International Institute of Genealogical Studies

Optional Print Course Material: German: Chronological Considerations

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

In German courses, you've learned primarily about researching this ethnic group as a whole—mainly, the similarities virtually every researcher of German-language ancestors will encounter. In this course, you learn more about the contrasts that led to differentiations within ethnic German research depending on time period and geographic place. This course places a value on both history and dates as well as people groups. 

Optional Print Course Material: German: Record Repositories

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

The ultimate goal of students in taking German genealogical courses, is presumably, to be able to search German records for their ancestry and other relatives. Therefore, one important aspect of these courses is to describe the nature of the repositories where the needed records reside. In German areas, as well as elsewhere around the world, there are a variety of both libraries and archives (hence, the usage of the term “repositories”) one may have to access in order to obtain the needed records. 

To be effective in using a variety of German repositories, 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, it is not practical, or useful, to try and identify all of them, or even most of them. Each researcher may need a different set of repositories to succeed in research. Therefore, the approach of this course will be to introduce the major kinds of repositories, and how they operate, in a general sense.  

Perhaps the most useful aspect of this particular course are the assignments that accompany each module. They require specific actions by the student to learn about the holdings and rules of libraries or archives of interest. Diligent fulfillment of the assignments is the best way to learn the most in the current course.

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: German: Civil Registration Records

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

Although church parish registers are the mainstay of German genealogical research, in any German-speaking area, civil registration of vital events also is an important part of many research projects. Although civil registration generally began during the 1800s in most German areas, the depth of information in these records makes them very valuable for learning more about people who were registered. 

Most civil registrations of births, marriages, and deaths provide significantly more information than is found in comparable church registers. In addition, they are often indexed and therefore easier to use. Unfortunately, access to such records is often restricted by two important aspects. First, they often begin much later than research needs would require. Second, most of the records are restricted from public access by rights of privacy laws. Learning the value of these records, how to access them, the nature and extent of these restrictions are the core concepts discussed in these lessons. In addition, the civil registration offices often have additional records of value to the German genealogist. They may be used less frequently, but a knowledge and understanding of such records may be a critical part of solving and completing some research projects.  

Course Length: 5 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: German: Emigration Records

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

For North Americans, the most important genealogical record for their German ancestor is often that record which identifies the town where the immigrant ancestor(s) lived before coming to the new world. Since virtually all research in German-speaking countries is local by nature, the name of that ancestral home is crucial to further research into the family's earlier generation.

Most of the time, that home town is identified in records of the country where the immigrants settled. However, sometimes such records don't exist, or they do not name the specific ancestral home. At that point, emigration records are usually the best source for learning this important information. Emigration is the process of leaving one country and settling in another. Whether that process is a long-planned and carefully thought through series of events, or a relatively spontaneous decision to join other friends and family members leaving for other countries, it was, for virtually all German emigrants, a choice they made. That choice, made for whatever reasons, lead to the creation of important records which document no only the ancestral home, but also the life of the emigrant(s), and often some family members.

The German researcher needs to know about the variety of such records, and the sometimes complicated process ancestors were supposed to follow in making such historic changes in their lives. Two major types of records, and several lesser ones, may exist to provide documentation of these literal watershed events in our ancestry. Passenger lists, and permissions to emigrate are excellent sources, when they exist, for documenting the emigrant, and his or her voyage. However, they do not always exist, while locating and using them can prove quite challenging.

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Course Print Materials: German: Germans Outside of Germany

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

Since the 19th century (or earlier), Germans have migrated to other countries to make their home. Whether  evacuating for the sake of safety (seeking asylum), moving into countries where other family members resided, or simply emigrating to remove themselves from the homeland, researching these individuals means considering various types of records found in the country they called home.

This course explores the German migration out of Germany as late as the mid-20th century and includes settlements in some locations as early as pre-15th century while others will focus on 19th and 20th centuries only. The countries addressed are those where significant populations of Germans have been or are still found. In some locations, the region has not been perceived as “German” (i.e., German has not been an officially recognized language). These locations will include the UK and Ireland; Oceania (Australia and New Zealand); North America (US, Canada, and Mexico); European Countries (where German is not an official language); Latin American Countries (Central and South America and the Dominican Republic); Africa (select countries with German populations, past or present), Asia, and India. We'll explore why Germans left Germany and where they went. 

