Just announced! F. Warren Bittner is offering his course on Gothic Script and Fraktur: Reading Records of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and the Czech Republic, plus German-American Church Books and Newspapers, during SLIG Spring Virtual 2024!
German handwriting is troublesome with seven forms of the letter s, h's that look like f's, e's that look like n's, p's that look like nothing ever seen before, and r's that are just plain upside down. In this course, you will learn to read Gothic script and Fraktur typeface, having fun in the process. German genealogical vocabulary and Latin terms are included. By the end of this course, you will have the tools to read basic German genealogical records.
After receiving excellent reviews, DNA Dreamers in Action: Writing Proof Arguments is back again, offered in a virtual, multi-week format. Are you ready to work on or polish that case study that incorporates DNA evidence?
DNA Dreamers in Action: Writing Proof Arguments, coordinated by Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG, will help you learn how to craft a genealogical proof argument demonstrating that a conclusion about a genetic relationship meets the Genealogical Proof Standard. This hands-on course is designed for students who have completed research about a biological relationship and now wish to write it up into a polished complex proof argument. You will have the opportunity to incorporate each session's learnings into their own proof argument. You will also benefit from private consultations with faculty and from paired peer review experiences.
Other Instructors:
Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, FASG, FNGS, FUGA
Scott Wilds, CG
This is an advanced course and assumes the student is well-versed in beginning and intermediate DNA topics including inheritance paths, interpretation of markers and mutations, genetic relationship predictions, endogamy, pedigree collapse, clustering, chromosome mapping, targeted testing plans, and DNA-related Genealogy Standard.
DNA Dreamers in Action: Writing Proof Arguments will meet online on Fridays, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm MT, March 1–29, 2024.
Whether you are only pondering whether seeking certification by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) is for you, or whether you are actively making preparations to work on your certification portfolio, or whether you are already "on the clock," then you will want to take BCG Certification: Understanding and Meeting Standards.
BCG Certification: Understanding and Meeting Standards, coordinated by Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA, and Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG, centers around BCG's requirements for credentialing, the Genealogical Proof Standard, Genealogy Standards, and Rubrics for Evaluating New Applications for BCG Certification. The course will use class discussions, hands-on activities, and at-home practice to help you build foundational skills in transcribing records, planning efficient research, analyzing records, correlating information, reporting on research results, and writing about evidence.
Note:
This is an advanced methodology course targeted to individuals preparing for BCG certification, although genealogists seeking to improve advanced skills will also benefit from this course.
This course is not sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. The opinions expressed by the faculty are entirely their own.
The BCG Application Guide and Genealogy Standards represent the authority in all matters related to certification. Please refer to the Board for Certification of Genealogists website for more information about certification.
Consistent with BCG Application Guide instructions, any projects submitted by new applicants to BCG must be their own work. While this course emphasizes the skills tested by BCG, students will not work on their own portfolio projects in class.
BCG Certification: Understanding and Meeting Standards will meet online on Thursdays, 8:00 am to 3:30 pm MT, February 15 through March 28, 2024.
Want to effectively capture your research whether writing for yourself or a client? Do you find writing effective research reports to be a challenge? Here's a course that will provide instruction and hands-on experience in creating an efficient and effective report.
In The Art of Writing a Research Report, coordinated by Debra A. Hoffman, PLCGS, a team of professional genealogists will share their expertise in technical writing, evidence analysis, incorporating visual elements, organizing materials, time-saving strategies, and documentation. You will receive a variety of reporting formats covering simple to complex research problems from an array of professional perspectives. You will learn both by evaluating provided reports and writing a research report during the course.
Other Instructors:
Catherine B. W. Desmarais, CG
Diana Elder, AG
Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, FASG, FNGS, FUGA
Karen Matheson, AG
Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
Nancy A. Peters, CG, CGL
Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG
Paul Woodbury, MEd, AG
Watch this interview with course coordinator Debra A. Hoffman as she talks about The Art of Writing Research Reports.
