October Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The How To Courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS
Friday, October 16th – 6 PM Eastern; 5 PM Central; 4 PM Mountain; 3 PM Pacific; 11 PM in London, England; Saturday, October 17th – 9 AM in Sydney, Australia
MEETING LOCATION: https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

October Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The How To Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Tuesday, October 20th – 2:30 PM Eastern; 1:30 PM Central; 12:30 PM Mountain; 11:30 AM Pacific; 7:30 PM in London, England; Wednesday, October 21st – 5:30 AM in Sydney, Australia
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 

These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

November Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The How To courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Thursday, November 19th – 8:30 PM Eastern; 7:30 PM Central; 6:30 PM Mountain; 5:30 PM Pacific; Friday, November 20th – 1:30 AM in London, England; 12:30 PM in Sydney, Australia 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 

These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

November Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The How To courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS
Tuesday, November 24th – 6 PM Eastern; 5 PM Central; 4 PM Mountain; 3 PM Pacific; 11 PM in London, England; Wednesday, November 25th – 10 AM in Sydney, Australia 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 

These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

December Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Saturday, December 12th – 9 AM EST; 8 AM CST; 6 AM PST; 2 PM in London, England; Sunday, December 13th – 1 AM in Sydney, Australia   
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

January Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS
Friday, January 15th at 6:30 PM EST
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

January Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Thursday, January 21st at 11 AM EST
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

February Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR 
Thursday, February 11th at 8:30 PM EST 
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

February Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS 
Tuesday, February 16th at 5:30 PM EST 
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR 
Saturday, March 27th at 12 Noon EDT 
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

April Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler, PLCGS
*Thursday, April 15th at 5:30 AM EDT
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

April Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR 
Wednesday, April 21st at 1 PM EDT 
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

May Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS
*Friday, May 14th at 11:30 PM EDT
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”
NOTE: It is recommended that attendees make sure their Adobe Connect app is up-to-date before the session.

Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Wednesday, May 26th at 5 PM EDT
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”
NOTE: It is recommended that attendees make sure their Adobe Connect app is up-to-date before the session.

June Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Sunday, June 13th at 8 PM EDT
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”
NOTE: It is recommended that attendees make sure their Adobe Connect app is up-to-date before the session.

July Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS
Tuesday, July 13th at 7:30 PM EDT
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”
NOTE: It is recommended that attendees make sure their Adobe Connect app is up-to-date before the session.

July Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Thursday, July 29th at 1 PM EDT
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

NOTE: It is recommended that attendees make sure their Adobe Connect app is up-to-date before the session.

August Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS
Wednesday, August 18th at 6 AM EDT 
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
This session is for the convenience of our students in Australasia. They are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”
NOTE: It is recommended that attendees make sure their Adobe Connect app is up-to-date before the session.

August Virtual Meeting
**NEW Date**
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Monday, August 30th at 4:30 PM EDT                           
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

Hello.

The methodology part 4 materials say we should capitalize surnames.

I remember when that was a thing with older programs, like PAF. But is this still considered a best practice? I know familysearch.org now asks for "normal capitalization" with surnames — that is, caps only on the first letter, lowercase for the rest. 

The materials (at p 24) say uppercase makes it easier to find names in reports and to distinguish last names from first names. While I take the point, I've never found charts or reports that use normal capitalization all that hard to use. But I'm curious what others think. 

Drew

Hi Drew

yes, I was taught to use Caps for surnames and still see it being used. It does make it easier to pick out Surnames in a long article in a Newsletter, for example. (My genealogy society newsletter still uses it) Some people find it distracting. Others only use it to highlight their own surname lines. Using Capitalized Surnames in their own tree or in their software program, makes it easier to see their ancestors in family groups. It is a personal preference. 

For public trees with multiple users, surnames should just have the first letter capitalized. For a query in a research forum, you may want to capitalize the surname you are focused on to catch the attention of those skimming through. I would follow what each platform is asking, but customize your own research to what works best for you. 

For professional genealogy reports, follow the current guidelines for best practices and standards as presented by Professional Genealogists, APG and BCG, etc. 

I seems from what I've heard in methodology chats that capitalization is losing ground as being the standard unless it is to avoid confusion, such as differentiating the surname JAMES from the given name James. But I know consistency of your choice is critical within the project being written.

For my own usage, I find it depends on what I'm doing. If I'm tracing a single parental line, I may capitalize that surname so it's easy to follow through the  research report or history report, I also do this if I'm  proving a female line lineage link to a specific woman because it makes it easier for me to follow the trail of maiden names.

I've sometimes seen ancestor and descendant reports written with only the parents' surnames of each family group being capitalized. If find this does make it easier to find a family if I'm looking for the section of a specific couple.