We'll explore records that document your German ancestor in their new homeland as well as where to find these records. We'll also explore German communities and the records they left behind, including histories, periodicals, and compiled sources. Each module ends with resources for social media websites and groups where researchers may connect with their German relatives. 

Course Length: 8 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: German: Naming Practices

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

There are a number of common misconceptions about “German naming patterns” including that they follow a prescribed formula in the majority of, or all, families. This may be true regionally (e.g., in a particular region of Germany and, in some cases, carried over into the country where the family emigrated to, if that happened), but there is no hard and fast rule and to expect that is potentially damaging to research. 

This course will examine the various types of naming patterns, name variations (for surnames and given names), regional influence on names, occupational influence on names, period influence on names (e.g., names changed from German to French during the Napoleonic years), the influence of the Church on baptismal names, the phenomenon of the “Naming Day” and its effect on the name used in a person’s adult life, and the commonality of reversing first and middle names during a person’s life. Spelling issues on documents, the use of signatures and occupations to separate people with the same name in a given community, and the phenomenon of Anglicizing names when people migrated will all be taken into account.

Optional Print Course Material: German: Compiled Sources

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

German genealogical research should include a careful and detailed review of “compiled sources.” Compiled sources are simply defined as the findings of previous researchers. Today they exist as personal websites, online family trees, genealogical articles in periodicals, book-length family histories, genealogical compendia, and even as manuscript collections. What is surprising to most researchers is that these types of records exist for German families. What is perhaps even more unexpected is that there are millions of Germans and their families named in such records. Moreover, many are reasonably well-indexed, and not all that difficult to access, even for researchers who don’t read German well. 

In this course we will explore various compiled sources including Collections and Databases, Family Histories and Bibliographies, Lineage Books, Periodicals, Biographical and Local Sources. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Understanding Ireland, History and Source Records

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

In no country, more than Ireland, is it imperative that one understands some of the local history, past machination of records, and knowledge of what source records have been created versus what is available. 

This course will discuss the importance of preliminary research in one’s home country and then provide a brief history of Ireland which is useful, if not imperative, in understanding the nature and value of record sources within Ireland. From here, the discussion will be what genealogical records can tell us, with brief overviews of the administrative (civil and ecclesiastical) divisions within the island, and a discussion on Irish place names and family names. 

The course will conclude with a brief discussion on the types of records available for research in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (Eire), the importance of understanding maps for the region, and migration patterns. 

Historical: This course originated February 2001. Current version copyright is February 2023.
If you have older material, it needs to be replaced. Use the chat app to order your replacement materials.

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Archival Repositories

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

This course presents an overview of the archival and repository centres throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for conducting Irish research. Emphasis is on available records and those held by FamilySearch and other repositories.

We discuss the types of records available at various repositories, their availability, and how to access the source records, online and on-site.

This course builds on preliminary content discussed in the Irish: Understanding Ireland, History and Source Records course.

Historical: This course originated April 2001. Current version copyright is March 2023.
If you have older material, it needs to be replaced. Use the chat app to order your replacement materials.

Optional Course Print Material: Irish: Census and Census Substitute Records

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

The loss of historical census records for Ireland has been devastating. Many censuses still exist; however, they are neither comprehensive nor fully extant. 

This course discusses the importance of census records and their availability for locality and time period. Also discussed are the various census forms and census substitutes (1630-present) which exist for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Various government surveys—of land and people—which act as census substitutes in the absence of censuses are included.

Historical: This course originated April 2001. Current version copyright is June 2023.
If you have older material, it needs to be replaced. Use the chat app to order your replacement materials.

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Religious Records

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

The course examines the differences between the various forms of church (parish) records in Ireland and in particular between the Roman Catholic Church, to which the vast majority of Irish people belonged, and the conformist records of the Church of Ireland. Which was the official state church until 1869. Different time periods will be covered in relation to:

• historical backgrounds
• content of records
• availability of/access to records
• effective research procedures.

