International Institute of Genealogical Studies

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: 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: Writing the Genealogist's Memoir

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

As a genealogy researcher for your family, you can enhance the results of your work, as well as realize personal satisfaction and value, by creating a memoir to enlighten those who read it. Your memoir can tell them about the story behind your research: your inspiration, motivation and/or interest in genealogy; your process; “aha” moments; roadblocks and disappointments; and successes. The professional genealogist or personal historian can also offer a service to help clients create such a companion piece for their family trees or histories. 

This course will explore the importance and value of memoir, a method for accomplishing one, and special issues to consider. Exercises will offer practical application of the material and opportunities to work on writing your memoir. The course will focus on writing as a method but will explore other options, such as audio and video, as well. 

Course Length: 7 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: 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: 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:Research: Social History

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

This introduction to social history will provide examples and resources of subject matter from many areas of interest to the social historian. Rather than being a comprehensive discussion of social history, the material is intended to inspire your research into the lives of your people and the times and places they lived in. Your ancestors, their families, and the society they lived in may be different from the examples given but only by researching the specifics of their lives, their communities, the world around them and the forces and influences that shaped their environment can you begin to know who they were. 

NOTE: Assignments in this course will require the student to do social history research on the Internet and/or at a local library. How in-depth the research will be, depends on the student’s own personal interest on the subject. 

Course Length: 8 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: South African Ancestors Including Military Records

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

This course covers the history of South Africa, genealogical sources and repositories for searching your ancestors. General genealogical topics covered include birth, marriage, death, church records, cemeteries, newspapers, and more. Also included is discussion on online databases. Research examples are provided to give guidance in various types of research projects. 

In addition, the course looks at major wars and conflicts, and the records they produced. Starting with the Boer Wars, World Wars I and II, and ending at the Korean War. In particular, records of the South African Constabulary, South African Defence Force, South African Air Force and the South African Police are covered. 

Course Length: 7 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: Research: Nova Scotia Ancestors

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

Nova Scotia, first settled in 1604 (although it did not remain), has some of the oldest history in what is now Canada. Its early history reflected the ongoing conflicts between France and England, resulting in an era of New France and ultimately, becoming part of British colonial territory that included the thirteen colonies in what became the United States. By the official end of the American Revolution in 1783, Acadia, as it was then known, was redrawn with the state of Maine becoming part of the new US Republic. 

Connections with New England, or what Nova Scotians called “the Boston states,” remained close through family on both sides of the border. Indeed, some of the United Empire Loyalists who sought refuge in Nova Scotia returned years later to rejoin parts of their family who remained across the border. The easy trip by schooner between Halifax and Boston or New York was more feasible than overland travel to other parts of Canada. In later years, as economic difficulties in Nova Scotia led to crossing the border for work opportunities, connections increased as half of a family might be living in Boston. Many went to work only and families remained in Nova Scotia. In family history research in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it is not uncommon to find people on a US Census in 1880 and a Canadian Census in 1891. Back and forth migration was a strategy for some families. Ultimately, Nova Scotians who remained in New England married, had children, moved across the United States and lost their connections with family back home. 

Many people in other parts of Canada and in the United States have an ancestor who resided in Nova Scotia for five years or several generations. For this reason, the course will focus on distance research although resources available only on-site at archives or local history museums will also be explored. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: U.S. Fraternal Organizations

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

Researching your ancestor’s involvement in fraternal organizations can be a very rewarding aspect of genealogy. You may learn a great deal about the individual, or you may learn a great deal about the community they resided in, or both. The research can lead you through a variety of different elements of their life, and add color to the basic timeline of an individual’s life span. During this course, we will discuss a variety of topics including the basics of this type of research, the social impacts of these organizations, and the hazards you may encounter along the way. 

Their impact on the history of the United States, and truly across the globe, cannot be overlooked. The impact fraternal organizations have had on their individual members—our ancestors—must also not be overlooked in a thorough investigation of a family history. 

Course Length: 8 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

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: 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: 8 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: U.S. Western States Ancestors

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

Each module in this course provides an historical overview and historical timeline as well as a survey of records available in both repositories and online for one western state. States covered are Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. In addition each module will focus on one aspect of Western states development, such as trails, suffrage and mining. 

Course Length: 8 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: U.S. WWll Ancestors - Part 1

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

World War II’s D-Day. There are many records that were created during World War I that are similar in World War II. Learn what led to the start of World War II, how the U.S. became involved and the military records available. They did not all burn in the 1973 fire! 

This course will move from military records for the Navy, Coast Guard and Marines to civilian jobs including the USO, Merchant Marines and others. You will learn how to research the service of your military ancestors through numerous sources. Through this research you can then write the story of your ancestor’s life. Continue your journey into World War II military records in the Research: U.S. World War II Ancestors-Part 2 course. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: U.S. WWll Ancestors - Part 2

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

2014 marked the 70th Anniversary of World War II’s D-Day. In Research: U.S. World War II Ancestors-Part 1 we reviewed what led to the start of World War II, how the U.S. became involved, and the military records available. In Research: U.S. World War II Ancestors-Part 2 we begin with records from the Army, Army Air Corps, Marines and National Guard and explore military and other records that can assist you in conducting World War II era research. We will explore life on the home front and the role of women in World War II including their service in the military. A case study will help you get ideas for piecing the life of your World War II soldier’s story together. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: U.S. African American Ancestors

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

Researching African American genealogy can be difficult but it is not impossible, as some believe. This course focuses on three aspects of genealogical research and how these relate specifically to researching African Americans: research skill, knowledge of records, and understanding of historical context. 

The course is organized into reverse chronological eras, beginning with the twentieth century and moving through the late nineteenth century and Reconstruction, the Civil War era, and the antebellum (pre-Civil War) period. In each module case studies and assignments demonstrate and test the skills being developed. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Research: The National Archives of England

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

Many of us can trace our ancestry back to England and the British Isles and for this reason, The National Archives is one of the most important, if not the most important, source of information on our family history. 

The old children’s rhyme about tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, really does apply here. If your ancestor was English, it is essential to know what records are available here and how to access them, whether in person or from a distance. 

The foundation stone of this archive is the Doomsday Book, the record of the whole country, a census if you will, instigated by William I in 1086. Records of British monarchs and governments through the ages are here from Henry VII’s Court of Star Chamber to the 1911 census. 

The records may have been created by Kings or Queens or their governments but in the end, they are about people, our people, the ordinary man in street, who appealed to the Court of Star Chamber for justice or fought for his country in battles overseas. 

This course is designed to help you learn how to explore this great archive, its holdings and how you can access them to help your research. It covers records about our ancestor’s occupations, criminals, military men and emigration as well as records of divorce and dispute. 

Course Length: 6 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