Intermediate Electives

Optional Print Course Material: Connecting Family: Online and Virtually

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Computers and the Internet have revolutionized the way families communicate. This course will highlight a few specific ways to use your computer and the Internet to build and strengthen family ties. Topics will include using multimedia techniques to preserve and share family photographs, building an online family tree, creating virtual family history tours/videos, creating online family newsletters, digitizing scrapbooks, publishing an online family history and creating and maintaining family websites, using communication tools such as Skype, and using social media (blogs, Facebook, and Twitter) to find long lost cousins and stay in touch with relatives. 

Course Length: 6 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Electronic Resources: Organize and Publish a Family Tree

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

This course is designed to give students a wide view of genealogical organization systems available. Geared toward making a sound decision and investment in one’s genealogical software, this course will include cloud-based systems, online trees, desktop software, as well as a brief survey of alternative programs and systems for organizing and displaying genealogical research. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Google for the Wise Genealogist

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Everyone knows that Google is a powerful search engine, but for genealogists Google provides so much more. This course will explore Google programs and how they can be used to research family history. You will be introduced to a variety of Google products, how to navigate those products and specifically how to use them to further your genealogical research. Google provides free software, digitized books and articles, mapping, access to newspapers, translation tools and more. Learn how to use Google for finding information, creating and sharing documents, groups, websites and blogs as well as using it to map your ancestors. Learn about popular Google products like Google search, Google Maps and Google Books as well as the not so well-known products like Google Bookmarks, Google Alerts, Google Scholar, Google Groups and Google Sites. Google is the best non-genealogy, genealogy website there is! 

Course Length: 9 weeks

Creating interesting family history stories involves adding details of your ancestor’s life that go beyond just names and dates. What was their occupation? What religious and political beliefs did they hold? Did they serve in the military, and why did they do what they did? This is an interesting way to start fleshing out the bones of your genealogy and to make your family history come alive. 

In this course we will explore how to find and incorporate information about your ancestor’s life to how to write and publish your family history story. Not sure how to go about writing the story of your ancestor? We cover the very beginning steps of writing to the final product. 

Optional Print Course Material: Personal Historian: Oral History and Interviewing Techniques

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

A personal historian uses oral history interview techniques to interview individuals about their lives or those of their family. Combining the interview, research, and additional items like photographs and documents, a personal historian can create a beautiful story for a client. This course will discuss the things you need to know before specializing in oral histories, how to prepare for and conduct an interview, and what can be done with all the materials. Finally, we will learn how to put everything together and preserve these priceless histories. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Personal Historian: Video Techniques

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

This course is designed to introduce the basics of audio-video production for personal historians and genealogists, that is, people who want to use current digital audio and video tools to record, edit and share life stories. Audio-video productions encompass four phases of work: pre-production, production, post-production and delivery. This course is structured along these four phases.  

Students with any level of audio-video experience, including those who are beginners, can learn from this course. There is great depth and variety to the practice of video biography. This course will help you build your skills and savvy. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Planning a Research Trip to  Ireland

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Having the opportunity to go on a research trip to Dublin is a very exciting prospect; however, being prepared is another matter. This course will help prepare you for such a trip and also help prepare you for what to expect when you arrive. An overview is provided for each archive or repository with a lot of very helpful and worthwhile information.

Course Length: 5 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Planning a Research Trip to Scotland

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Traveling to your ancestor’s hometown can be exciting and scary! The possibility of breaking brick walls, finding never-before-seen records, and walking in your ancestor’s footsteps is beyond exciting. But if you haven’t traveled internationally or aren’t sure where to start, planning such an adventure can be overwhelming. 

In this course we will explore what you need to do in order to plan and execute your ancestral travel to Scotland. We will discuss how to prepare for your trip and plan for research, and repositories you will want to visit.

Course Length: 6 weeks

This course is an excellent introduction to the confusing and often complex history of the Acadians in Canada. Beginning with the arrival of the Acadians into the Maritime region, the power struggles between the British and the French, the expulsion of the Acadians in 1755 and 1758, the different areas within the world they settled and finally their return from exile. This is a very good starting point for anyone with an Acadian background or with an interest in the area. 

Optional Print Course Material: Research: Alberta Ancestors

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Primary settlements took place in the province of Alberta between 1885 and 1914. In the world of genealogy, that does not seem very far back! 

During this course, we will discuss the settlement patterns in Alberta and various documents created such as vital statistics, probate, census, land and church records. We will also review available research resources such as archives, libraries, and FamilySearch. 

This course will not only address the needs of those researching Alberta ancestors but also the needs of those living in the Province of Alberta researching other ancestors of various backgrounds. 

Course Length: 5 weeks

Optional Print Course Material:Research: Australian Ancestors

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

This course provides a detailed description of how to research your family in Australian records. Learn about history, civil registration, church records, immigration (both “free” and convict), as well as the archives and other records you can use to “add flesh to the bones” and turn a list of names and dates into a family history. Learn how to use the online indexes and find the digitized records that can help overcome the “Tyranny of Distance”. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: Austro-Hungarian Ancestors

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Austria-Hungary was formed in 1867 when the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary agreed to unite under the House of Hapsburg, a powerful family that controlled almost all of Europe at different points in history. The dual monarchy became one of the most influential powers in Eastern Europe in the latter half of the 19th century before being dissolved in 1918 following the end of World War I. Because of this complex history, beginning the genealogy research process may seem an overwhelming task.  

Whether you can trace your ancestry back to the Austrian portion, or the Hungarian half, this course will provide you with a solid foundation on which to begin your research. We will discuss, amongst other things: what resources, mainly U.S. and Canadian, can help you begin your research; how geography and border changes impact your research; what Austrian and Hungarian records are available and the historical considerations in their creation; where and how these records can be accessed digitally, on microfilm, via correspondence, or from onsite research; and language resources. We will also review strategies and tips for addressing and overcoming modern-day research challenges and obstacles. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: British Columbia Ancestors

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

This course will provide a brief overview of what genealogical resources are available in the Province of British Columbia and how to access the material. 

British Columbia has the majority of it’s population living in the southern region of the province, adjacent to the boundary with the United States, but many people lived throughout the province and material pertaining to the more isolated regions may not exist, or if in existence, might be in original form and therefore difficult to access. We will discuss how to deal with this problem. Migration and settlement patterns will also be discussed.  

Every study of family history is unique and study in each province of Canada is also unique. The material in this course will provide the researcher with the knowledge of which documents exist and where to find them to conduct an efficient and successful research project in the province of British Columbia. 

Course Length: 5 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: British India Ancestors

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

This course gives an introduction to researching ancestors in India, during the time of British involvement and rule. The course focuses mainly on British ancestors, but includes records that are relevant to other Europeans in India, as well as Anglo-Indians. 

In this course, the author will use primary and secondary material to demonstrate how to research ancestors in British India in depth. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: Canadian Ancestors

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

This course is intended as a guide for those who are starting to research their ancestors in Canada. It is a general guide to the records available for those conducting genealogical research in Canadian records for the first time.   

Specifically, this course is intended as a guide to researchers living outside of Canada who find that their research journey has led them to the point that they must now enter unfamiliar territory and conduct research in the records of another country, when those records may not follow the patterns with which they are familiar. To that end, each province will be examined individually in order to understand the variations in the records and storage that apply to each province. 

Course Length: 6 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: Child Migration from Britain

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

This course provides an overview of the history of child migration from Britain and an introduction to the records that can be accessed to research them. Britain has a very long history of exporting children. Child migration from Britain occurred over a period of nearly 350 years through various private and government sponsored emigration schemes. 

This course is a good starting point for anyone who knows, or even suspects, that they have a British child migrant ancestor in their family tree. Children were sent to the American Colonies, the West Indies, Australia, Canada, Southern Rhodesia, South Africa and New Zealand. The major recipients of children, based upon numbers, were Canada and Australia. 

The course is structured to address research in each of the receiving countries, in Britain and from the sending agencies themselves. The course concludes with a case study which uses a child who migrated to Canada during a time period when child migration to Canada was near its peak. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: Danish Ancestors

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Beginning research on Danish ancestry requires a foundation in certain basics. Before beginning research in any new locality, a fundamental appreciation of the historical background of the area is always required. Most Danish records are organized by parish, so knowing the structure and geography of the country is important to finding the correct records. 

The patronymic system of naming was used throughout Denmark until nearly the end of the 19th century. Learning the techniques appropriate to research families under this system is essential to the student of Danish genealogy. 

The calendar changed from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar and the first day of the year was changed to 1 January. Some dates will be entered based on the “feast days” rather than the calendar day. These dating issues are important to finding and recording information. 

Although fluent Danish is not required to research in Danish records, general genealogical terminology will be introduced. 

Since genealogical research in Denmark relies heavily on church records, the new researcher should first understand how to find and use these books.  From the time the Lutheran Church was established in Denmark in 1536, there have been changes in the format of the record books, but not in the essential content. In this section of the course the student will review the principle sections of parish registers and their use, including some sections which changed over time; when forms became the norm, and what that means to the researcher; the first section to be studied in depth will be the Index. If used by the parish, this is key to unlocking the church life of an individual, and sorting out the many duplicate names; and, where parish records may be accessed―online, Danish archives, and the Family History Library Catalog. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: Dutch Ancestors in the Netherlands

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Researching Dutch ancestors in the Netherlands is very exciting because of the wealth of information available to the genealogist. Even if you are unfamiliar with the Dutch language, this course will assist you and guide you through the records that contain details about your ancestors' lives.  

This course will cover some historical information about the Netherlands and its provinces, an understanding of the Dutch language in genealogical documents, archives and repositories in the Netherlands and, the types of records available for your research. You will study, in more detail, population records, civil registration and searching the Internet for Dutch genealogical information. 

Course Length: 5 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: English and Welsh Ancestors

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

This course gives an introduction to the first two centuries of family history research in England, Wales, Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. The course will concentrate on the major sources. It will also offer a sound strategy for using these sources to gain a firm foundation for subsequent research. 

Course Length: 5 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: French-Canadian Ancestors

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Tracing your French-Canadian ancestors to the early 1600s can be achieved in less than a day! If you know where to look.

Thanks to the meticulous care taken by the clergy of the Catholic church and the numerous volunteers who have transcribed the information found in church records, there are unique tools available to assist in your research needs. 

Even though the resource tools have made this research much easier than many research tasks, you must still prove that the ancestors you are finding are really your ancestors. 

This course will start with a discussion regarding migration patterns. Then it will cover in detail all available sources of information including birth, marriage and death records, dictionaries, fichiers, census records, notarial records, land grants and others. Acadian research will also be discussed during this course. How to prepare for a genealogical trip to Montréal is also included, as well as a case study. 

Course Length: 7 weeks