We will also touch on the extensive collection of marriage licenses (1623-1866) and comment on their historical background, contents, value, and availability to researchers.

Historical: This course originated February 2024. Current version copyright is February 2024.
If you have older material, it needs to be replaced. Use the chat app to order your replacement materials.

Formerly was Irish: Conformist & Non-Conformist Church Records, originated May 2001, final version copyright November 2016.

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Conformist and Non-Conformist Church Records

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

The course examines the differences between the various forms of church (parish) records in Ireland and in particular between the conformist records of the Church of Ireland and those ecclesiastical institutions which did not conform to the standards of the day. 

We will discuss time periods, historical backgrounds, contents of records, availability of records, access to these important record collections, and effective research procedures. Emphasis will be primarily on pre-1864 research problems in Ireland where parish registers should be used as major sources of information. These contain vital genealogical elements such as baptism/christening, marriage and death/burial entries. When used with records such as wills and deeds, parish registers can help build fairly complete family groupings. 

We will also touch on the extensive collection of marriage licenses (1629-1864) and comment on their historical background, contents, value, and availability to researchers.

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Civil Registration Records

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

Life events (birth, death, and marriage) became vital source records for genealogists with the implementation of civil registration. In Ireland, due to political issues, civil registration began in two stages. This course will discuss civil birth, marriage, and death records from 1864 and non-Catholic/secular marriage records from April 1845.

In addition, the course discusses the contents, availability, how the documentation changed over time, the limitations and advantages of civil vital records, and effective research strategies for using this record type.

Historical: This course at the Basic level originated August 2024. Current version copyright is August 2024.
If you have older material, it needs to be replaced. Use the chat app to order your replacement materials.

Formerly an Intermediate level course, originated January 2002, final version copyright April 2017.

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Civil Registration

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

One of the most important source records that most genealogists use, but often concentrate too heavily on, are the vital records created upon introduction of civil registration in search countries. In Ireland this happened at two different times depending upon the type of record and the ecclesiastical division. The course will discuss civil registered record types of birth, marriage and death in post-1863 Ireland and Protestant marriage records which begin from 1845. 

In addition, the course will discuss the contents of these records, their availability, how the information documented has changed over time, the limitations and advantages of civil vital records, and effective research strategies for using this record type.

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Land Administration Records

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

Often genealogists get frustrated with land and deed records because of the difficulty in their access and use. In addition, they fail to understand their indirect overall significance which is one of correlating and connecting members of family groups, pre-emigration identity, as well as parentage and origins of the emigrant. This course discusses these issues and others of value primarily from 1708 in Ireland, the historical background of land tenure, the general contents of these records and their availability, as well as strategies for effectively researching and accessing this record collection and some wonderful collections that precede 1708 dating from as early as the 12th century. 

Many of the sources referenced are available through FamilySearch. If you are not already familiar with the FamilySearch website or the FamilySearch Catalog, it is suggested that you become so as a great deal of your success with your research will be dependent upon use of their collections.  

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Major Printed Sources

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

Printed sources can be contemporary to the period documented and often more reliable than later secondary sources for the same period. However, few are indexed and there tend to be large periods where even the printed sources themselves are not available. In Ireland, where many of the records have been destroyed or lost, what have survived are sporadic and incomplete. Contemporary-period printed sources by way of newspapers, directories, journals and local histories, occupational and society records often help establish human life events that may not be documented anywhere else. This course will discuss these printed sources available, information contained and their value, the challenges in accessing or using these records, locating source records, and discussing available bibliographies, indexes, and abstracts. 

Optional Print Course Materials:

1.  Irish: Cemetery Records

2. Irish: Cemetery Records - Resource List

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

Cemetery or monumental transcriptions are an important source of birth and death information. Headstones may record details of previously unknown family members as well as for those where evidence already exists or people personally remembered. Sometimes headstones are the only source of information about an individual’s life events. This course discusses the value of these resources and the time period covered. We review what kind of information can be found on headstones and how reliable the information is or isn’t. As part of this course, we will also explore the availability of headstone information, as well as how to access it, both in Ireland and abroad. Furthermore, we plan to delve into a discussion aimed at exploring and revealing certain subtle aspects involved in the interpretation of monumental inscriptions. Several examples will be examined. Students also learn from a case study.

Historical: This course originated November 2025. Current version copyright is November 2025. If you have older material, it needs to be replaced. Use the chat app to order your replacement materials.

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Monumental (Gravestone) Inscriptions

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

An excellent record source that connects major life events of birth and death to known and unknown family members is transcriptions of tombstones or what are more globally known at ''monumental inscriptions'' and in Ireland, ''memorials of the dead''.  They often provide the only clues as to births and deaths of family members as they precede or out-survive other forms of primary and secondary source information. 

The course will discuss the value of these records, the time periods of their existence and use, an important review of the contents found in them as well as a discussion on their availability and access to them in, and outside of, Ireland.  In addition, we will seek to discuss and uncover some of the more indirect elements of monumental inscription understanding.  Several examples will be examined.  A case study will also be presented.

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Testamentary Source Records

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

Probably no record group is more important to pre-civil registration research in a country than wills and estate administrations. More than any other record, wills can provide both ancestral and descendant accounts of family groupings. In Ireland we tend to see less documentation than in other countries due to the way personal and moveable property descended over time.

This course addresses this record group, both pre-1858 before the system of administration changed, and post-1858 to the present date. We will discuss the value of these records during both these time periods, historical background to their development, examine the contents and availability of the records in both periods, and research strategies for these collections. 

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Court Records, State Papers, Parliamentary Documents

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

In the advanced level of the Irish Certificate, we examine some of the record collections that the genealogical detail in them is often difficult to locate. These documents are also harder to locate. More often they're not indexed, abstracted, or available to the public. However, information found will be direct and often provide good primary evidence of facts on subjects and events in periods where few other genealogical records survive. Seldom discussed by genealogists because they are so misunderstood and difficult to research, This course will provide you with an understanding of the importance of court, state, and parliamentary records for genealogical research. The one apparent note with this collection is that, unlike, many other genealogical sources, court/state/parliamentary records cover almost the entire period of late Irish history from the 12th century (in general) to the present.

Like, electoral and taxation sources, however, these record collections can supply, particularly for pre-1850 Ireland, some of the best pointers on periods of presence and locality, as well as indications of social strata, details on occupations, residences, physical descriptions, and family relationships or family structures.

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Electoral and Taxation Records

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

A series of source records that tend to be less consulted are electoral, poll, and tithe records. In Ireland these comprise voters registers, hearth money rolls, poll tax rolls, land tithes, and subsidy rolls as well as many other taxation methods. The collection falls under two distinct series, each of which varies by period, and both of which will be discussed in this course.  Though they tend to be less informative than some of the other record groups, electoral and taxation records establish presence, among other details, in a period where few other records exist by which to do so. In addition, we discuss records of public office, freemen, and freeholders. Understanding these records is imperative to pre-1700 research in Ireland. The course covers the value and challenges of these records, contents, dates of coverage, types of persons included, access,  and brief lists of bibliographic and indexed sources. 

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Estate, Plantation and Settlement Records

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

We examine the record collection for Ireland unique to this country, and the entire United Kingdom, are estate records, plantation documents, and settlement papers. They can be very difficult to use, however, hold original sources of information for periods that pre-date many of the later more customary genealogical source records.

This course provides an understanding of the importance of estate, plantation, and settlement papers when undertaking your genealogical research. 

This course considers records of immigration to Ireland and emigration from Ireland. A defining characteristic of Irishness is emigration, and a significant number of those taking this course are here to search for their ancestors who left Ireland. We have fragmented records that aren’t very detailed, and often there’s insufficient evidence to confirm a person’s identity. Additionally, these documents can contain details not found anywhere else. Naturalization records in other countries, for instance, might offer that elusive Irish location, enabling your research to span the Atlantic.

This material discusses these immigration/emigration sources focussing on the following elements:

• the various forms of records available
• what information they contain and their value and impact
• the challenges in accessing or using these records
• discussing any known available bibliographies, calendars, indexes, transcripts, and abstracts that might exist.

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

There are no complete records of emigration, immigration, or naturalization for Ireland. There are some collections of this information available from Irish record sources; however, the bulk of meaningful source material will more likely come from the receiving country or sending country than from Irish sources. In both cases, we examine the materials available involving the Irish, the time periods they cover, and access. It is often a sparse and scattered collection of records not easily investigated but can provide a wealth of information on ancestors and their subsequent residences or earlier origins.

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Military, Naval and Pension Records

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

The earliest records of a military and genealogical nature are contained in the ancient and medieval Annals of Ireland and other Gaelic manuscripts. These as well as later printed source materials provide valuable lists of officers and soldiers in local forces, accounts of military activity including officer personnel, local incidents and names of rebellious persons, the various records often accompanied with biographical and genealogical notes. We discuss these records, their value, some historical background, and their availability. Included: important pension records with documented places of residence, birth, parentage, marriage, and children. There were civil and military pensions granted in Ireland. We conclude with a look at the Irish and Royal Irish Constabulary records.

NOTE: This course requires compulsory materials to be ordered. 

The book, “Finding Your Italian Ancestors – A Beginner’s Guide” by Suzanne Russo Adams, AG is available at GenealogyStore.com

Optional Course Print Material: Italian: Introduction to Research Outside of Italy

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

So you want to research your Italian ancestors! Welcome to a fascinating type of genealogical research. Italians have contributed to all aspects of life in the countries they immigrated to. Our Italian ancestors often came poor and destitute, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Hard work and placing great value on family helped them to excel within their new countries, providing not only a better life for themselves but also for their descendants.

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; what Italian records are available and the historical considerations in their creation; where and how these records can be accessed; record collections available on microfilm or digitally and how to use them; language resources; tips that will help you as your research progresses; ordering documents from Italy.

NOTE: This course is a prerequisite to all other Italian courses except for the Research: Italian Ancestors course. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

NOTE: This course requires compulsory materials to be ordered.

The Book, “Finding Your Italian Ancestors – A Beginner’s Guide”by Suzanne Russo Adams, AG is available at GenealogyStore.com

Optional Print Course Material: Italian: Language and Location

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

Understanding, or being able to decipher, the languages found with Italian genealogical documents is an essential skill needed to effectively research your Italian ancestors. While most records are in Italian, you will find other languages within the records depending on the history of the town or region you are researching. Emphasis is placed on reading the handwriting and how to translate and understand basic Italian records.

While topics discussed in this course will give you a solid understanding of the basics needed to understand Italian genealogical records, we cannot cover everything in the space allotted for this course. After the course ends, you will need to take time to study the language, the handwriting, as well as the cultural context of the records, in order to fully understand what the records your ancestors left behind truly reveal.

Locating places within Italy can be confusing until you understand the political and ecclesiastical jurisdictions. We will review these jurisdictions and look at a variety of ways that will help you narrow your search for your ancestor’s town of origin. If you already know the town of origin, this section may help as your research expands as the research often leads into nearby towns, due to the practice of marrying outside a town’s populace. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

NOTE: This course requires compulsory materials to be ordered. 

The Book, “Finding Your Italian Ancestors – A Beginner’s Guide” by Suzanne Russo Adams, AG is available at GenealogyStore.com

Optional Print Course Material: Italian: Civil Registration Records - Part 1

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

Civil registration is one of the largest and most important record sets in Italian genealogical research. It is certainly the most accessible, due to the efforts of FamilySearch, and now the main Italian archive, in microfilming or digitizing these records. 

In this course, we will delve deeper into three main types of records: birth records [both regular and supplemental], marriage records [including marriage banns and marriage supplements], and death records [both regular and supplemental]. Each type of record has different challenges as well as differences in format depending on the time period and/or location of its creation within Italy. 

We will also delve more deeply into translating and abstracting these documents so that you can understand more fully how to find every piece of genealogically useful information they contain. You will learn how to spot discrepancies and information contained that is over and above what is generally given. Understanding the documents is the heart of the course and there will be much study required of the example documents. 

You should have completed the Italian: Introduction to Research Outside of Italy and Italian: Language and Location courses, or have a good understanding of the content of those courses, before commencing this course.

Course Length: 7 weeks

NOTE: This course requires compulsory materials to be ordered. 