I know a recent methodology chat talked about how it helps readability when the all-caps are a point or two smaller than the content's default font.

Gaynol - I like that. Using the "Small caps" feature under the Font settings will capitalize surnames without being so distracting. 

@Gaynol ... That's a great solution, especially because I tend to use Google docs, which doesn't have a small caps feature like Word or Pages. Simply lowering the font size for any surname text that is typed in all caps would look less obtrusive, to wit: HASSELBACH (8pt) vs. HASSELBACH (10pt). One could easily replicate those through copy and paste or a find and replace. Personally, I still might prefer the way ordinary capitalization looks, but if a report requires all caps, this is a nicer, less "shouty" way to do it.

And thank you @Cheryl for your detailed response. 

September Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Sunday, September 19th at 8:30 PM EDT
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

October Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Thursday, October 14th at 4 PM EDT
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

October Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS
Thursday, October 22nd at 6:30 PM EDT 
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
This session is for the convenience of our students in Australasia. They are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”
NOTE: It is recommended that attendees make sure their Adobe Connect app is up-to-date before the session.

REMINDER: October Virtual Meeting
Methodology courses with Brenda Wheeler
Friday, October 22nd at 6:30 PM EDT
LOCATION: https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/

The 22 Oct 2021 chat was the first in a long time that Brenda Wheeler was scheduled for a time convenient for me. Since transcription has been discussed a lot in the NIGS blog and in methodology chats, Brenda clarified questions about that and answered questions about student confusion differentiating transcribing, abstracting and extracting.

I'm fairly confident about my skills but I'm so glad i logged in because Brenda told us about books and web sites that we can use to practice. Since I have already experienced being a bit rusty when I haven't transcribed for a while, her suggestions were a great help. Thank you, Brenda!

Thumbs up emoji, Gaynol Fales. 

November Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS
Monday, November 15th at 6:30 PM EST
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

November Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR 
Wednesday, November 24th at 8 PM EST 
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

December Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR 
Saturday, December 11th at 1 PM EST 
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

January Virtual Meeting
METHODOLOGY: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Tuesday, January 11th at 10 AM EST
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

January Virtual Meeting
METHODOLOGY: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS
Friday, January 28th at 5:30 PM EST
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

February Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR 
Wednesday, February 23rd at 5 PM EST 
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

Reminder for our FREE Methodology Virtual Meeting for Feb 23rd. Plan to join the discussion! Blog: http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2022/02/virtual-meetings-23-feb...

March Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Saturday, March 12th at 10 AM EST
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

March Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler
Monday, March 28th at 4:30 AM EDT
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

April Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR 
Monday, April 25th at 1 PM Eastern
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

Research A-Z ~ Research

Research courses and certificates, methodology courses, and skill-building packages offered by The National Institute for Genealogical Studies through our genealogical online education programs. Blog Post: http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2022/04/research-a-z-research/

Research A-Z ~ Timelines
A timeline is a valuable tool for tracking life events in your ancestors’ lives. Create timelines for your research projects! Blog Post: http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/2022/04/research-a-z-timelines/

May Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler
Thursday, May 19th at 730 PM EDT
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

June Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Sunday, June 12th at 7 PM EDT
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

July Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS
This session is for the convenience of our students in Australasia; however, all students are welcome. 
Saturday, July 9th at 7:30 PM Eastern
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
MEETING LOCATION: 
https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/methodology/ 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend. NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first name and surname initial, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

July Virtual Meeting ~ Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR on Tuesday, July 19th at 1 PM EDT 
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
Virtual Meeting Schedule: https://www.genealogicalstudies.com/eng/chats.asp 
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend.

August Virtual Meeting ~ Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR 
Monday, August 29th at 7:30 PM EDT 
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 
Virtual Meeting Schedule: https://www.genealogicalstudies.com/eng/chats.asp
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend.

September Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Saturday, September 10th at 6:30 PM Eastern
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

Virtual Meeting Schedule: https://www.genealogicalstudies.com/eng/chats.asp
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend.

September Virtual Meeting
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Brenda Wheeler PLCGS
This session has been set up for the convenience of our students in Australia and New Zealand; however, all students are welcome to join in. 

Monday, September 26th at 5:30 AM Eastern
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

Virtual Meeting Schedule: https://www.genealogicalstudies.com/eng/chats.asp
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend.

October Virtual Meeting ~ 
Methodology: The “How To” Courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega MA, MAR
Wednesday, October 19th at 10 AM Eastern
Time Zone Convertor: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

ZOOM LOCATION: https://www.genealogicalstudies.com/eng/chats.asp
These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend.