By Shannon Bennett, Student

What a wonderful course!  Really, once again I am surprised by exactly how much I didn’t know about a simple, basic topic. The U.S. Federal Census is a staple for researchers in the states, but it is also complicated and at times detailed. Unless the family history researcher takes the time to dig deeper it will never give up all of its secrets to them. I would almost say it could be a trial in patience and perseverance.

Woman taking census of another woman at door of house. Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002695609/resource/

Some people might not understand why this course could be of use to anyone who is already an intermediate or more advanced genealogist. Simply put, I would say anyone with that outlook is wrong.  (Well, unless they are a true expert in the U.S. Census.) So, unless you have written a book on the subject, or this is your niche, I bet you can take away quite a bit from the course.

I thought I knew quite a lot about this basic subject but I was very appreciative of how in-depth the course is. There were obvious holes in my knowledge, and I enjoyed learning about aspects of the census that I didn’t know as much about. I really liked that there were a large number of charts and tips to aid the student in their classwork. Which, I will admit, I have already tabbed so that I can use them again for future reference.

Speaking of classwork, I was excited to have a few case studies to do. These type of problems really help to hone your skills and ingrain the lessons the instructors were trying to teach.  Working on “real” problems to me is a lot of fun. I mean really, genealogists are detectives to begin with so we should all love questions where we get to go out and do research to put to the test what we have learned.

If you have US ancestors, consider taking this course. It provides a good foundation for solid research techniques using these records.

See you online!

By Shannon Bennett, Student

I love maps. Really, maps are a fantastic research tool, and even more important when you are using census records. Think about it, why do you think that would be the case?  I can think of several reasons; hopefully mine and yours match.

Map of the United States of America. Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/item/98685348/

Boundaries in the U.S. shifted, changed, and morphed over the years into what we know today. During western expansion, borders could be re-written almost overnight. Think about how many times over the course of the 10 years between enumerations this may have happened. In fact, your family may never have  actually picked up and moved but that doesn’t mean that they are listed as living in thave actually when the next census came along. Frustrating isn’t it?

That’s why I was excited to see a section about maps included in the US Census Records  course . You should have access to the maps for the all of the places you are researching. It can really help you put the information you learn into perspective. Particularly, like I already said, if you know your family never moved but the census states differently. Locating those shifting boundaries is like turning on a light bulb on in a dark room sometimes.

Maps can also help you determine how the territorial and state boundaries shifted over various years.  Even better, sometimes territories had their own censuses. This makes knowing when states formed from them even more critical. These territorial census records are interesting but they don’t always contain as much, or the same, information as the Federal records.

My husband’s family moved to the Washington Territory in the 1870s. Looking at these records helped fill in the family information in-between the Federal Censuses.  It also helped reconfirm information like ages and places of birth.

Okay, I am off to take the final. See you online!

Often in genealogical research we concentrate on researching those who lived in much earlier times. However, documenting the lives of our more recent ancestors is equally important.

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

2014 marks the 70th Anniversary of World War II’s D-Day. In honor of this anniversary, The National Institute for Genealogical Studies is proud to announce the latest course by author and World War II researcher Jennifer Holik, Research: American World War II Ancestors – Part 1 .

Part 1 of this course begins with what led to the start of World War II, how the U.S. became involved and the military records available. Contrary to popular belief, they did not all burn in the 1973 fire! This course will move from military records for the Navy, Coast Guard and Marines to civilian jobs including the USO, Merchant Marines and others. You will learn how to research the service of your military ancestors through numerous sources. Through this research you can then write the story of your ancestor’s life. Continue your journey into World War II military records in The National Institute for Genealogical Studies course,  Research: American World War II Ancestors – Part 2 course coming soon.

In Research: American World War II Ancestors – Part 1, author Jennifer Holik takes family historians from research to the actual telling of their ancestor’s story. She shares, “researching the lives and writing the stories of my World War II ancestors has become a passion the last two years. Personally, most of my World War II ancestors died in battle and were unable to tell their own stories. That job was left to me. Teaching through my military lectures, my book Stories of the Lost and soon to be released, The Tiger’s Widow, and writing this course, allows me to share the knowledge of conducting World War II research moving beyond the records. There are many incredible stories to find and tell. Will you be the one in your family to research and write those stories?”

“This course provides a mixture of social history and research methodology to help tell the story of your ancestor, no matter what they did during the war. This is a valuable addition to The National Institute for Genealogical Studies course offerings,” remarked Louise St Denis, Managing Director.

This exciting course begins June 2, 2014. Until June 3^rd take 25% off this course when you enter Promotion Coupon USWW2.

Hurry! This offer ends soon.