Reasons to Stop Saying "21st Century Genealogist"

Readers who follow me on Facebook over at the Technology for Genealogy group know that I am a big fan of Richard Byrne and his blog Free Technology for Teachers. As a genealogy educator, I find that much of what he shares at his site is applicable to the family history community as much as it applies to grade school teachers.

His recent post "21 Reasons to Stop Saying '21st Century Teacher'" made me consider whether or not the term "21st Century Genealogist" is overused. While I won't actually list 21 reasons, I think that several bullet points do have merit and apply to us as genealogists:

• We live in the 21st Century. If you're researching genealogy today, you're a 21st Century Genealogist.

• We live in the 21st Century. Even if you're using older methods (many are and always will be valid methods) you're still a 21st Century Genealogist.

• No one worth impressing is impressed by "21st Century Genealogist."

• A century is a long time.

• Good genealogists have always consulted with other genealogists. Social media didn't invent professional learning networks, personal learning networks, or professional learning groups.

• Good genealogists have always been life-long learners looking to bring tools into their research. Google didn't invent that.

• Writing or saying "21st Century Genealogist" is meaningful if you're trying to help someone win at Buzzword Bingo.

As many of us use different tech tools in searching our ancestors and we work to share them with others in the genealogy community, perhaps we need to avoid terms and labels that can be divisive such as "21st Century Genealogist."

I remember when I got started in genealogy: Yes, there were those "Blue Meanies" who could easily have been road blocks to my progress in finding my ancestors.  But I simply ran them over, turned them into "speed bumps" and sought out those giving, helpful souls who shared their wisdom and shared it freely. Those who did it best were those who avoided marginalizing terminology.

So, my fellow genealogists, what good stuff did you find today? And can you share it?

© 2013, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Ignorance: The Biggest Threat to Family History

This has been a busy week for me, especially in terms of writing and speaking about my profession and my passion: genealogy. So far:

• I've done an hour-long radio show interview
• I've written a blog post about oral historians as modern-day firefighters
• I've written a blog post about how a fire can destroy a family's history and legacy

and it is only Wednesday!  Well, this is how life is for me during October which is National Family History Month here in the United States.

Neither Wind Nor Snow Nor Fire . . .

To borrow and modify a phrase from the United States Postal Service Creed, as I've been busy and focusing on preserving your family history, I started to think of the various threats to not only one's own family history, but to the genealogy industry in general.

We can all come up with a list of various threats including fire, flood, poor archival practices, and even data loss. But even all these threats put together don't equal the destruction of the biggest threat to family history right now: IGNORANCE.

Ignorance and The Threat to Genealogy

For all the blog posts, websites, books and media stories about how to scan your photos and documents, how to preserve items using sound archival practices, etc., what the genealogy community needs to confront is the damage done by ignorance. In what form does this damage take place? Consider some recent developments:

• The closure of the Georgia State Archives to the public.
• The contemplated restrictions on the Social Security Death Index.
• The recent backlash to a proposed cemetery tour by a community in Oklahoma.

The common thread here, it seems to me, is the involvement of parties, persons and players who don't want to do their homework, who want quick answers, who want to propose short-sighted solutions instead of a long-term remedy, and basically, let ignorance rule over rationality.

Sadly, we've become a society not only of shortcuts, but one in which "he who shouts loudly enough, even using falsehoods and misstatements, can win the minds of the public."  To get a taste of what I mean, read the heated discussion over the Three Valleys Museum's cemetery walk here on their Facebook page.

What Is The Answer?

I don't have an answer or a set of answers.  I just have more questions:

• Is it my genealogist's perception and perspective as a dedicated researcher that demands someone actually put some time and effort into finding facts before proposing so-called remedies? Is it too much to ask?

• Is it an individual duty to combat ignorance in the genealogy field or do we all need to take time, look up from our books and keyboards, and spend a five minutes or an hour a week letting our friends, family and even strangers know why family history is so important?

• Is this a recent phenomenon or were our ancestors also just as ignorant about their own history?

I'm not sure I'll ever find the answer in my lifetime, but for me, the best way to combat ignorance has been through education. It has been the mainstay of my family and my ancestors. You want to improve your status in life? Get educated. You want to understand how something works? Read a book or ask a question. You want to be more tomorrow than you are today? Learn, learn, learn.

