Learning More About the German Language

by Michele Simmons Lewis, Student I just completed my third National Institute for Genealogical Studies German course, German: The Language . I was looking forward to this one because I was wondering what the course could teach me considering that I am a native German. I was in for a few surprises. According to the course description found online, the course  covers the classification of German words, fundamentals of German grammar for family historians, and basic spelling conventions. The description states “One does not need to become fluent in the German language to be a good genealogist in German records. This course introduces the key information needed about the German language so researchers can be successful in reading German. Pronunciation of and writing in German is not generally necessary for genealogical research.” This course begins by teaching the basic language structure and essential German genealogy vocabulary, and then you translate excerpts from actual documents. There are 16 translation assignments but before you start having palpitations, each assignment is pretty short. After you translate each section you will then get to see the translation from the instructor. You can put all of these together to make your own translation guide for each type of document to refer back to. One thing that you learn very quickly is that once you know the basic root words you will recognize a lot of words in the documents. For example, any word that contains Geburt has something to do with a birth. I bought…

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10 Things I Think You Should Know About Google

By Shannon Bennett, Student One of the courses offered to potential students from The National Institute is Google for the Wise Genealogist . I signed up for this course at a local genealogy seminar, but many of you might have registered for it at any of the big conferences where The National Institute has a booth.  It is a good course that gives the student a basic run down on using Google for genealogy and, since the website changes frequently, is updated annually. To stray away from my normal blog post method of a series of posts taking you through all the modules, I thought we would do it a bit differently this time.  Today, you are getting 10 things I think you should know about Google.  All of which you will learn more about through this course. Without further ado, and in no particular order, the 10 items! 1. Maps:  Okay, I know lots of you use Google Maps to plan routes for trips or to look up addresses, but there is so much more you can do with them!  Have you ever thought about mapping out a person’s migration across the US or the world?  Or how about using street view to see if the old family home is still there? 2. Alerts:  Google Alerts are a great way to let the Internet do the work for you. Simply create an alert for a names, phrase, or location and let Google work its magic. When it finds what…

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Wrapping Up U.S. Vital Records

By Shannon Bennett, Student Another great course is wrapped. US: Vital Records, Understanding and Using The Records is a required course for the American Certificate, but I feel it would be a great one to take if you are struggling to find those elusive BMDs in American records. While I did know a lot of the course information already I hope you could see from my prior posts how it wasn’t just a retelling of information which a majority of long-term researchers may already know. I touched briefly on the websites and resources included in the course a few posts back, but I wanted to talk to you a little bit more about those here. As usual with National Institute courses there was a fantastic reading list and suggestions where you could learn more information about what the instructor taught. This course was no exception. In fact, I am still going through some of the suggested resources. However, I thought I would touch on a few that I think would be useful to you in your research. Luckily, these are all online so you can research them to your heart’s content from your computer or tablet. There is also the added bonus for the two books listed that you do not need to worry about having to order them through interlibrary loan or purchasing a copy (The Source is a HUGE book by the way). Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources Daughters of the American Revolution FamilySearch…

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Research Canadian Archives Like an Expert

Have Canadian ancestors or just need to know more about researching archives in Canada? The National Institute for Genealogical Studies course Canadian: Archival Centres has been updated and will help you learn more about archives and their collections in Canada. This course covers: Finding Aids National & Provincial Archives Local & University Archives Religious, Ethnic & Specialized Archives Using the Archival Records Specific Groups of Records And much, much, more… Learn more about this course by visiting our website.

Australian: Newspapers and Biographies

Newspapers are an important resource for your family history. We are proud to announce our latest  course: Australian: Newspapers and Biographies authored by Australian genealogist Shauna Hicks. Newspapers are a wonderful research tool as they can provide background information on our ancestors that may not be found in official documents. As well as the expected notices of births, engagements, marriages, deaths, burials and obituaries we may also find reference to their sporting activities or involvement in community events. References to insolvencies, bankruptcies, other misdemeanours or more serious crimes can lead to court and criminal records at the archives. This course focuses on using both historical and current newspapers to flesh out our knowledge of our ancestors and the communities in which they lived. A useful companion to newspapers are biographical resources and these can be for an individual or a defined group and based on a local, state or national level. Often referred to as biographical dictionaries or pioneer registers these resources can provide a quick background on an individual which can then be followed up in newspapers and official records. By using these two types of resources, you will be able to add substantially to your knowledge of your ancestors. As more and more of these resources are digitised and placed online making them easier to access and to search, there is a constant need to go back and revisit your research to find any new material on your ancestors. By undertaking this course on Australian newspapers and biographies…

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