical Goals that will benefit your research, both in the short term, and with long lasting rewards. To begin, what do you want to accomplish? Make a plan! Do you need to get your files and documents organized? Implement a system that works for you. Have you lost where you left off in your research? Review the notes for your findings and make a proper research plan. Forgot where you found that information? Be sure to cite your sources! Review your work and make sure you will be able to find that source again. At a time when many repositories are closed to in-person visits, work on what you can achieve at home. Make a list of what has been left undone and needs follow-up. Then set your goals for how you will complete each research project. You have a brand-new open calendar before you, plan your time wisely. Do you have education goals for 2021? Make a list of topics you want to pursue. How can you accomplish this goal? Is there a new book to read on the topic? Are there webinars to watch? Does the topic require more in-depth study? Is online education on your list of goals for 2021? The National Institute for Genealogical Studies offers quality online education with over 230+ courses to choose from. Some of our courses are topic/country-specific, or provide insight into research methodology, while others are skill-building courses to maximize your research time. The first Monday of a new month means another rotation of courses will start on January 4th. You can still join the class until this Friday. Most courses feature 6 modules over an 8-week period, easily adapted to most busy schedules. Many…

Grandmothers, Mothers, and Daughters

Our female ancestors played significant roles in history. Yet, researching and writing about the women in our families can be a daunting task. If you have hit a brick wall in the quest to find information about your female ancestors, consider registering for our Research: Grandmothers, Mothers & Daughters – Tracing Women course, which is just one of the online genealogy courses from International Institute of Genealogical Studies. This course is designed to guide you through the process of researching your family’s history by covering strategies and key sources you will need to access in order to overcome common challenges when tracing female ancestors. It will show you how to document “her” story and reveal the often-hidden aspects of their lives. The untold journey of our Grandmothers, Mothers & Daughters needs to be told and should not remain silenced any longer. Check out course highlights in the following blog posts: Part 1: Researching HER Story Part 2: What’s in a Name? Part 3: Digging Deeper into HER Story Part 4: Timelines for the Ladies in our Tree The Research: Grandmothers, Mothers & Daughters – Tracing Women course description can be found here. Check the Course Calendar schedule below to find the next start date for this course and register today! —————————————————- Visit our website for a complete list of online courses offered by International Institute of Genealogical Studies. Check our Course Calendar here. Follow us on Social Media: Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. *Note: Please be aware our social media accounts are monitored regularly, but NOT 24/7. If you have any questions, please contact the office directly. Contact information: 1 (800) 580-0165 Email: admin@GenealogicalStudies.com Website: www.GenealogicalStudies.com Blog: blog.GenealogicalStudies.com LEADERS IN ONLINE GENEALOGY EDUCATION

Genealogy in a Package

What’s on Your 2021 Wish List? Tis the season for packages! We all love to receive them and to open them. However, some package contents are better than others. We have made our genealogy wish lists and dropped several hints, but what will we receive? Slippers and socks are fun (usually), but how much better if your package was genealogy-related? The National Institute for Genealogical Studies can make sure your package has just the right courses for your 2021 genealogy education plan. You can choose any of our 230+ courses individually, or one of our specific Course Packages listed below, but did you know that you can also create your own unique package? Choose 4, 7, 8, 10 or 13 courses and make your package with the exact courses needed for your own distinctive research project. See details for all Course Packages here. Special Genealogy Course Packages DNA Packages These packages include courses relevant to your understanding of DNA and how it can be used in your genealogical research. DNA and Relevant Topics: 8 Courses DNA – Understanding Testing and Research Strategies: 4 Courses Skill-Building Package The four courses included in this package will help you expand your research skills. Genealogy Ethical Guidelines & Standards Skill-Building: Breaking Down Brick Walls Skill-Building: Evidence Analysis and Evaluation Using Case Studies Skill-Building: Nuts & Bolts of Reporting Research Business Skills Package This package includes all the courses needed to give students a good understanding of how to start and manage a genealogical business, and what niche business opportunities are available to genealogists. Business Skills Package: 18 Courses Professional Learning Certificates At the heart of The National Institute for Genealogical Studies online education is our Certificate in Genealogical Studies Program. Each certificate includes the study of specific topics and record groups relevant to certification. For all certificates, students are required to complete 40 courses, which includes specific compulsory courses and a choice of electives. The Methodology Certificate is at the core of all of the certificates. The exception is the Librarianship Certificate, which includes only 12 courses. There is an option to combine the Librarianship Certificate with a country-specific certificate as the elective portion. The Professional Development Certificate program will benefit those who wish to pursue a career in genealogy, create a genealogy business or to augment their income potential by adding niche areas to their business plan. Skill-building courses are of high importance in this…

December Memories

Ready or not, December is upon us. Many people are happy to see the end of 2020 coming! It has definitely been a challenging year for many. At the National Institute, we have been continuing to offer quality online education with over 230 courses to choose from. The first Monday of the month means another rotation of courses will be starting on December 7th. December is also a time for Remembering Family Traditions. The Holidays are filled with a combination of memories of past celebrations and opportunities to create new ones. Our 2020 holiday plans will certainly be different than in past years, but perhaps, it is a unique opportunity to really examine our usual traditions and explore how they established their place in our own family. How have they changed from one generation to the next? Have you shared your holiday memories with younger generations? Have you asked the older generations about their childhood traditions and memories? This is the perfect time to initiate those conversations. The bonus is – if you do this in a virtual format, you will have the opportunity to record their memories in their own voices. What a precious family keepsake! It is a time for Preserving Family Origins. Many holiday traditions originate from our countries of origin. Watch for traditional holiday foods made only for this time of year. Special family recipes are pulled out and prepared with love. Grandma’s recipe carries on the family tradition, but it carries memories with it as well, not only for the tastes and smells, but also of the person who prepared it many years ago. They are not forgotten, especially when sharing with younger generations, so they know why we continue the tradition. Share those stories. Record those stories. Document their origins. Search out how they became your family’s tradition. You may discover parts of the story you have forgotten, but when a sibling or a cousin relays their memory and “the rest of the story” may be revealed. Look at photographs of past celebrations. So many stories are triggered by old photos, sparking memories and reminiscing with family members. These times are so important and pull the generations together. Investigate how your ancestors celebrated the holidays in their time, especially the immigrant ancestors. How was it different “in the old country”? Did they bring traditions with them, or did they embrace new traditions? Most families…

Presentations Come and Go, but You Always Remember Your First

One of the truly valuable courses offered by The National Institute for Genealogical Studies is our Lecturing Skills Including Preparation course. This course focuses on the skills needed to present genealogical-related lectures to a variety of audiences. It is a “hands on” course where the student will develop all aspects of the lecturing process including the proposal and biographical sketch; marketing; syllabus material; creating lecture slides; and much more. Linda Debe is one of our most recent students who has completed this course, and she shares her experience below. Presentations Come and Go, but You Always Remember Your First by Linda Debe, Student On Saturday, Nov 14, 2020, I presented my first official webinar to fellow students, colleagues, friends, and family. This presentation was part of the National Institute’s course: Lecturing Skills Including Preparation. First, I had to decide on a lecture topic. I started my list, but none of the topics really gave me that warm fuzzy feeling. Adding to the topic dilemma, I only had 30 minutes to present, so it had to be interesting yet explained in the allotted time. A friend suggested, “Talk about what you love… maps.” With that, I decided to do an introductory presentation on Google My Maps. I have watched many presentations explaining Google Earth Pro, but not as many on My Maps. Once I had the presentation topic, I needed to decide on a title. I decided on “Google My Maps: Visualizing Your Ancestors’ Lives.” It was to the point, yet kind of catchy. I have used Google My Maps for about a year, and I really like “seeing” my ancestors on a map as I track them from their origins and immigration into the United States to their migration across the country as they lived their lives. I can add photos of my ancestors, their homes, tombstones, or any other photo I have, to that location, to help bring it to life. For example, it’s great to find your family in the 1880 US Census, but what if you added that census record to a pin in the exact location the family lived on your map? How cool would that be? Another nice thing about this app is you can color code your pins (places on your map). You can even change the pin icon, so it’s not the boring default balloon pin, but maybe a house, cow, hospital, castle, or piece of…