International Institute of Genealogical Studies

Optional Print Course Material: Eastern European: Record Repositories

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

Tracking down specific records for ancestors is likely the ultimate goal of students taking the Eastern European courses. Therefore, one important aspect of these courses is to describe the nature of the repositories where the needed records reside. There are a variety of libraries and archives (hence, the usage of the term “repositories”) one may access to obtain the needed records.

To be effective in using a variety of repositories in Central and Eastern Europe, it is important to learn about them, including their differences, and how to access them. Due to the sheer number of archives, libraries, societies, and other repositories for the various Eastern European countries, not all are identified. Each researcher may need a different set of repositories to succeed in research. This course will introduce the major kinds of repositories and a basic overview of how they operate.

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Eastern European: Problem Solving

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

This course focuses on six of the most common Eastern European genealogy research problems and the methods to solve them. We will begin with the issue of names and the problem of spelling. Next, we will address the problems of identifying the name of the ancestral town or village and locating places those places using current borders. Then, we will review the issue of records access (especially how to acquire records that are not online) and address the challenges of reading records in unfamiliar languages. Finally, we will discuss the basics of what it means when your DNA test results indicate Eastern European ancestry.

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Eastern European: Onsite Research in the Ancestral Homeland

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

No matter how convenient it may be these days to research ancestors without leaving home, you probably still dream of visiting your family’s homeland. You are yearning to see where your ancestors lived, stand in the church where they were baptized, enjoy traditional cuisine, and understand what life was like for your ancestors before they made the journey to America. With heritage travel, you have an opportunity to go beyond the same old research strategies and discover those details you can’t get from online databases, books, or microfilm. In this course, you will learn about “immersion genealogy”—the process of discovering where and how our ancestors lived, worked, and worshiped, and experiencing first-hand those customs and traditions they passed down through the generations. We will begin with planning your trip (including packing and travel tips). Then, we will cover how to contact relatives and locals (mayors and priests) in advance, what to do when you meet them, and creating an itinerary. Finally, we will review what to do after the trip to document your meetings, travels, and research.

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Personal Historian: Beginning Genealogy

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

Genealogical research is one income stream you can add to your Personal Historian business whether you conduct the research or your hire a researcher. Family history information enhances a personal history project by providing more in-depth family details. This introduction to genealogy will address how to add this income stream to your business, what to look for when hiring a researcher, and how to do the basic research yourself. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: FamilySearch Resources: In Person and Online

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

FamilySearch is one of the important websites in the field of genealogical research. The FamilySearch, free, website is just one part of a larger network, provide by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. FamilySearch includes over 6.3 billion searchable records and indexes online. FamilySearch provides digital images, education, digitized books, online indexing, a library catalog, and online access to genealogy sources in a variety of forms. The services provided through the FamilySearch organization have proven time and time again to be invaluable to researchers of all experiences and levels of expertise. In this course we will review all aspects of using the FamilySearch website and how to use the website to find, learn, network, and share with other researchers. 

Course Length: 9 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Discover Your Family History

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

An introductory course in tracing your family history. Start with the question: “Why should I trace my family history?” Then focus on the how as you learn to use a Pedigree Chart and Family Group Record. Move to research basics with living family members and home sources that provide relevant information. Review websites and sources most used in family history research. The course concludes with a look at next steps to continuing your research including DNA testing and hiring a genealogist. Or, continue courses with the International Institute of Genealogical Studies to reach your dream of becoming a professional genealogist by earning your credentials.

Optional Print Course Material: Writing Your Family History Book

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

Recording interesting family stories is essential if you want future generations to read your family history book. This course will help you write the story of your life or of your ancestors’ lives. Techniques for researching the facts, remembering the events, writing the text, adding visuals with graphics or photographs, and finally reproducing your book will all be discussed. 

Course Length: 6 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Preserve Your Family History Documents and Heirlooms

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

You have taken the time to locate and acquire your family’s precious documents, photos, and heirlooms. Now take the time to protect, curate, and share them for future generations to enjoy. 

This course discusses how to preserve your family history items to minimize damage. The procedures for encapsulating documents and photographs will be explored, as well as other methods to protect your family heirlooms. You are your family’s archivist, and family history requires you to do more than research, you must also preserve material items of the past. This course will demonstrate the techniques and tools you need to do just that. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Planning a Fabulous Family Reunion

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

Planning a family reunion is often something you have been thinking or dreaming of for years. But like most projects, at a certain point you must stop dreaming and start doing.

Let's not kid ourselves, planning a family reunion is a big job. It will take lots of hours, and many times you will wonder why you ever dreamed of this.

Yes, you can do this, just don't try to do it by yourself. If you've assembled a good planning team, your family reunion will be a success. This course will give you lots of ideas and suggestions to make the planning of your reunion a little easier.

Genealogy has been known to become a passion or become addictive. Well the enthusiasm in planning a family reunion is infectious, if you have the excitement, you will pass it on.

Course Length: 5 weeks

As genealogists and family historians we all dream of one day walking the land of our ancestors or going to ‘genealogy heaven’ in Salt Lake City. You can make those dreams come true, with sound practical advice. Researching away from home, especially abroad, can be productive and rewarding if adequate preparations are made. This course gives practical advice on travel, accommodation, what to take, and what to expect in libraries, archives, and other repositories. You need to be fully prepared to accomplish your research objectives. The second half of the course concentrates on the world’s largest genealogical library, the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. It is your guide in the planning process, familiarizes you with how the FamilySearch Library is organized, and gives all the practical tips anyone can use to get the most from their research trip.

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

Optional Print Course Material: Research: Quebec Non-Francophone Ancestors

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

In order to successfully do research in Québec, it is important to understand how the land divisions and institutions evolved and developed. This course explores where to turn, how the institutions have been set up and the importance of the religious context when researching your English ancestors in Québec. The province developed uniquely to the rest of the country. Records are not necessarily stored where you may have searched in another province in Canada. The course will explain the significance of the Notary, PRDH, Moving Day, the BAnQ and much more. Some tips are even given for those who are new to working with the French language. 

The English have mainly been concentrated in the areas of the Eastern Townships, the Gaspé, the Ottawa River Valley, the North-West and of course, the main centres of Montréal and Québec. All of these regions are explored in some depth and tips particular to the region are given. The course material includes useful websites, references and bibliography which will be useful for the course as well as provide the basis for your genealogical reference library. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

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

Settlements in Newfoundland date quite far back. The first settlement by the English dates back to 1610 when the London and Bristol Company founded Cuper's Cover (Cupids). It is important to understand the settlement and migration patters in order to properly research in this province. During this course, we will discuss the settlement and migration patterns in Newfoundland and Labrador and various documents created such as vital statistics records, probate records, census records, land records, and church records. We will also review available research resources such as archives, libraries, museums and Family History Centers.

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: 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: German Ancestors

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

This genealogical helper is intended for North American English-speaking beginners, who want to find their German ancestors. In order to do successful family research in Germany, you need a basic understanding of the various parts of Germany during the time of your ancestors' lives. A brief examination of sources and repositories including the FamilySearch website will point the researcher in the right direction. It will be helpful to have some knowledge of the German or Latin languages since many of the documents have been complied in these languages, and with a flared script so resources for translation are discussed. A sample letter written in German, along with an English translation will assist you in case you need to correspond with an institution in Germany. 

Optional Print Course Material: Research: Irish Ancestors

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

This course is an introduction to the first two centuries of family history research in Ireland, covering both Northern Ireland, which remains part of Britain, and the Republic of Ireland (Eire), which has been independent since 1922. The emphasis is in doing the research yourself from wherever you happen to live, rather than merely covering the resources available in Ireland. Irish records are available worldwide if you know where to look, and this course will show you where they are and how to utilize them.

Consideration is given to the difficulties inherent in Irish research, key items in Irish history and geography and to emigration (the Irish Diaspora). Major original sources covered are civil registration, census (including substitutes where this is lacking), church registers and probate. These are followed by discussions of the usefulness of occupational records, locating research already done or in progress and a brief guide to resources for planning a genealogy research trip to Ireland.

Course Length: 6 weeks