Courses

7 Reasons to Register for Research: House and Farm Histories

7 Reasons to Register for Research: House and Farm Histories

By Sandy Fackler, PLCGS (student) Have you noticed that the covers of genealogy magazines use teasers to get you to look inside them?  Titles like “Three tips to tear down your brick wall” or “Four ways to become a better genealogist.” Not to be outdone, I’m offering seven reasons for you to take Research: House and Family Histories. Reason 1. You’ll learn architectural styles. Do you know which style has a mansard roof? Can you tell the difference between French Colonial, Southern Colonial, New England Colonial, Spanish Colonial, and Dutch Colonial? These and others are detailed in this course. Reason 2. You’ll learn about the companies who sold mail order homes. We’ve all heard about Sears homes, but did you know other companies sold them as well? Do you know which American company sold mail order homes in Australia, England, and other countries? Reason 3. You’ll learn which farm buildings were sold by mail and the companies that manufactured them. Do you know there are different styles of barns? Reason 4. You’ll learn the definition of farmer was not static. How many times do you think the definition has changed between 1850 and 1974? For what purpose was it changed? Reason 5. You’ll learn that a farm could be included in another census schedule besides agricultural. Do you know which one?  What information does an agricultural census contain? Reason 6. You’ll learn the sources you’ll need to research and the information they contain to do a house or farm history.…

Continue reading

Incorporating Social History Into Family History

  By Sandy Fackler, PLCGS (student) When I first started doing genealogy I collected names, dates, and places. I was a genealogist. Years later I became a family historian. Besides those names, dates and places, I wanted to know the what, when, where, and how. I needed the meat on the bones. The transition was not a deliberate course of action. I think it started because of my paternal grandfather. He died three years before I was born. My father was raised by his maternal grandparents and he couldn’t tell me much about him. I set out to find more about my grandfather. One of the first things I learned about him was that he was in World War I. He didn’t see active duty but he graduated from the Cooks and Bakers School at a nearby training camp. That led to information on his training at the camp. The search was on. I read every newspaper in the town nearest the camp from February 1917 through the end of the camp’s life plus the camp’s newspapers. I read every publication on the camp both government issued and commercial, as well as journal and magazine articles. I bought photos, negatives, letters, postcards, training materials, and maps of the camp. I even sought out  artifacts, such as teaspoons and salt & pepper souvenirs. I know all the churches and YMCAs, the locations of barracks, buildings and streets, and their names. I know about the sports and training activities. Even today, 40+…

Continue reading

The Most Interesting Course I’ve Taken :  Photography: Clues Pictures Hold, Editing, Digitizing and Various Projects

  By Sandy Fackler, PLCGS. Student.   I knew little about the aspects of photography when I registered for Photography: Clues Pictures Hold, Editing, Digitizing and Various Projects in December. Now, I want to recommend this course to anyone who has a collection of old or recent photographs because I believe you’ll learn at least 3 things to help you whether it is how to digitize your photos, how to identify people through facial characteristics, or how to identify when or where a photo was taken. While I’ve scanned photos before, I hate to admit I was unaware I could scan at different dots per inch (dpi) or that my scanner would do so. Now I plan to re-scan many of my old photos to see if I can improve the images. This course also provides tips on organizing photos on a computer so I will do that as I scan.   I’ve purchased a cabinet card and cartes de visite of my ancestors through eBay. The cabinet card and many of the CDVs are of a circus sideshow performer. I learned about backdrops and that they were individually hand-painted by local artists. Can I find other CDVs with the same background and learn where my CDVs were taken? If so, this might lead to identifying the name of the circus he performed with. I also have a group photo of men and women possibly taken in the 1890s-1920s. No one is identified. Using information in this course I can…

Continue reading

New Course: Genealogy Ethical Guidelines & Standards

We have just released a new course that is applicable to all genealogists, Genealogy Ethical Guidelines & Standards. Whether you are a hobby genealogist, society member, serious researcher, or a professional genealogist, ethics affect your work. Adherence to ethical standards as they apply to your research and your interactions with others should be of concern to all researchers. Genealogists are faced with diverse ethical decisions in their research including black sheep ancestors, adoption, non-paternal events, and revealing family secrets. This course begins by looking at what is ethics in genealogy, the history of genealogical ethics and then continues by exploring ethical considerations when sharing your genealogy online and in print, DNA testing, and while visiting libraries and archives. Ethical standards for professionals are also  explored including interacting with clients and the public. Register for this course by visiting our website.

Learning About German Compiled Sources

  By Michele Simmons Lewis,CG,  student   Ready to continue your advanced German courses with The National Institute for Genealogical Studies? German: Compiled Sources is  available and I just completed it. Any genealogy class will tell you that compiled sources aren’t as good as original records and we should not use them for anything more than a clue. Though this is usually the case, it is less so when dealing with German compiled sources. The author of this course, Kory Meyerink, BS, MLS, AG, FUGA, explains the pitfalls of compiled sources but also explains why German compiled sources are more reliable than their US counterparts. I was born in Germany and I can tell you that part of the reason this is true is that Germans are a disciplined and ordered people. It is an important part of their culture. “Ordnung muss sein!” (There must be order!). They have been keeping meticulous parish and civil records for centuries. They have officially recognized lineage book collections that began publication in the mid-1800s. They have special nobility lineage books that were first published in the mid-1700s. These books are based on records that may or may not exist today. Some of these German compiled sources will be your best evidence. Researchers in Germany, though they may not source their findings the same way as what is expected here in the US, produce lineages and biographies that are normally sound and reliable. They just can’t help themselves, it is in their DNA. What…

Continue reading