Old Documents by nuttakit/Courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net

By Shannon Combs Bennett, Student

Proof, sources, information and evidence are crucial to genealogical work. Being able to prove a connection can be hindered by the validity of your source, the reliability of the information and the evidence at hand. Understanding how these elements work together is a skill that all genealogists must possess to be effective researchers and successful. Through the six modules of Methodology 5 you are taught these skills.

I don’t know about you, but I love case studies and other examples to demonstrate the lesson you are learning. Which is why I was very happy to see that there were many different types of examples to walk you through the process for solving advanced research problems. These examples highlighted the skill we were just learning about to show the student how to put to use the information they just learned.

The entirety of Module 5 is using the skills you learned in the course to work through various problems. I enjoyed reading through these case studies, several of which are similar to problems I have faced in my own research, and was able to learn new ways to approach problems and a different perspective to follow the leads in the future. The way the instructor presents the problems, walks you through the solutions and then shows you the proof is very informative and I feel that many people will get a lot of great information out of this section.

One thing that I did not find awkward was the large number of non-US document examples used in the course. This was actually  a question I was asked when I was working in The National Institute booth at RootsTech this year. Some students were worried they would not be able to understand lessons if they cover unfamiliar documents. I get that. It can be intimidating to see documents from other countries.

What I told them, and what I am telling you now, is seeing documents used as examples that you aren’t familiar with is great! There are no preconceived assumptions about what it may or may not contain. You can also focus in on the question at hand and learn to use your investigative instincts. Plus, you will constantly come into contact with documents you are not familiar with as you do research. No one can master everything, there will always be surprises.  So honestly, this is not be a big deal.

Overall I think this series of methodology courses for the intermediate level was a great foundation for future courses in this section and beyond. No matter your experience level this will give you a good grounding in the fundamental skills you need for excellent future research.

See you online!

Steps Concept by Master isolated images/Courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net

By Shannon Combs Bennett, Student

I know this is a blog post about  the Methodology 4 course, but I am going to suggest that if you have not gone back and read my post about Methodology 3 you should do that first. Why you ask? Well, like I stated in the previous post these two courses are linked together. Almost like a part 1 and part 2 and this is a post about part 2.

Methodology 4 continues with the last three steps in the six steps to success. These three steps focus more on recording, documenting and preserving your research than other more fundamental skills. Don’t get me wrong. These, in my opinion, are some of the most important skills you should have. Unfortunately they are skills many genealogists feel are not as important as the research find itself. I would like to say they are wrong, and here is why.

While we all love making the big finds and love adding pieces of ephemera or information to our family trees, knowing what to do with it after you find it is crucial. Without the analysis, documentation and proper storage all we have is a cool item and not something that we can really share with others. Sure, we could show the document around but having an analysis and documentation to go with it makes it much more valuable.

This course starts with proper recording of information. Sometimes it amazes me that people (even those who have researched for years) do not keep good records. Without good records we are doomed to retrace our steps or not find information again if we lose it or need to reanalyze it. Bad records will ultimately lead to unreliable research.

Then one of the hot topics, at least in places that I have been, the instructor covers various ways that you can preserve your research. I know many people want to create something, anything, to show off their hard work and pass on to future generations. In this section were some great ideas that I have now stored away for future use. She does cover simple publication ideas (like charts) all the way through to  books.

My next post will be on Methodology 5. See you online!

Checklist by Rawich/Courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net

By Shannon Combs Bennett, Student

Well, I have entered the realm of the Intermediate coursework. I decided that I am going to first take Methodology 3, 4 and 5 back-to-back  to lay the ground work for the other courses that are coming in this section. Following those three, I will work on the rest of the required courses for the American Records Certificate and then a few electives. So, hang on to see what I am up to over the next few months.

Methodology 3 is broken into six steps the instructor thinks you need to know to be successful. The first three steps are covered in Methodology 3 with the last three covered in Methodology 4. Which made me thankful that I was taking these two courses back-to-back since they really read as a part 1 and part 2 of the same course.

These steps are:

• Defining your goals
• Learning the basics
• Deciding on strategies for research
• Effective searching and recording
• Documentation
• Presenting and preserving your research

For this post I will focus on my takeaways from the first steps listed. The next post will cover Methodology 4 and the last three steps.

To be honest, Methodology 3 focuses primarily on setting up your office space and further honing your research skills. Now “office space” may be too formal of a term. I started out at my kitchen table with boxes that I shifted around when we actually had to use it. Just recently I have moved into the ranks of a office with a door. No matter where you may be on that scale you will get valuable information here.

However, the section on performing oral history interviews was, for me, the most valuable lesson in this course.  Many people are nervous about doing this or have no experience performing any type of interview. The step-by-step instructions were great and I think perfect for anyone no matter their comfort level. I have done several interviews and I am very comfortable talking to people in general but I will be adding  a few of the course suggestions in future interviews.

Finally, the sections covering research strategies were excellent. Many newer genealogists are intimidated by the process and actually doom themselves to not doing complete research on the problems or getting caught going down rabbit holes. We have all done it, I still do it! But understanding the process of creating a plan and sticking to it will help any researcher do better work.

See you online!