Unlock the secrets of your family's long-forgotten past with this course that teaches you the research skills and methodologies of professional genealogists.
Discovering Your Roots: An Introduction to Genealogy
Our family tree is full of nuts. Find out what yours looks like, with help from a genealogist.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
cuzinmikeg from
Very Informative
The professor teaches this course with a lot of enthusiasm and is very knowledgeable. While the course is 10 years old I still feel the information is very useful.
Date published: 2024-06-21
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Thanuja from
Enjoyable course!
This is a quite an enjoyable course! As a fan of "Finding your Roots" and other Geneology-related TV shows, it is good to know the science and work behind all that. It is difficult to do ascertain a non-American family geneology like of myself, due to loss of paperwork, but this gives me renewed interest to try...
I'd recommend this course to anyone interested in Genelogy!
Date published: 2024-02-03
Rated 5 out of
5
by
robcsnm from
This will get you started.
After taking this course as a novice, I now think there are a lot of entry points to get started in researching my family history. I have more than enough tools and resources to check out that will keep me busy for a couple decades I am sure.
Date published: 2024-01-25
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Mooma from
Great information
I bought this for a friend who is doing several family trees. She loves it. She said it is really helpful in her searches. It gave her some resources and how to use them that she had not used.
Date published: 2022-11-27
Rated 5 out of
5
by
KristaAB from
Thorough and extraordinarily helpful
I'm over halfway through the course and I've found it extraordinarily valuable. I feel like I have a good base to build on now when otherwise I was floundering. Everything seemed so complex and vast. Dr. Colletta has demystified it and I can now proceed with some confidence. His stories illustrate the concepts he's teaching so well. After seeing that the course was offered in 2014 I've wondered if it is out-of-date but I don't think so. He focused on the essentials and the only real changes are going to be resources that have gravitated online and some specialized ones that may have been created in the interim. I suspect this course will be relevant for a very long time, despite changes in digital offerings.
Date published: 2022-08-19
Rated 2 out of
5
by
Sheils from
Tempting start
i have had this c ourse for around a month and it has certainly whetted my interest in the subject encouraging me to join Ancestry and Scotland's people. However the course itself is very USA focused which is very disappointing. I have it of very little help at all
Date published: 2022-02-22
Rated 5 out of
5
by
bbright49 from
Excellent Course
I have been doing genealogy for several decades. I learned a lot of information I didn't know. Dr. Colletta presents the information in a very easy to understand way. Would recommend to anyone, no matter what your skill level is in genealogy.
Date published: 2021-11-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Holabird66 from
Very helpful class!!
I have been working on my family’s genealogy for a couple of years. Luckily, I inherited a large trunk full of original documents, family bibles, hundreds of pictures (most unidentified), dozens of old newspaper clippings (from God knows where), and odd personal items. I signed up for this course to help organize my work. I found the course to be very informative and really helped me to get more organized in the way I search my family information, record what is found, and communicate the information. I found the information on proof and documentation to be exceptionally helpful. One of the recommended books (Evidence Explained) is now in my library and has been a great help in recording all of the odd bits of information. I would recommend this class to anyone just starting out or deep into their genealogy search.
Date published: 2021-09-19
Overview
About
Dr. John Philip Colletta is one of America's most popular genealogy lecturers. He is a faculty member at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama; the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy; and Boston University's Genealogical Research Program. Dr. Colletta also has been an instructor and course coordinator for the National Institute on Genealogical Research, the Genealogical Institute of Texas, and the Genealogical Institute of Mid-America. He earned his Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America.
For 20 years, Dr. Colletta worked at the Library of Congress and taught workshops at the National Archives. Today, he lectures nationally, teaches at local schools, and conducts programs for the Smithsonian Institution's Resident Associate Program. His clients have included Johns Hopkins University, St. Louis Public Library, Daughters of the American Revolution, Brigham Young University, the Historical Society of North Dakota, the Huntington Library (San Mateo, CA), and the Genealogical Society of Ontario, Canada.
Dr. Colletta's publications include numerous articles, both popular and scholarly; two manuals, They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Arrival Record and Finding Italian Roots: The Complete Guide for Americans; and the narrative family history, Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and Its Aftermath. Dr. Colletta appears frequently on podcasts and radio and television programs. His honors include distinguished service awards from the Dallas Genealogical Society and the National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America.