The Art of Writing a Research Report will meet online on Wednesday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm MT, February 28 through March 27, 2024.
Are you ready to become a genealogical speaker? Maybe try your hand (your voice?) at presenting a case study at a genealogy conference? Or may teach a webinar? Or offer a live workshop? This course will help you begin as a genealogical speaker. And if you have already started speaking and presenting, this course will assist you in honing your speaking skills.
You’re Invited: Public Speaking from Concept to Delivery, coordinated by D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS, FUGA, will help you transform an initial concept into a full-fledged presentation delivered in front of an audience. It is also ideal for existing speakers seeking to brush up on their skills and expand their portfolios. All can explore how public speaking might align with their aspirations.
This is an intensive, interactive course that explores many key components of public speaking for genealogists within the general framework of understanding the business of speaking, knowing your audience, developing your presentation, and delivering your presentation.
Other instructors:
Annette Burke Lyttle, MA
Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
You’re Invited: Public Speaking from Concept to Delivery will meet online on Thursdays, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm MT, February 15 through April 25, 2024.
How are you going to tell the stories of your ancestors? This course can teach you how!
Bring ‘Em Back to Life: Writing Our Ancestors’ Stories, coordinated by Annette Burke Lyttle, MA, will help researchers understand how to tell the stories of their ancestors, avoid pitfalls, and gain the skills and techniques that will give them confidence as writers. Don't just be a guardian of your family's history; be a teller of those family stories. At the end of this course, you will have a completed writing project and a plan for how best to share it.
Other instructors:
Lisa Alzo, MFA
Jenifer Kahn Bakkala
Gena Philibert-Ortega, MA, MAR
Kimberly T. Powell
Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
Watch this interview with coordinator Annette Burke Lyttle as she talks about the course:
Bring ‘Em Back to Life: Writing Our Ancestors’ Stories will meet online on Wednesdays, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm MT, February 14 through April 18, 2024.
Do you want some guidance on your current genealogy research project? Do you want a week to focus just on your project questions but would like some expert advice on how to proceed. Try Craig Scott's Guided Research and Consultation course during SLIG 2023.
Guided Research and Consultation, coordinated by Craig Roberts Scott, MA, CG, FUGA, provides you with your own personal research guide for an entire week. During the week, as you work on your own project, you will engage in virtual regular group meetings and one-on-one consultations. Assistance will be available as needed during specific research hours.
Although the group and one-on-one sessions take place virtually, and many students choose to research and participate from home, some students might choose to travel on their own to Salt Lake City for the week and research in person at the famous FamilySearch Library.
Watch this interview with course coordinator Craig Scott:
Guided Research and Consultation will meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
Are you an intermediate-level genealogist, comfortable with research but ready to tackle more challenging and complex genealogical problems? Do you want to learn more advanced research skills? Maybe it's the right moment for you to take Advanced Genealogical Methods!
Advanced Genealogical Methods, coordinated by Paul K. Graham, AG, CG, CGL, addresses the advanced use of evidence derived from various genealogical sources and explores research techniques for populations for which the usual records are in short supply. You will learn how to assemble and use evidence, document your research, and develop proof summaries to reach accurate conclusions and create a credible record of your findings.
Faculty includes:
Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
Paul Woodbury, MEd, AG
This intense course is intended for high intermediate genealogists who have completed an intermediate-level course or have equivalent experience. Their research has led them to encounter relationships that cannot be documented only with direct evidence. Students are expected to have taken at least one DNA test.
Students are also encouraged to obtain and read Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones before the start of the course.
Advanced Genealogical Methods will meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
Do you get stumped when you try to research an ancestor earlier than the 1850 U.S. census? Hate beating your head against that particular brick wall? Then take this course to learn how to avoid that research headache.