There will always be folks ignorant about genealogy and family history. I just pray that years from now, we don't have to work so hard to combat that ignorance.

© 2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Researching Your New York Ancestors

If you were unable to catch my webinar Researching Your New York Ancestors at Legacy Family Tree last month, here is a preview of what you'll find on the CD:



You can purchase the webinar on CD which also comes with a four-page handout at the Legacy Family Tree store by clicking here.

©2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

New York Genealogy Research

This afternoon I had the privilege to present a "Researching Your New York Ancestors" webinar as part of the Legacy Family Tree series of webinars.  As always, Geoff Rasmussen was an excellent moderator and from the feedback it looks like those who attended are excited to get on with their New York research. You can now watch the recording of the full webinar for free here. The recording will be available until June 11, 2012.

Many of the links I covered during the webinar are also in my Research Toolbox here on Destination: Austin Family.  I've extracted them here so they are easy to find:

• Albany County Records
  http://www.albanycounty.com/achor/

• Albany RDC Records
  http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/albany/

• Early New Netherlands
  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rclarke/

• Huguenot Historical Society
  www.huguenotstreet.org

• NY GenWeb
  http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nygenweb/county.htm

• NYGBS
  http://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org

• NY Hist Soc
  https://www.nyhistory.org/web/

• NY Hist Timeline
  http://home.eznet.net/~dminor/NYNY.html

• NYS Archives
  http://www.archives.nysed.gov/aindex.shtml

• NYS Library
  http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/

• NYS Offline Resources
  http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nysource/

• Northern NY Historical Newspapers
  http://news.nnyln.net

• Northern NY Genealogy
  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hubbard/NNY_index/surnames.html

• Old Fulton Postcards
  http://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html

• Olive Tree Genealogy NY
  http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/

• People of Colonial Albany
  http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/

• PCA Bio Index
  http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/bios/bioindex.html#v

• Schenectady DHA
  http://www.schenectadyhistory.org/index.html

• Schenectady Historical Society
  http://www.schist.org

• Ulster County Families
  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~luke/

© 2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Historic Huguenot Street Scholarships Available - Deadline is August 31, 2012

Are you a parent struggling to cover college tuition costs? Are you a college student seeking scholarships to help further your education?  Historic Huguenot Street offers several scholarships worth thousands of dollars to eligible applicants.  Please visit http://www.huguenotstreet.org/education/scholarships.php for more information.

Some highlights:

• The Dorothy DuBois Walker Beach DuBois Family Memorial Scholarships - offers 10 scholarships worth $1,000 each for those applicants with Huguenot ancestry.
  

• The Gertrude E. Hasbrouck Memorial Scholarships - offers two scholarships worth $2,000  each for those applicants with Huguenot ancestry. 
  

Please visit the HHS site for more information and to review the eligibility requirements.

© 2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Google for Genealogists CD

Although my webinar, Google for Genealogists, is not scheduled to take place until tomorrow afternoon (and with close to 1,700 registrants from over 31 countries - YIKES!), you can pre-order the CD of my presentation now and save over 20%.

Click here for details on purchasing the CD.  And yes there is still time to register for tomorrow's webinar at 1:00 PM CST (which is 6:00 AM in Sydney, Australia according to a few of my genea-friends!). Click here to register.

© 2011, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Google for Genealogists

In conjunction with Legacy Family Tree, I will be presenting Google for Genealogists on Wednesday, January 5, 2011 at 2:00 PM Eastern, 1:00 PM Central, 12:00 PM Mountain, 11:00 AM Pacific ((U.S.) and 7:00PM GMT.

I am very excited about this webinar - already there are over 1,500 people registered from over 31 countries! I can't wait to show folks about the less-traveled road among the Google resources!

Click here to learn more about this webinar and to register.  The event is free and you will be able to participate from the comfort of your home or office! Also remember to sign up for future webinars at Legacy Family Tree while you are there.

©2011, copyright Thomas MacEntee

I'm Going On Tour - The Salt Lake Christmas Tour!