Trailer
01: Interviewing Kin and Mining Home Sources
One of the foundations of genealogy (and one of its most enjoyable aspects): interviewing relatives. Here, Dr. Colletta introduces you to several strategies and 10 vital tips to help you get the most out of sitting down with family members and transforming pleasant conversations into solid foundations for future detective work.
31 min
02: Genealogy Online-Gems and Junk
It's unthinkable to do genealogy today without the Internet. But not all online sources are reliable. First, take a look at the benefits (and drawbacks) of government, nonprofit, and commercial online sites. Then, learn how to make sense of U.S. population censuses-the most important record for constructing lineage in America.
32 min
03: The Library-Shelves Full of Family History
Learn how to tap into the wealth of library material to get solid answers to the "why" behind events in the past. You'll tour genealogies and family histories; histories of states, counties, cities, and towns; the Periodical Source Index (PERSI); and several types of maps (which help ground events in the physical world).
33 min
04: Military Service and Homestead Records
Holding a document your ancestor once held is a thrilling experience; and this intimate link to your forebears is more readily accessible than ever. Train yourself to navigate through both military records (including service and pension records) and homestead files (which encompass 33 public domain states from 1863 to the 1970s).
33 min
05: How to Build Historical Context
Step away from research and explore how to use historical content to transform your facts into engaging life stories. Dr. Colletta reveals seven steps for building effective historical context, including examining your sources in light of local history, and using history to test a hypothesis about how an event transpired.
33 min
06: Your Ancestors in Ship Passenger Lists
Learn how to make sense of passenger arrival records: the single most precious document for reconstructing your ancestors' voyage to North America. Using several key guideposts and sources (including colonial land records and immigrant directories), you can uncover facts about arrivals from colonial days through the 1950s.
33 min
07: Your Ancestors in Naturalization Records
Did your immigrant ancestors become U.S. citizens? Did they procrastinate, or not naturalize at all? Dr. Colletta reveals how naturalization records can answer these and other biographical questions. You'll focus on adapting your research to three major naturalization periods: prior to 1790, 1790 to 1906, and 1906 to today.
35 min
08: The Genealogical Proof Standard
Strengthen your skills as a family history detective with this in-depth look at the Genealogical Proof Standard, the five-step process that certified genealogists use for proving ancestral identities, relationships, life events, and other biographical details. Then, wrap up the lecture with a fascinating look at the nature of evidence.
30 min
09: Your Ancestors in the County Courthouse
Discover how to work your way through the courthouse records of the county where your ancestors resided. Using the two most common types of courts (circuit and chancery), you'll examine how to read courthouse materials, including probate packets, vital records, tax rolls, and even colonial-era records such as indentures and apprenticeships.
30 min
10: Your Ancestors in State Records
Good genealogists always take advantage of local sources outside the courthouse as well, including state archives, which hold records that resulted between the administration of state laws. Here, you'll learn how to tap into the information found in original sources (such as census and military records) and derivative sources (including maps and newspapers).
29 min
11: How to Write Biography
Explore the process of writing about your ancestors in a way that's memorable-but that always adheres to the truth. Learn how to compose timelines; how to build historical context around life events; how to search for (and find) a life's central theme; how to select the right literary format; and more.
31 min
12: Dos and Don'ts of Writing History
Writing about the past is fraught with snares. Find out how to sidestep them with Dr. Colletta's dos and don'ts for writing historical narratives. These include using period vocabulary; evoking the senses through sounds, textures, and aromas; and avoiding the danger of viewing the past through the lens of the present.
30 min
13: Searching in Your Ancestors' Backyards
At some point during your detective work, you'll have to actually visit where your ancestors lived. In this helpful lecture, discover how to use key local resources you'll need to rely on for success in your research: cemeteries, records of churches and synagogues, city directories, local libraries, and historical societies.
30 min
14: Assembling an Account of Your Discoveries
You've learned how to build context and write an engaging narrative. Now, examine the best ways to organize your material and assemble a lasting account of your unique heritage. What are the fundamental questions you'll need to answer before writing? What are the five elements essential to any multigenerational account?
32 min
15: Extending Your Family Tree Overseas
Conclude the course with a peek at how to research records outside the United States. Focusing on his experiences in Europe, Dr. Colletta reveals what essential facts you need to know about your immigrant ancestors, and how to overcome six major challenges to accessing and using historical materials in foreign countries.
33 min