Beyond the Brick Wall: Strategies for Pre-1850 U.S. Research is designed to show you how to overcome the unique challenges of researching in the United States before 1850. Records from that earlier time often contain less information, are seldom indexed, and can be challenging to find. You will be introduced to pre-1850 record types and learn strategies for identifying relationships prior to 1850. You will gain hands-on practice in applying advanced research skills, record analysis, and evidence correlation.
Beyond the Brick Wall is coordinated and taught by
Julia A Anderson, MA, AG
Jacqueline Kanyuck, AG
Lyn Rasmussen, CG
Beth Taylor, CG
Watch this interview as the coordinators discuss this course:
Beyond the Brick Wall: Strategies for Pre-1850 U.S. Research will meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
DNA Dreamers: Integrating DNA Evidence to Resolve Complex Cases, coordinated by Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG, is an advanced course designed to deconstruct and study researcher decisions, strategies, and methodologies employed in the correlation of documentary and genetic evidence to establish proven genealogical conclusions. Familiar genealogical skills will be dissected with a DNA twist. Besides working through faculty-provided case studies, several lucky volunteers will have the opportunity to present a real-life "stuck case" and participate in a "think-tank" around options for a next step.
Faculty includes:
Catherine Desmarais, CG
Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, FASG, FNGS, FUGA
David K. Larsen, PhD, MSLIS
Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS
Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
Paul Woodbury, MEd, AG
This is an advanced level-course with prerequisites:
Completion of a full-week institute course at any genealogical institute in each of these categories:
Advanced Methodology, Advanced Genealogical Methods, or Mastering Genealogical Proof
Beginning DNA, Introduction to Genetic Genealogy, or Practical Genetic Genealogy
Establishing Genealogical Proof with DNA, Intermediate DNA, Chromosome Mapping, Advanced DNA, or SLIG Virtual DNA Practicum
If a registrant does not meet the prerequisites, a work sample may be submitted for consideration that correlates genetic and documentary sources to establish a conclusion meeting the Genealogical Proof Standard.
DNA Dreamers: Integrating DNA Evidence to Resolve Complex Cases will meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
Do you have ancestors who lived in the southern United States? You might want to consider taking The Fundamentals of Southern U.S. Research and Resources.
In The Fundamentals of Southern U.S. Research and Resources, coordinated by J. Mark Lowe, FUGA, you will start with basic methodologies and review the records and resources that lead to answers when researching ancestors in the southern United States. Highlights include transportation routes, manuscript collections, occupational resources, land, court and estate records (and the laws that created them) along with problem-solving techniques used by real Southern researchers.
Other instructors:
Deborah A. Abbot, PhD
Clint Alley
Gail Jackson Miller, CG
Ari Wilkins
The Fundamentals of Southern U.S. Research and Resources will meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
Research has led you back to ancestors living in France? You've had no experience with genealogical research in French records? Do you want to know what to do first and next? Then this course is for you.
Genealogy Research in France: An Introduction, coordinated by Paul Woodbury, MEd, AG, will teach you to trace your French ancestry through civil registration, church, census, military, and newspaper records. You will gain hands-on experience working with real cases and associated documents. Several case studies will be shared, highlighting methodological considerations of research in different areas of mainland France. Even if you don't know French, this course is for you!
Other instructors:
Brandon Baird, AG
Amberly Beck, AG
Forrest R. Hansen, JD
Aimee Marie
Renaud Marie, AG
Ariel Munger, BA, CG
Genealogy Research in France: An Introduction will meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
The Great American Desert, Flyover Country, and Buffalo Commons are all terms used to describe the Northern Plains of the United States. they imply an empty country, with little of interest and few residents. Nothing could be further from the truth. This region--which embraces the entirety of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, plus western Minnesota, western Iowa, and eastern Montana--is filled with intriguing people, rich and varied histories and cultures, and wide-ranging genealogical challenges and opportunities. Researching Along the Northern Plains will enable you to uncover genealogical gems about your ancestors who settled in or passed through the Northern Plains.