The Book, “Finding Your Italian Ancestors – A Beginner’s Guide” by Suzanne Russo Adams, AG is available at GenealogyStore.com

Optional Print Course Material: Italian: Civil Registration Records - Part 2

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

Civil registration is one of the largest and most important record sets in Italian genealogical research. It is certainly the most accessible, due to the efforts of FamilySearch (and now the main Italian archive) to microfilm and digitize these records. However, civil registration is more than just birth, death, and marriage records. In this course, we will delve into some of the more unusual civil records. We’ll not only learn what they are but also how to use these records. These records can be used to “flesh out” the history of your ancestors, providing unique details that may help you understand the ancestors in their social and political context.

We’ll also delve more deeply into the Italian resources available through FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, and Portale Antenati, the Italian government’s website. Collections available at Italian Archivi di Stato will be explored. Students will learn what types of documents these archives contain and how best to access them. 

Course Length: 6 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Italian: Catholic Church Records - Part 1

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

Church or ecclesiastical records is one of the largest and most important record sets in Italian genealogical research. These records are becoming more available outside of Italy, due to the efforts of FamilySearch to microfilm and digitize these records, as well as a few other smaller projects. Yet, the majority of these records remain in the archives of Italy.

In this course we’ll look at how and why these records were created, what types of records can be found, and what genealogical information you may find. We’ll discuss what archives these records are conserved in and how to access the records.

Course Length: 7 weeks

Optional Print Course Material: Italian: Catholic Church Records - Part 2

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

Church or ecclesiastical records are one of the largest and most important record sets in Italian genealogical research. These records are becoming more available outside of Italy, due to the efforts of FamilySearch to film and digitize these records as well as a few other smaller projects. However, most of these records remain in Italian archives. 

In this course we will examine in detail the various forms of marriages records that were created and what genealogical information you may find in each. 

Stato delle anime or State of the Souls records will also be covered and we’ll learn what a valuable resource these records can be, especially the further back in time you go.

Course Length: 6 weeks

Optional Print Course Material - Methodology 1 - Getting Started

Optional Supplies: 9 Generation Pedigree Chart 

This introductory course tackles the common questions: “Why trace our ancestors?”, “How far back can I go?” and “How do I proceed after I’ve talked to my family?” Participants will immediately start filling in their Family Group Record (or Individual Family Form) and their Pedigree Chart(or Ancestral Chart).

Optional Print Course Material - Methodology 2 - Organizing and Skill Building

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

Methodology-Part 2: Organizing and Skill-Building has two underlying themes. One is to help you organize your paperwork and all the other documents or family material you will be collecting. 

The second theme reviews the subjects of sources and information, and evidence.

Optional Print Course Material: Skills: Transcribing, Abstracting, and Extracting

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

This Skills: Transcribing, Abstracting & Extracting course enriches your skills, knowledge, and training through the course reading materials, practicals, and assignments to improve transcribing, abstracting, and extracting capabilities.

Note: Our students are studying different courses or countries, and many examples of documents from around the world are used to give as much experience of the differing formats and types of documents.

Important notice: The ME-205 Latin for Genealogists course is a mandatory Methodology course and a prerequisite to ME-302 Palaeography: Reading and Understanding Historical Documents as of 1 January 2025. All students who have not finished the full Basic and Intermediate Methodology Certificates by 31 December 2024 will need to add this course to your program. 

Required Print Course Material: Palaeography Workbook Only

NOTE: The Workbook was updated on 

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

Tackle unfamiliar documents spanning the past five hundred years. The primary goal involves transcribing the unfamiliar writing in old documents to the modern-day hand. As Britain had a major influence on the cosmopolitan development of North America, examples will be taken from British and Canadian resources. Introduction to the following topics:

• Writing Materials
  
• Palaeography
  
• Roman Numerals
  
• Currency
  
• The Calendar
  
• The Religious Calendar
  
• Weights and Measures
  
• Origin of Family Names
  
• Social Structure in Britain
  
• Occupations
  
• Introduction to Latin Terminology
  
• Bibliography
  

The workbook provides physical hand/eye coordination practice needed for evaluating antique documents.