German: Record Repositories

By Michele Simmons Lewis, Student I am really moving along through the German courses. I just finished German: Record Repositories. This course was not as intense as my last one, German: Reading the Records, but still very informative. I thought I knew how to navigate the Family History Library (FHL) catalog pretty well but when it comes to the German microfilms it turns out I didn’t know as much as I thought. There are several categories of films I had not paid any attention to because I didn’t think they were of any value.  One of those is the Inventories. The Inventories microfilms tell you what records actually exist. If you can’t find something, is it because it hasn’t been microfilmed or is it because those records were destroyed in World War II?  Knowing the answer to that question will save you a lot of time. Module 1 and 2 of the course outlines everything you need to know about what the FHL has and doesn’t have. Why the emphasis on the FHL?  Because the FHL went to Germany and filmed countless church and civil records and their collection is second to none. Module  3 switches to the German Archives. When you say German Archives you aren’t talking about one entity. Germany has many archives. There are civil archives and there are church archives. There are archives at several different jurisdictional levels. There is a lot to know. You need to be familiar with how to navigate the various inventories…

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Meet our Student Blogger: Debbie Dale

Meet our newest student blogger, Debbie Dale! We sat down with Debbie and did a little Q & A to learn more about her. Tell us a little bit about yourself. I currently live in a small town called Hermiston in Eastern Oregon.  The town is very close to the desert but I’m happy to say I’ve made my difficult peace with the sagebrush.  I’m originally from Washington State, where I’d always been able to view tall green trees and water from the Puget Sound.   I moved to Hermiston to help care for my 98-year-old grandmother who lives with severe dementia.  It’s hard work but also rewarding.  I do have time to pursue genealogical interests, however, because I’m not the only caregiver. Tell us about your educational journey thus far. I’ve been a student at the International Institute of Genealogical Studies for several years, working towards two certificates in American Records and Irish Records. I have a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Washington and spent ten years in that field before moving to Hermiston.  What genealogy topics are you most interested in? Almost anything related to Ireland.  My current research is in County Waterford with a branch of my mother’s family, although the women in my direct maternal line came from the island of Inis Meain, in the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway Bay.   I would like to specialize in Irish immigration to the United States, but I’m interested in…

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Finishing Up US Religious Records Part 1

By Shannon Bennett, Student US Religious Records Part 1 was a bit mind-blowing for me.  Let me explain why, because it might not seem like it should have been.  Let’s start with the fact that my parents are not religious and my grandparents were not either.  In fact, only a couple of my great-grandparents even attended church regularly.  It’s just not a thing in my family.  While some people find that odd, it was a decision made a long time ago that I never really thought about. I know that basic tenants of major religions.  My parents felt it was important for me to experience and learn as much as I wanted or could. They didn’t want to force religion on me but thought something that important was my decision. It’s not like I have never gone to church, I have, but it was always as an intrigued outsider looking in.  When I was in elementary school my best friend was Jewish and the two of us would spend hours talking about Christianity vs Judaism much to the displeasure of her mom. Just because religion isn’t a part of my life doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a part of my ancestors’ lives.  Which is why I was excited to take this course.  The three courses I took in religious studies at University helped lay a lot of historical basis for me, but of course they didn’t prepare me for what I need to know as a genealogist. Records, documents, memoirs…

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More New Courses for 2015 Starting NOW!

There’s nothing like looking forward to a new month of genealogy courses and this month we have quite a few new ones you’ll want to register for. New courses begin today, Monday, February 2, 2015. But there’s still time to register. Writing the Genealogist’s Memoir  As a genealogy researcher for your family, you can enhance the results of your work, as well as realize personal satisfaction and value, by creating a memoir to enlighten those who read it. Your memoir can tell them about the story behind your research: your inspiration, motivation and/or interest in genealogy; your process; “aha” moments; roadblocks and disappointments; and successes. The professional genealogist or personal historian can also offer a service to help clients create such a companion piece for their family trees or histories. This course written by Personal Historian Diane Dassow will explore the importance and value of memoir, a method for accomplishing one, and special issues to consider. Exercises will offer practical application of the material and opportunities to work on writing your memoir. The course will focus on writing as a method but will explore other options, such as audio and video, as well. To learn more about this course, check out our website.   DNA: Introduction to Genetic Genealogy This course written by Diahan Southard is a comprehensive introduction to genetic genealogy. The basics of DNA and genetic inheritance are explained in detail. The three main test types, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome DNA (YDNA), and autosomal DNA (atDNA) are explored as…

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Colonial America Minority Sects

By Shannon Bennett, Student Ah, Presbyterians, finally the module in US Religious Records Part 1 near and dear to my husband’s family .  I shouldn’t  leave out the Methodists though because that was one whole branch of my grandmother’s family.  Unfortunately, even though I found Module 6 fascinating, so far I don’t have any connections to the Amish or Mennonite sects.  From a historical perspective though (and culturally since I grew up in an area full of Amish and Mennonites) it was a great section to read. Since I knew almost nothing about what the instructor called the “minority sects in colonial America” I was very excited to read Module 6.  Of course I know who the Mennonites and the Amish are.  I mean, anyone growing up in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and a few other adjacent states know who these people are.  Those communities always fascinated me growing up in a rural Indiana. At this point I could go on and on about the horse drawn buggies on Main Street, watching the families work their farms as we drove by, or the Mennonite children I went to grade school with.  Even though I knew who they were and the basic premise behind why they looked different than myself, I didn’t really know why they were different. Reading about those two sects as well as who the Moravians, Huguenots and Brethren were was enlightening.  The Huguenots were familiar to me from history classes and my Virginia research.  There was a colony…

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