I am proud to announce that I will be one of the featured speakers for the 2010 Salt Lake Christmas Tour in Salt Lake City, Utah held December 5 - 12, 2010.

Beginning Monday evening, December 6th with a presentation entitled Social Networking: New Horizons for Genealogists, I will be offering a total of eight different talks throughout the week.  The other topics include:

• Build a Genealogy Blog
• Building a Research Toolbox
• Facebook for Genealogists
• Google Docs for Genealogists
• Google for Genealogists
• Twitter: It’s Not Just “What I Had For Breakfast” Anymore
• Wikis for Genealogists

In addition to my own offerings, the entire week is filled with educational presentations from other well-known genealogists. You can check the current schedule here.

* * *

The Salt Lake Christmas Tour is an annual event - in its 26th year and celebrating its 25th anniversary - attracting genealogists and family historians and is renowned for the genealogy research success of its attendees, many of whom come back year after year. The Tour provides the highest ratio of professional researchers to attendees of any genealogy research tour utilizing the Family History Library located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

If you would like to join me and a group of fun and interesting genealogy researchers in Salt Lake City, don't delay! Early registration for the Tour ends on October 31st - click here to learn more and to register.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Video - Resource Toolbox Workshop at EWGS

On Friday, October 1, 2010, I was a guest presenter at the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society in Spokane, Washington for a special members-only workshop entitled Build a Research Toolbox.

I will have more information on this seminar and how you can have me present it at your genealogical society either in person or over the Internet.  Also, I plan on scheduling this as a webinar in the month of November once I am done with my travels this month.  You can get a peek at my own research toolbox here on DAF by looking at the menu under the masthead.  The link is here.

Here is a clip of me introducing myself at the workshop:



And here is a clip taken during the break showing the crowd at the Spokane Public Library:



The videos were taken using my FlipVideo camera and operated by Miriam Robbins Midkiff of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

News Coverage of My Recent Social Networking Presentation

You gotta love Google Alerts.  This morning one of my alerts (set for the word "geneabloggers") popped up in email and it was for an article in the Itasca Press (IL) about Facebook use among the over-50 set and my recent appearance at the Bloomingdale Public Library.

Entitled Baby Boomers Connect With Facebook, the article discusses the ways in which older Americans are utilizing this social media site to not just keep tabs on children and grand-children but also to connect with others including genealogists.

The article referenced my presentation Social Networking: New Horizons for Genealogists which I gave on July 14, 2010 in Bloomingdale, IL.  Included are some photos of me and the participants and I feel the story presents good coverage on the Facebook phenomenon among the Baby Boomers.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

APG PMC Night of the Roundtable

Sorry for the bad pun but I am really psyched about this opportunity: I've been named as a participant in the upcoming Annual Meeting and Roundtable of the Association of Professional Genealogists being held on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

You can read more here over at my business site, High-Definition Genealogy.  I can't wait to participate in what should be a stimulating conversation about how professional genealogists can build a Web presence.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Are You A Connected Genealogist?

After months of preparing, writing, and researching and with much "pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth," I am pleased to announce my new genealogy business venture: The Connected Genealogist℠, a division of High-Definition Genealogy.  You can read more about the concept here, but in brief this is what you'll find:

• I've decided to create a store on Lulu to self-publish a variety of "knowledge" that I want to impart to the genealogy community.  The URL for the new store is http://stores.lulu.com/connectedgenealogist.

• All "cheat sheets" posted at my various sites such as GeneaBloggers have been retooled and are now located in The Connected Genealogist Store.  They are in large type (14pt) and in PDF format.

• Don't think "store" and then think $. The cheat sheets which have been downloadable for free in the past will remain that way.  The store is simply and easier way to organize them.

• The newest product - available for a small fee - is Genealogy Speaking Templates.  A package of six Word templates you can use for genealogy speaking engagements.  I'll have more details on the specifics over the weekend, but the templates include:  a contract, spec sheets for travel and hotel, a transmittal letter and even a summary description and a syllabus.  These are easy-to-use documents with "click and type" fields and can be customized to suit your specific needs.

• In the coming weeks and months you'll see more products including templates to create a genealogy resume and bio, books on how to become a genealogy speaker and on 21st century marketing techniques for genealogists and genealogical societies and more.

