Family History Research

In addition to classes and intensives, there are a few online study groups for genealogists to continue their education. Beginning Genealogists Gen Proof Study Groups Each study group has a mentor who leads participants through the exercises and discussions outlined in the book Mastering Genealogical Proof . The author,Thomas W. Jones, writes "I wrote this book to help other genealogists understand in a reasonable time frame what decades of trial-and-error experiences have taught me.... I hope it will enable many more family historians to advance their genealogical research goals efficiently and accurately." The study group teaches the five elements of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS), including reasonably exhaustive research; each statement of fact has a complete and accurate source citation, evidence is reliable and has been skillfully correlated and interpreted, conclusion has been soundly reasoned and coherently written. Advanced Genealogists Gen Proof a...

Institutes are where genealogists learn new skills and continue their education for years to come. Many of the organizations that arrange these programs, plan their course offerings out for several years so that people can plan to get the professional development they need. These aren't informal conferences; rather, you can expect a week of intensive study on a topic of your choic e . Institutes are run throughout the country. These week long institutes have various genealogical areas of intense studies, for both novice and advanced genealogists. The ones listed here are very general in topic, but if you have a special interest such as a region of the world or a certain people group, there is bound to be a specific event to meet your needs. For example, the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society has regular conferences. Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy  (SLIG) Location: Salt Lake City, UT Season: Winter New England Regional Genealogical Consortium  (NERGC) ...

Now that I have thoroughly researched education and training options, I am looking forward to getting started! I called both Boston University and the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, to learn more about each program. They are comparable in cost, but the NIGS program seems much more robust. When complete, the NIGS certificate holder can place PLCGS (Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies) after their name. I purchased a four-course package (cost becomes $76 per course instead of the regular price of $89) so that I could try it out before committing. They said that if I decide that I want to go for the complete, 40 course certification program, I can apply the cost of the initial four-course package to my larger certificate program. My goal is to earn the Certificate in Genealogical Studies-American Records, which covers basic methodology, US documents and records, Analysis and Skills, as well as 12 elective courses. These can be on business s...

When I examined the genealogy certificate programs, I felt that they were pretty basic. They definitely serve a purpose for amateurs and professionals just getting started, but I feel like I want something more in depth. A few universities offer online programs to earn an Associates Degree or Bachelor's Degree in Family History. 1) Brigham Young, Utah-- Bachelor's Degree in Family History -- ONLY if it is your first BA. They will not offer it as a second degree because they want you do to do the full BA program, not just the Family History major with core subjects tranferring in. 2) Brigham Young, Idaho-- Associate's Degree in Family History This starts our the same as the Certificate Program that I looked at yesterday , then it takes it a step further by adding the following classes: Genealogical Writing The Family and Society Research Methodology, Part 2 Introduction to Family History Research, Part 2 Genealogy as a Business Capstone: Professional Research P...

The first level of qualification you can gain is a non-degree certificate in genealogy from an accredited program. There are three that I've seen regularly listed on the websites of professional genealogists, so I've compared them here to decide which provides the best education at a reasonable rate. It seems like the National Institute for Genealogical Studies program is the best of these four-- it is very complete, but not too expensive. If offers plenty of variety and flexibility. Tomorrow, I'll compare college degrees such as the AA or BA in Family History. 1) Brigham Young University, Idaho-- Family History Research "BYU-Idaho's online Certificate in Family History Research helps students gain the fundamental research skills and knowledge needed to become a successful family history researcher. This program provides students with a basic understanding of family history research principles and practises... The class progresses together through the semes...

I'm so excited I've taken the first step toward what I hope to be a new career. I really enjoy connecting people to their family and to history, and this could be a job that lets me work from home part time, taking regular field trips to seek out documents during the hours my kids are in school. I went to the National Genealogical Society website and decided on the Basic Membership for $70 per year. I created a new Gmail account to have listed in their directory and linked it to forward to my regular email account. After a few minutes, I got the email confirmation that my subscription to the NGS was active, and I went straight to the free  Family History Skills course page to begin. It is a prerequisite for the intermediate and advanced courses offered by the NGS. The six lessons are called: Genealogical Basics Family and Published Sources Birth, Death, and Marriage Certificates Finding Death Information Finding Parents and Birth Information Marriage Records ...

There are so many exciting options out there, the hardest part is deciding which one to take! One of the requirements for accreditation through the BCG or ICAPGen is that genealogists show they have done extensive learning through classes and conferences. All of these programs are available ONLINE, and they give us the "practical experience in research methodologies and client report writing and will learn the fundamental skills needed to become capable family history researchers and to even establish a successful research business" (from BYU Idaho). I am planning to start my professional education with the National Genealogical Society. The yearly membership dues (don't forget memberships are credentials that you can use to promote your business!) include access to some introductory courses for FREE . I am registered for the Family History Skills class, which might be too simple for me but maybe "I don't know what I don't know," so I'm going ...

My goal is to gain the tools I need to provide a quality product to customers. I need to earn money but I also want to produce a product that helps the customer connect to their ancestors in a personal way. I am already able to do that to some degree, but as I've examined the work of professional genealogists, I realize they have skills and experience that can help them make progress in particularly challenging projects as well as to provide a more robust product in general. I've looked at the websites of dozens of private and corporate genealogists and all of them have credentials of various kinds. At first, the different acronyms and titles confused me; but as I started looking more in depth, I was able to make sense of it. Most professional genealogists are not certified by an accrediting agency nor do they have a college degree in family history. Instead, they have taken advantage of the learning opportunities which they list as "credentials" to do the ...

Genealogy is a popular past time, and I became serious about it several months ago when I decided to make a family history book for my parents. Not only did I include records and photographs, but I created a narrative for each person to help give the reader a sense of their life and times. Some time later, when I was looking for part time work, my husband pointed out that I might be able to make money creating family history books for others. It would be the perfect use of my masters degree in information science, and allow me to work flexible hours from home while our children are still small! What a great idea! I look online for tips about how to start this kind of business, and quickly became discouraged by the complexity of professional genealogy. Hourly rates were all over the place, from $20 per hour to $200 per hour! There were different paths to certification and different types of certification. Many of the websites that I visited to find out about these paths were outdate...