Researching Along the Northern Plains, coordinated by Gary Ball-Kilbourne, PhD, CG, will provide you with insights into researching the region as a whole as well as its distinctive states. Special attention will be given to Native Americans of the Northern Plains and key ethnic immigrant groups. Important brick-and-mortar repositories, online availability of sources, and helpful agencies will be discussed. Guidance for participants to develop their own locality guides will be provided.
Other instructors:
J. H. "Jay" Fonkert, CG
Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL
Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
Julie Miller, CG, CGL, FNGS
Gena Philibert-Ortega, MA, MAR
Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA
Jeff Svare, AG
There is no nightly homework for this course. However, students will be asked to select one county or larger city within the Northern Plains region. Throughout the week, students will develop their own locality guide for the county or city they selected. During the last class session, students will be encouraged to share their guides and the insights gained from developing them.
Watch this video as coordinator Gary Ball-Kilbourne talks about Researching Along the Northern Plains:
Researching Along the Northern Plains will meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
Are you ready to go to the next level by digging deeper into federal records? What might you discover in compiled military service records, pension records, private and public military acts and laws, dog tags, and federal and state bounty land records among other places? Find out in Guide to Treasures Found in Federal Records!
In Guide to Treasures Found in Federal Records, coordinated by Michael L. Strauss, AG, you will learn about a variety of records maintained and held by the National Archives of the United States. You might not have been exposed to some of these records before! What might these federal records show you about the life and times of your ancestors?
Faculty includes:
Michael Brophy, MBA
Annette Burke Lyttle, MA
Rich Venezia
Guide to Treasures Found in Federal Records is scheduled to meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
Want to know one of the key differences between a good genealogist and a great one? Knowledge of and experience with court records! And who better to learn from than The Legal Genealogist herself, Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, and the knowledgeable Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA.
The Family History Law Library will cover the basic legal concepts and legal research approaches appropriate for genealogists. Topics will include courts and their records, estate laws, legislative records, pensions, land law, and more. Elements of both English common law and Roman law will be introduced through classes on the legal concepts found in Irish, German, and French law that relate to research in those countries and their relevance to research in the United States.
Faculty includes:
F. Warren Bittner, MS
Forrest R. Hansen, JD
David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS
Marian L. Smith (retired from USCIS)
The Family History Law Library is scheduled to meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
"The major fortunes in America have been made in land," is a quote attributed to John D. Rockefeller. The major economy of the nation from the colonial period through the 1860s was agriculture. The acquisition of land was a promise of a better life and a major draw to immigrants from other nations.
In Advanced Research Tools: Land Records, coordinated by Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CG, you will explore land development, law, and acquisition across the nation's history. State and federal land records will be discussed as well as maps and land platting, Genealogically-rich, deed and other types of land records are full of relationships, community, and context for the savvy researcher.
Faculty includes:
Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
Kimberly T. Powell
Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
Gerald H. "Jerry" Smith, CG
Watch this interview in which course coordinator Rebecca Whitman Koford talks about the course:
Advanced Research Tools: Land Records is scheduled to meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
Social history looks at the ordinary person. It's "history. . . with the people put back in." It examines family life, food, education, immigration, death, labor, and industry as experienced by "real people." For family historians, social history helps us understand our ancestor's life and adds historical context.
Exploring Their Life: The Social History of Your Family, coordinated by Gena Philibert-Ortega, MA, MAR, introduces social history systematically by modeling new research skills, introducing sources, and imparting historical backgrounds to events of interest to the genealogist. You will learn how to do comprehensive historical research, benefit from a focused look at historical topics, and learn how to present this information to your family. This course will be different from any social history course Gena Philibert-Ortega has offered before.
