Courses

Your Ancestor’s Childhood

Your Ancestor’s Childhood

By Shannon Combs Bennett, Student Well I am off to a bang in the Research: Social History course.  Seriously, I don’t want to put it down. There are few things that make me want to consume it in one day.  Thankfully my children reminded me that they need to be  fed and I should probably get dressed the weekend that I started this course.  Yeah, enough about me. Module 1 was a great introduction to websites, resources, and suggested readings for anyone that is not familiar with researching social history. It was a great refresher for me, as well as introducing me to a few resources I had not heard of before. The section on finding and using historical books was very good. This is a resource that I think many people do not use often enough.  Google Books is awesome. However, Module 2 is where we started to pick apart different aspects of our ancestor’s lives.  This module concerned “people, family, and society.”  A great topic to start with, huh? The module covers everything from cultural customs to hobbies.  In the section on children and childhood I agree with the instructor that the study of children is particularly lacking. Looking back at my own family I do not know a lot about my ancestor’s childhoods. A few stories from my great-grandparents have made it to me but as for many of them they are a big black hole until they start creating records of their own. As I have…

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Starting Research: Social History

By Shannon Combs Bennett, Student If you have read my blog posts here in the past you may remember me talking about how I love studying the social history aspect of genealogy. For me it really breathes life into the people I am researching. It is a way for me to connect to them. To feel their plight. Know what they lived through. Read about what they saw. Be jealous at the prices they paid! Which is why when I saw the new course Research: Social History by Barbara J. Starmans I signed up for it. While I think I know how to do social history research I am not confident enough to say I know everything about it.  By taking this course I am hoping to fill in some holes in my knowledge and learn new insights into this field of study. According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary social history is defined as “history that concentrates upon the social, economic, and cultural institutions of a people.”  This definition refers to a group of people, but it very well could be the study of one person. Often a case study is called the social history of a person. I know how much we genealogists love a good case study! I looked through the syllabus and a few items popped out at me. In particular I am curious to read what our instructor has to say about: Historic newspapers in other countries Ethnicities and prejudices The entire module on medicine…

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New Course: Eastern European Introduction

The National Institute for Genealogical Studies is proud to announce a new course written by author and professional genealogist Lisa Alzo, Eastern European: Introduction to Research for North Americans. A vast number of immigrants came to North America from various areas in Central and Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Unfortunately, in the past, those with Eastern European roots have been reticent to begin research on their immigrant ancestors due to perceived barriers of language, geography, and difficulty with accessing and understanding the records. The purpose of this course is to begin the teaching of genealogical concepts pertinent to Eastern European research. It introduces the basic concepts needed to succeed in Eastern European research, and begins to dispel the notion that Eastern European research is difficult. Actually, from a research perspective, it is much easier than it used to be thanks to a surge in interest, the Internet, and greater accessibility to archival records and other resources. To learn more about this course and to register see our website.

Societies and Immigrants

  By Shannon Combs-Bennett, Student I am a member of a fraternity. No, seriously.  While it may not be as impressive as some of the fraternal orders our ancestors were a part of I am super proud to be a member of a professional fraternity. Best part, these types of organizations keep records. Which is what the last module of the course US Immigration and Naturalization Records taught us. Module 6 was on the subject of ethnic sources, societies, and newspapers. Once again, I felt left out since it didn’t directly affect my personal story, but the information was very enthralling. I honestly had no idea about many of the sources discussed or the groups that were active in  different ethnic communities. In the future I am sure this information will help me with research into other people’s lineages. The majority of the chapter was about societies. I liked that our instructor broke them up by the type of society. The sections were: fraternal, ethnic, and charitable. While many people belong to several different types of societies, I thought it was important to note that there was not a standard way they all functioned. Each was formed for a different reason, with a different mission statement, and different entry rules. That being said I did not know so many of them kept such extensive records. The one I knew kept great records was the Free Masons. I have ancestors who were Free Masons and have worked on locating those records.…

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Happy Holidays To You!

  How about taking a moment to treat yourself to a gift? Now’s the time to get a deal on that course you have been wanting to take or that course package you need for your certificate.   Our gift to you, from now until the end of December, choose one of the following: 20% off one single package of your choice (Savings of up to $650) 50% off one single course of your choice (Savings of up to $80) To claim your discount use the following codes at checkout: Holiday20 for one single package of your choice Holiday50 for one single course of your choice   Hurry! Like 2015, this offer ends at midnight on December 31st.