SLIG 2024: The Family History Law Library

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.

See the SLIG 2024 Courses webpage for prerequisites and more information, including updates.

SLIG 2024 registration opens Saturday, July 22, at 10:00 am MDT.

SLIG 2023: Corpus Juris: Advanced Legal Concepts for Genealogy

This course will take you deeper into using legal resources and records to solve genealogical questions.

Corpus Juris: Advanced Legal Concepts for Genealogy, coordinated by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, is an advanced-level course offering an opportunity for a deeper understanding of the rich research resources of the law, including those generally available only at law libraries. Students will work with legal records and sources, gaining a better grasp of legal history and its implications for research, as well as the skills to find and apply the law to solve genealogical problems.

Faculty includes:

• LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG
• Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, FASG, FNGS, FUGS
• David McDonald, DMin
• Forrest R. Hansen, JD
• Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

This is an advanced-level course. Completion of a basic courese in genealogy and law--Family History Law Library (SLIG) or Law School for Genealogists (GRIP) is recommended.

Corpus Juris: Advanced Legal Concepts for Genealogists is scheduled to meet online January 23–27, 2023. All SLIG courses will be offered virtually this year. (See you in person in Salt Lake City in 2024!)

See the SLIG 2023 Courses web page for more information, including updates.

SLIG 2023 registration opens Saturday, July 16, at 10:00 am MDT.

Finding Clues Hidden in the Records with the Advanced Legal Concepts Course - A Discussion with Judy Russell

Corpus Juris: Advanced Legal Concepts for Genealogy is unique learning opportunity for those who want to use legal records to uncover clues about the past. Participants will experience hands-on research in the University of Utah Law Library and receive instruction on a higher level than any other genealogy law-related courses. Course coordinator, Judy Russell, JD, CG, CGL, answered our questions about her course. 

Who should take this course?

This is the perfect class for every genealogist who has ever sat with a court record or probate file or legal document and wondered just what story that record was trying to tell. The arcane language, the formalities can all hide some of the most important clues we can have in reconstructing families, and finding those clues requires some special research skills. 

Am I ready for this course?

Anyone who has done onsite research in a courthouse or truly worked through a full case file online is ready to take this next step and dive deeper into legal records and legal research techniques. It's advanced, yes, but not so advanced that anyone who's grappled with court and legal records for their family history should be afraid to take that next step.

What makes this course unique?

What makes Corpus Juris different from other genealogical institute courses is its depth and breadth of focus on understanding the legal foundations of the records we use. In an introductory law-and-genealogy course, it isn't possible to spend a day on researching at a law library or to have multiple sessions on finding exactly the right law that explains what this record means at this place in this time -- while Corpus Juris makes that a keystone.

What is the main takeaway students will gain from this course?
Students come out of this course with a solid understanding of the ways in which major genealogical clues can be hidden in the records -- and with great ways to try to find and understand those clues.

Course instructors include:

• LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL
• Thomas W. Jones, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
• Rev. David McDonald, DMin, CG
• George R. Ryskamp, JD, AG
• Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

Learn more about this unique advanced course by clicking here: Corpus Juris: Advanced Legal Concepts for Genealogy.

My Experience with SLIG's "Corpus Juris" Course

As genealogists researching and compiling the history of our families, we need to understand the time and place in which they lived. A crucial part of that understanding is learning about the laws that were in effect and their impact on our ancestors.

            One of the best ways of receiving a comprehensive education on legal records is to take Judy Russell’s courses at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She is the coordinator for a two-part curriculum. The first part, The Family History Law Library, will be offered in 2019. You can access more information here. In 2016, I attended the second part, Corpus Juris: Advanced Legal Concepts for Genealogy. 

            Besides Judy being a knowledgeable and entertaining speaker, the course contained substantial information to assist genealogical researchers in their encounters with legal records. To briefly summarize, the topics included: an overview of the legal system, research tools and strategies, statutes, session laws, probate records, court records, debt records, criminal records, published materials, canon law, and civil law. As you can see from the topics, it was a jam-packed week.