Faculty includes:
Donna Cox Baker, PhD
Dan Bouk, PhD
Tammy A. Helps
Jan Joyce, DBA, CG, CGL, AG
Annette Burke Lyttle, MA
Ari Wilkins
Exploring Their Life: The Social History of Your Family is scheduled to meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
Uncovering an ancestor's immigration story is a rich experience for many genealogists. However, challenges exist when tracing immigrants during the colonial period through 1890. In Immigration from Colonial Times to 1890, students will discover resources for identifying an individual's or family's immigration while exploring methods to contextualize and further understand their experience.
Immigration from Colonial Times to 1890, coordinated by D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS, FUGA, explores various compiled and original source materials, including online and onsite resources. Case studies will provide methodologies for finding immigrant stories despite missing or inconsistent records. Other topics covered included forced immigration, colonial settlements, indentured servants, passenger lists, customs passenger lists, naturalization records, foreign passenger records, name variants, compiled databases, newspapers, and immigrant societies.
Faculty includes:
Grant Din
Debbie Gurtler, AG
Janice Lovelace, PhD
Annette Burke Lyttle, MA
Rich Venezia
Immigration from Colonial Times to 1890 is scheduled to meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
You already know FamilySearch as the go-to website for researching your ancestors. But did you know that FamilySearch is also an organization with a proud 128-year history that constantly grows and keeps current with new opportunities? At FamilySearch, it's all about the individual and the experience you will have either in person or online.
Behind the Scenes at FamilySearch: Technology and Features, coordinated by Lynn Turner, AG, will illustrate the array of different opportunities to use the resources of FamilySearch and to understand the foundations of each experience. Come explore the many features and products that FamilySearch has to offer.
Faculty includes:
John K. Alexander, MA, MLIS
Daniel Atwell, MLIS
Brandon L. Baird, AG, MEd
Danielle Batson, AG
Charlotte Noelle Champenois, AG
Tim Cross
Rebekah Grow
Debbie Gurtler, AG
Sandra Joseph
Amber Larsen, AG
Caleigh McGraw Oldroyd
Whitney Peterson
David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS
Lauren Wake, AG
Darris G. Williams
FamilySearch: Technology and Features is scheduled to meet online January 22–26, 2024. All SLIG 2024 courses will be offered virtually this year.
Coordinated by Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA, the Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum provides an opportunity for advanced genealogists to gain hands-on experience solving tough cases. Participants work on five complex genealogical research problems—a new one each week. This practicum is for you if you are an advanced researcher and want to gain experience conducting research on challenging problems, analyzing and correlating information, and writing conclusions.
You will practice using indirect evidence, broadening research to include the FAN club, resolving conflicts, and organizing evidence into a written summary. The research problems are varied, offering the challenge to stretch your mind and skills in new directions. You will work individually on the case each week and then gather to discuss your progress with classmates and the instructor. In addition, you will compare sources, strategies, and methodologies, discuss difficulties encountered, and receive guidance from the case study author.
Case Study Instructors:
Gary Ball-Kilbourne, PhD, CG
Nicole Gilkison LaRue, CG
Stephanie O'Connell, CG
Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG
Paul Woodbury, MEd, AG
This course is designed for advanced genealogists who have sufficient experience and education to work on complex genealogical problems. Most students plan 15–20 hours per week to work on the cases and write up a summary of findings.
Prerequisites:
An advanced-level methodology course such as:
SLIG—Advanced Genealogical Methods with Tom Jones or Paul Graham
IGHR—Advanced Genealogy and Evidence Analysis with Elizabeth Shown Mills or Judy Russell
GRIP—Advanced Genealogical Methods with Tom Jones
BYU Family History degree
NIGS certificate
Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research
ProGen Study Group completion
OR
Equivalent experience:
Students may demonstrate their experience with genealogical research by submitting a paper detailing how they solved a genealogical problem. Please include source citations to support your conclusions. Students may register for the course and submit the paper for consideration by August 20.
Or students may submit a summary of their educational and research background instead of a report.
The Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum will meet on Thursdays, 9:00 am to 11:00 am Mountain Time, September 7 through October 12.
Watch this interview in which course coordinator Angela Packer McGhie talks about the practicum:
