Methodology, Part 2: That 1 Thing

Shannon Bennett, Student What’s the biggest complaint among serious hobby or professional genealogist? Do you know?  Well, from the comments I have seen and heard, that would be source citations. More particularly, the lack of them. Are you guilty of this, because if so when you take Methodology, Part 2 and get to module 6 you will find out why citing your sources is important. On the first page of the module you learn why citing your sources is critical: These two items are the underpinnings of good research practices. People who read your research in the future must have confidence in you. They have confidence in you because of the types of materials you use. Those researchers know what types of sources you used due to the citations you create.  Without them how do they know where you found that information? For all they know you could have made it up. Through the module you will learn what elements need to be recorded to have a complete citation. One of the elements a lot of people may not realize is important is including a description of the location you retrieved the information from. For a website it could simply be a list of the clicks you preformed (Ancestry.com > 1880 US Census > Indiana > ….) that way you or someone else could get back to that exact page. Or if you visited a brick and mortar building you should include information on which collection you looked at and…

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New Course: Research Italian Ancestors

  Searching for your Italian roots? Why not look for answers in our new course, Research: Italian Ancestors? Italian research can be done well by anyone, whether you know the Italian language or think you have linguistic ability. Most Italian records follow a standard format which is a great help when working in records created in a foreign language. Your language proficiency will grow with time and experience as you work with the records. This course will provide you with a solid foundation with which to begin your research. We will discuss: Historical Considerations – How did historical events affect record keeping? Finding Your Ancestor’s Place of Origin – Why is it important? Political Jurisdictions – How can you find the records if you don’t know how and why they were created? Language Resources – What languages are the records written in? Can I research in the records without being fluent in Italian? What about the handwriting? Available Record Types – We will discuss civil, ecclesiastical, and other records. Accessing the Records – Where are the records and what archives are there? Research Tips and Practical Applications – I’ll share tips gained from my experiences such as how to accurately cite a microfilmed civil record. History of Italian Immigration – The course contains short summaries of Italian immigration to six different countries. There are several more advanced resources that will be discussed briefly, but not expanded upon, because this course is meant to be a general overview of Italian genealogical research.…

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Methodology, Part 2: Forms

Shannon Bennett, Student Modules 3 and 4 of Methodology, Part 2 focus on the types of forms to use during your research. I love forms. Seriously, love them. Of course I can be a little OCD about them, but that is another story. Forms, checklists, to-do lists, guides, etc. are a great way to provide road maps to your research. They keep you going forward, not lost in limbo with no direction. Think of them as genealogical compasses. Module 3 covered ways to track your research and module 4 covered ways to organize your research.  Both are important for you and those that follow in your footsteps, they let you have the compass pointed forward and not spinning in confusion. Clearly organized and documented research is a fantastic feeling. There were two suggested forms that really jumped out to me. They are things that 1) I already do and 2) I think that serious researchers should really do too. Hopefully you will see why by the end of this post. First is the Daily Journal. I can hear some of you making noises about that one already. Trust me, I am not a journal writer per se but keeping a research journal is very important. This is more a running list of things you do on a daily basis with your research. Who did you call? What did you search? What were you results? Did you get an email and what did it say? Those types of things. The one…

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Methodology, Part 2: Transcribing and Abstracting

By Shannon Bennett, Student The more we dig into our past the more we come across documents in varying states. Some are pristine and new while others are decades old and crumbling. Which is why I was happy to see these first two modules in Methodology, Part 2 covered transcriptions (more in depth this time) and abstracts.   I think these two skills are among the most important a genealogist can master. Learning to do these properly, and accurately, will not only help you but those who follow in your footsteps.  Particularly if the document later goes missing or is destroyed. Your transcription may be the only thing left with the “proof” you need. While I talked briefly in a prior post about transcribing, I thought it would be important to hit on this again. In the first module we are given five reasons why you should learn how to transcribe: Reproduction equipment not available or allowed You received a transcript of a document or book pages from someone else Your recipient or reader may not have your skills You made a photocopy or a printout and it went missing The exercise itself is a learning experience= In addition to these reasons we were taught about diacritical marks, obsolete letters, and the use of square brackets. I have to admit I have a fondness for learning about obsolete letters and diacritical marks, but I am an odd nut. Going hand in hand with transcriptions are abstracts. Abstracts are the important…

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Methodology, Part 2: An Introduction

Shannon Bennett, Student I am now diving into the second part of the course Methodology to give me the ground work for my genealogy education here at The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. This course builds on the basics learned from Methodology Part 1, hopefully so that the student will come out as a better researcher on the other end. Or, at least, that is my hope. In the introduction for the course, the very first paragraph really hit home for me.  You can see it here: All I can do is sit here and nod my head yes!  Just because I don’t have the answer now, doesn’t mean I might not find it one day. Or, just because I think I have an answer doesn’t mean one day that answer may be incorrect. This field is all about persistence, hard work, and having a good foundation of basic skills. Looking through the syllabus for the course I am excited about several things.  The modules appear to be geared to getting you organized in all possible aspects of your family history adventure.  Now, I can be very particular about the way certain things are done in my life.  Then there are other times that it is like pulling teeth to get that aspect of my life in working order.  Unfortunately with my family research it is hit or miss. It’s not that I don’t want things organized, sorted, catalogued, and so on but the overwhelmed feeling of where do I…

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