Family History – Page 17 – International Institute of Genealogical Studies

Transcription Tuesday – Italian Handwriting

On the first Monday of each month, the next rotation of our online courses begins. The National Institute for Genealogical Studies offers 230+ online courses on a wide variety of topics, providing genealogical education for those interested in beginning to research their family history, as well as professional genealogists. One of the foundational research skills for our students to develop is Transcribing. For this reason, we have created a compulsory Basic Level course (Skills: Transcribing, Abstracting & Extracting ) to equip all of our certificate students with this vital ability. However, all family history researchers, no matter what their level of expertise, should strive to acquire this core skill. As we research our family history, many of us will eventually encounter immigrant ancestors. As we document their arrival, we gain clues for their country of origin. Many times, this will involve a change of language and introduce us to records in an unfamiliar country. Time needs to spent learning about what is available and where to find more information. It is recommended to consult the FamilySearch Wiki as a launching point. Choose your country of interest. We will be using Italy Genealogy for examples today. One of the first challenges we are faced with is different languages, but also the handwriting that was used in various historical time periods, for specific record types, and even in locations or districts involved with their homeland. Be sure to study everything you can gather about the location where your research will be focused. We have developed an essential…

Family Time, Memories, Traditions

Our students at The National Institute for Genealogical Studies are preparing for the last month of courses for 2021. December is a busy month for many. Schedules and outside expectations compete for our attention. Be sure to plan your month carefully. Self-paced education takes perseverance and focus. We are here to help you succeed in meeting your genealogical education goals. The Holiday season is upon us – filled with Family Time, Traditions and Memories. It is a time to gather with extended family members and share memories of years gone by. There will be well-known family traditions mixed in with new traditions – welcoming new family members to our celebrations. It’s a good time to take note of changes in our families over the past year of 2021. As family historians, we record the BMDs as we receive the news, but the holidays are usually a time to welcome those new cousins and in-laws into your family circle. It’s a time for stories of, “Remember when….?” and photos! Take lots of photos, especially of family groups and elderly family members. And then there is the food! Traditional recipes with Grandma’s chocolate fudge – made only as she does, and Great-Aunt Mable’s dressing recipe. Be sure to record these. Find out why certain foods are served, and why these traditions were formed, and carried on year after year. Record them and preserve them as the treasures they truly are. We have courses that will give you some ideas of what to ask, with questions to…

Remember to Honour and Be Thankful

Our students at The National Institute for Genealogical Studies are ready to start another round of online courses on November 1st. As 2021 is winding down, there still is time to complete one more course on our Educational Goals List for this year. Professional genealogists and family historians recognize the need to learn all we can about our research topics of interest. We just don’t know what we don’t know. Online courses allow us to explore new subjects relevant to our projects and refine those research skills needed to succeed in our endeavours. November means Remembrance Day is coming soon. This is a time to Remember those who fought, and made the ultimate sacrifice, and to Honour our veterans for their service. We are Thankful for all they have done. Military conflicts are not a new phenomenon. There is not a generation that has not witnessed some sort of conflict and many have family members who participated at some level. If you want to investigate your family’s military involvement, here a few suggestions to explore and document their service. Current scheduled start dates are given – check for additional scheduled dates to register for these courses. Australian: Military Records (Dec 6th) Australian: Other Sources for Births, Deaths & Marriages (Nov 1st)Canadian: Military Records (Dec 6th) Eastern European: Austrian-Hungarian, German & Russian Empires: Chronology (Nov 1st) Eastern European: Other Records…Including Census, Land, Military & Tax (Nov 1st)English/Scottish: Occupations – Military and Services (Dec 6th) German: Chronological Considerations (Dec 6th) Irish: Military, Naval and…

Transcription Tip: Finding George

Our students at The National Institute for Genealogical Studies are encouraged to access original documents whenever possible. These are usually either fully handwritten, or have handwritten entries on forms. It is advised to transcribe all of documents we gather for our research projects. As we continue to explore developing our Transcribing Skills, we will discover the value of spending the time necessary to transcribe our original documents, especially those that are hard to decipher. All family history researchers, no matter what their level of expertise, should strive to acquire these core research skills. See below for links to our courses designed to equip our students with this vital ability. When we search original records, we will encounter many different styles of handwriting, even when they are using the same script of a certain time period. Just as today, we all have our own handwriting styles. We tend to always make certain letters in the same way, but for other letters it may vary, even depending on the word we are writing, or where the letter is positioned in that word. In the same way that other people become accustom to reading our handwriting, we begin to recognize the handwriting styles of those clerks and census enumerators in the documents we are accessing. Specific characteristics show up on the same page or for the entries for a district, like in civil registrations or church records. We can easily tell when the entries are made by a different person. Today’s Transcription Tip is the use of Transcription Cheat…

Transcription Tip: Line Numbering

As The National Institute for Genealogical Studies students begin the October rotation of courses, we continue to explore the foundational research practise of developing Transcribing Skills. See below for links to our courses designed to equip our students with this vital ability. All family history researchers, no matter what their level of expertise, should strive to acquire these core research skills. When preparing to make a transcription, it is good practice to make a digital scan of the original document and then put the physical document away. This keeps your original safe with as little handling as possible. Once you have the copy, you can make a print out and mark on it as you wish. Viewing the digital image on your computer allows you to enlarge difficult-to-read sections. Today’s Transcription Tip is the use of Line Numbering. On your printed working copy (never the original!), number the lines on the page. This will keep you on track as you start transcribing. It is so easy to lose your place and skip to the line before or after the line you are working on, especially in a document with repetitive wording. If the lines are written unevenly, you may also want to draw lines between each numbered line to keep them separated to work on each individually. Remember our Transcription Definition: A transcription is a true word-for-word rendering of a document with the original punctuation and spelling (i.e., an exact copy of the original, line by line, sentence by sentence, word by word, and letter by…

International Institute of Genealogical Studies trains professional genealogists around the world in genealogical sciences, research records, and professional development skills. As a career trade school, we offer professional credentials in 14 genealogical fields of study for career-minded genealogists and classes for family historians wanting to preserve genealogy, history, and knowledge for families and friends. Continuing education for librarians, law enforcement, professionals, and writers to enhance your career and capabilities. Come learn with us in a flexible, affordable, professional online education environment. Visit https://genealogicalstudies.com