• Beginning in August 2010, The Connected Genealogist will be offering a variety of webinars (virtual presentations) at our Webex site.  Topics will cover Facebook, Twitter, how to use Dropbox to store your genealogy data "in the cloud," and more.  And in an exciting marketing twist, my intent is to make all webinars free to attend - you pay only for the syllabus materials including templates, guides and books.

The Connected Genealogist is the culmination of about a year's worth of work.  I want to bring a variety of educational tools to the genealogy community, especially ones that can "raise" the technology quotient.

While I would love to give away this knowledge for free, with over 25 years experience in the Information Technology field and my recent experience with social media, financially I can't survive on free.  I will always try to make as many of these items free whenever possible but some items will have a nominal fee.  My mantra in this endeavor: I want to make a living, not a killing.

* * *

I hope you'll check out The Connected Genealogist.  You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook as well.  And remember, let The Connected Genealogist be your guide to connecting genealogists with new technologies.

The Connected Genealogist is a registered service mark of High-Definition Genealogy

©2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

My Boston U Certificate Has Arrived!

I am psyched! My certificate for the Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate which I completed online from here in Chicago arrived this week.  Here it is in all its glory:

Now to find a suitable frame for my office!

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Back To School: Day 100

An update on my participation in the Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research online program which began on 13 January 2010.  You can read here about Day 1, Day 20, Day 72 and Day 92.

I am happy to say that I just finished probably the best 13-weeks of education in my adult life.  Yes, school is finally over for me and I am actually a bit sad to see it completed.  Not so much because of the assignments (some were very complex and challenging) but because of the camaraderie developed among the participants - students, professors and teaching assistants - during the semester.  Luckily many of these folks will continue to be involved in the genealogy profession and I look forward to running into them at conferences and other events.

So what genealogy skills have I been able to develop during these past 13 weeks? How has taking the BU course changed the way I look at research and the genealogy industry?

• The course has given me a better understanding of what is required in terms of a skill set to be a professional genealogist.  And even if I didn't want to pursue my CG or become a professional researcher, the course has improved my ability to conduct research and analyze results.

• I can now cite some sources in my sleep - for realz!  In my research log I can now type out US Census citations from memory as well as newspaper articles and more!  For me this is a big deal.

• I research differently - more efficiently and more critically.  I enter the results in my research log and then I add my analysis notes.  I weigh negative evidence and try to resolve conflicts.  I now see the value of the Genealogical Proof Standard and why it should be followed by not just professionals but by anyone serious about genealogy.

• I know where my weaknesses are - the most difficult module for me was Immigration Records.  As part of my continuing education, I need to improve my background in certain types of records and certain ethnicities.  I will probably do this in a variety of ways.

I have so much to say about the BU online course - I'd be happy to answer any questions readers may have.  And don't forget that Boston University will have a booth at NGS 2010 next week - look for them at Booth 216.  Stop by and meet some of the fantastic instructors and other staff involved with the program!

* * *

Reminder!  The next session of Boston University online classes in this program starts on 10 May 2010 and the registration deadline is 23 April 2010.  I highly recommend this class whether you want to become a professional genealogist or you just want to improve your own research skills. Call 1-877-290-9005 or visit the website at http://www.bugenealogy.com.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Back To School: Day 92

An update on my participation in the Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research online program which began on 13 January 2010.  You can read here about Day 1, Day 20 and Day 72.

I just finished the Immigration module and it was actually more difficult than I thought.  Here are some details:

• The text - A Genealogists's Guide to Discovering Your Immigrant & Ethnic Ancestors by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack was better than I expected and I know I will be using this in the future.

• The module focused on the "push" and "pull" factors for specific ethnic groups during specific centuries.  Discussions involved the reasons why certain groups came to America and what pushed them from their homelands as well as what pulled them to America.

• There was an African-American Records "self-check" and it was an eye-opener for me.  I don't think you can really appreciate the challenges of doing African-American genealogy research unless you are actually given a case to work on.