            One of my favorite parts of the course was the visit to the University of Utah Law Library. R. Lee Warthen, JD, MLS (sadly, now deceased) treated us to a personal tour of each floor of the library pointing out all the relevant resources that were available. It was a special treat to see the collection of old law books that were available to researchers. We also had the opportunity to do hands-on work on-site and to get a chance to put our new knowledge to the test as we worked through the exercises. I located a 1799 case that referenced a Maryland family with land in both Maryland and Virginia. The digest provided insight into the particulars of the case and it was amazing how much genealogical details could be gleaned from the summary. It is exciting to think about how much information might be available in the court records!

            I really enjoyed the hands-on exercises that Judy incorporated into the course. From the ones at the law library to the documents that were reviewed during the lectures, it was beneficial to see actual documents that illustrated the concepts and provided for critical thinking and analysis. Best of all, with the Family History Library right down the street, I was even able to put my new knowledge to work when conducting personal research.

            One evening at the FHL, I was reading circuit court minutes for Hawkins County, Tennessee. I came across a writ of Scire Facias. Luckily, that was one of the topics that Judy had covered that day. It was so satisfying to be able to apply my newfound knowledge! For those unfamiliar with that term, it is a “judicial writ, founded upon some matter of record, such as a judgment or recognizance and requiring the person against whom it is brought to showcase why the party bringing it should not have advantage of such record, or why the record should not be annulled and vacated.”[1]

            Peg Ivanyo, SLIG director, reminds us that "in order to take Judy's advanced course, which is unique to SLIG, one must have either taken her Law Library course, which is offered this year or have equivalent experience."

            As a genealogical researcher, the benefit of taking this two-part series will be realized in the increased knowledge you will gain and being able to apply that knowledge to understand and appropriately analyze legal documents in the future. 

--Debra A. Hoffman

---

[1] Henry Campbell Black, Black’s Law Dictionary, Fourth edition (St. Paul, Minn.: West Publishing Co., 1951), “Scire Facias.”

SLIG 2018 Course Highlight: Corpus Juris: Advanced Legal Concepts for Genealogy

Course 11:

 Corpus Juris: Advanced Legal Concepts for Genealogy

With

Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

This course offers students an opportunity for a deeper understanding of the rich research resources of the law, including those generally available only at law libraries. Students will work with legal records and sources, gaining a better grasp of legal history and its implications for research as well as the skills to find and apply the law to solve genealogical problems. Individual sessions will focus on specific legal disciplines (criminal, civil, probate and the like) and students will have the opportunity to visit and use the resources of a major university law library.

Black's Law Dictionary; Source: Wikipedia

Suggested Prerequisites

Students must have conducted onsite genealogical research at one or more courthouses and should be familiar with common court and probate records and with basic legal terminology. Completion of a basic course in genealogy and law (SLIG 2015 or 2017, GRIP 2014) is recommended.

Other Instructors

Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS

Rev. Dr. David McDonald, CG

George R. Ryskamp, JD, AG

Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

For full course description and bio, please visit www.slig.ugagenealogy.org

SLIG 2017 Highlight: The Family History Law Library

Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

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 course will cover the basic legal concepts and legal research approaches appropriate for genealogists, and will require the student to employ these concepts with hands on exercises using the resources of the FHL. Topics will include courts and their records, estate laws, legislative records, pensions, and property law.

Additionally, 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.

Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

Previous attendee Michelle Ganus Taggart said of her experience, “The Law Library Course at SLIG was a fun and engaging class packed full of great information.  Coordinators Judy Russell and Rick Sayre helped us see the many ways the law impacted our ancestors' lives.  We learned where to find the laws, how to apply them, and how understanding the law of the time period can help provide clues that lead to further discoveries about our ancestors in related records. Among other things, we learned about civil law, common law, family law, probate law and military law. During the course I literally kept a running list of new things to try in my own research and I left excited to put my new knowledge to work. This class provided me with new tools that have helped me tackle some of my most stubborn genealogical problems!

Have questions about The Family History Law Library, and if it’s the right class for you? Email us at info@ugagenealogy.org.

For more information about Judy Russell, visit her blog The Legal Genealogist.