In addition, today was the deadline for my repository report.  This assignment was given the first week of the course back in January: go to a local archive or repository and report on the facility, the resources, as well as take a manuscript and document it.  To me this was an important component of an online course: it made sure that participants didn't rely solely on on-line resources and it also ensured that they became familiar with how to work with local resources.  I used the Newberry Library here in Chicago and focused on Welsh immigrants to the Mohawk Valley area of New York, namely Utica.

Today I've started the Professional Genealogist module which lasts for a week and ends next Tuesday, 20 April 2010.  So far the information is very useful in terms of calculating an hourly rate, adhering to a code of ethics and more.  While not all participants in the BU program will go on to pursue genealogy as a professional, the information is helpful to get a sense of what it takes to become a professional genealogist.

* * *

Reminder!  The next session of Boston University online classes in this program starts on 10 May 2010 and the registration deadline is 23 April 2010.  I highly recommend this class whether you want to become a professional genealogist or you just want to improve your own research skills. Call 1-877-290-9005 or visit the website at http://www.bugenealogy.com.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Teaching a Genealogy Class - 2,000 Miles Away!

Just a quick note - this past Saturday, April 10, 2010 - I taught a class on how to find living people for the California Genealogical Society and Library in Oakland, CA.  And the fun part is - I was able to do so without traveling to California!

You can read more at my other site High-Definition Genealogy and learning more about other webinars I'll be offerings in the future.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Back To School: Day 72

An update on my participation in the Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research online program which began on 13 January 2010.  You can read about Day 1 and Day 20 here.

I have been so immersed in my studies online at Boston University that I've neglected to give a recent update.  To say that the past two modules have been fantastic is an understatement.  Here are some details:

• The Evidence Evaluation and Documentation module - lasting three weeks - was led by Dr. Thomas W. Jones and was probably the most difficult of all the modules so far.

• An accurate description of the module would use phrases such as "exacting," "exasperating" and "enlightening."  How's that for alliteration?

• Let's just say, if you thought you knew how to research and analyze evidence and apply the Genealogical Proof Standard, you don't know it until you work with Dr. Jones.  At times I was barely able to keep up with my classmates but Jones is an expert in this area of genealogy and he patiently guided me and others through concepts such as direct evidence vs. indirect evidence, primary and secondary sources and more.

• Being able to take your research, analyze it and shape a coherent conclusion really is the "meat and potatoes" of what we do as genealogists.  There would be no field of genealogy without following the Genealogical Proof Standard.

• The Forensic Genealogical Research module was fascinating and I found the assignments so intriguing that some nights I just wouldn't go to sleep!  Talk about CSI-type cases!

• The module was led by Melinde Lutz Sanborn and all I can say is: this is the type of educator I want to be when I grow up.  Seriously.  From the minute the module started to the very end, she was attentive in tracking our progress, she held several online chats on Sunday afternoons to discuss case studies, and seemed to be ever-present.

• Many of the assignments dealt with old photographs and with very little information, attempting to identify people in the photo.  Other exercises involved trying to find living descendants in probate cases.

Now I've just started the Genealogical Research Ethnic and Geographic Specialties module which last three weeks.  So far I am pulling an A as my grade - with about four more weeks left in the program.  I'll check back at the end of the current module.

Reminder!  The next session of Boston University online classes in this program starts on 10 May 2010 and the registration deadline is 23 April 2010.  I highly recommend this class whether you want to become a professional genealogist or you just want to improve your own research skills. Call 1-877-290-9005 or visit the website at http://www.bugenealogy.com.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

A Review of Faces Of America - Episode 4

Last night, the final episode of Faces of America entitled Know Thyself appeared on the PBS network.  The series by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the family history of 12 renowned Americans and attempts to answer the questions What made America? What makes us?

After viewing the episode here are my thoughts on the specific episode:

• While this was not my favorite episode out of the series (it was actually the second episode that moved me), it was important in showing what DNA testing can and cannot do in terms of genealogical research.

• We had another great online chat at GeneaBloggers after the show with lots of great information exchanged.

• Many people on the chat wanted to know the specific prices for each of the DNA tests (the complete genome test, the racial percentage test and the common ancestor test).  Let's just say the range is up to $68,000 for the complete genome test by Knome.

• I had much respect for Louise Erdrich's decision not to have her DNA tested.  Being of Native American ancestry, she made it a point to go back to her family members especially her elders and ask their permission.  They said that "it wasn't hers to give."

And here are my thoughts on the series overall:

• I don't feel that Faces of America has had the impact that African American Lives or African American Lives 2 has had.  Unless there were some compelling special features, I'm not certain folks will purchase the DVD set of Faces of America.

• Unfortunately Faces of America had to compete against the Winter Olympics broadcast on NBC.  This meant that the first episode - which aired before the Winter Olympics - tried to profile all 12 subjects and the result was a very scattered and confusing episode.  Episodes 2 and 3 aired during the Winter Games and were actually the best out of the four.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

A Review of Faces Of America - Episode 1

Last night, the first episode of Faces of America entitled Our American Stories debuted on the PBS network.  The series by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the family history of 12 renowned Americans and attempts to answer the questions What made America? What makes us?

After viewing the episode here are my thoughts:

• I found that overall the episode was "scattered" and seemed to jump around quite a bit.   It isn't that I wanted something more linear or orderly, but I think that a focus on two or three of the subjects and in a more complete manner would have been more enjoyable to watch.

• I have to agree with others who participated in the online chat at GeneaBloggers after the show, I wanted the episode to show how the records and information was obtained.  This may be the genealogist in me but I don't think viewers got an understanding of the process.

• In many of the stories, especially that of Mike Nichols, it was obvious that information about the family history could have been obtained through an interview of a parent or grandparent.  I hope that many viewers picked up on this and decide to sit down with their older relatives to discuss their family's history.

• At the end of the show, viewers were directed to the Faces of America website and the Resources link for information on how to begin tracing their own family history.  Noticeably absent as a resource is ancestry.com which in the past has run advertising on PBS.  My thinking is that with ancestry.com's upcoming sponsorship of Who Do You Think You Are? on NBC, they may have been barred from having an association with Faces of America.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Back To School: Day 20

An update on my participation in the Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research online program which began on 13 January 2010.  You can read about Day 1 here.

I forgot how much hard work is involved with education and going back to school after being away for so many years!  I'm really not complaining because I am thoroughly enjoying the BU program.  I wanted to give my readers an idea as to what is involved especially since this course uses an online format.

• I am dedicating about 20 hours a week to reviewing course content, reading from the required texts (see below) as well as completing assignments.

• The course is made up of "modules" that are "open" on specific dates and then "close" at which time you are no longer able to work on the related assignments.

• The first module, 13 January through 19 January, was dedicated to the Foundations of Genealogical Research and taught by Elissa Scalise Powell.  I really enjoyed this module and just when you think you have a good foundation in the field, the materials told me otherwise!

• I am currently working on the second module which runs from 20 January through 9 February, and is entitled Problems Solving Techniques and Technology.  It is taught by Allison Ryall and Joshua Taylor - both are people I've followed in the genealogy field and for whom I have much respect.  Their body of knowledge is phenomenal and they are always available in the Ask The Instructor discussion group or if you email them directly.

• The assignments in this second module have not been easy.  I think I was up until 3 am one morning trying to finish one!  Although there are several assignments which must be finished by the end of the module, we've been asked to stay on a schedule and to complete certain ones by a specific date.  The reason (and it makes sense): there are discussions involved for each assignment and this way you aren't holding up the rest of the class - you can stay in pace with everyone which is necessary especially in the discussions.

• What are the assignments like?  Well I am not going to give specifics but let's say that they range from a) transcribing very old documents; to b) tracing the deeds with all involved parties for a late 18th century property to the present day; to c) reconciling conflicting census information for an immigrant family.

• The required texts include Professional Genealogy, the BCG Genealogical Standards Manual, and a few others.

• I estimate about 22 students from all over the United States and even one from New Zealand!  I find that everyone is supportive in discussions and shares freely especially when it comes to making suggestions and sharing resources - not unlike the rest of the online genealogy community!

• Are you graded on assignments?  You betcha!  You submit the work and after a few days you receive great feedback from the instructor(s) and a number/letter grade.

I hope to have another update next week once I am done with this module and we move on to the Evidence Evaluation and Documentation module.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee