Hello all,

I am currently enrolled in the American Records certificate program - Intermediate level courses. I am currently completing Social Networking for Genealogists and discovering many new gems. I start the Methodology Part 3: More Strategies this week. It has been a few years since I completed the basic level courses, so I am feeling a little rusty but excited too!

Hello, I am enrolled in the Social Networking for the Wise Genealogist course and have been enjoying the assignments.  I've been a GenealogyWise member for a couple years and enjoy the discussions.

I have taken the Google for the Wise Genealogist course and am nearly completed in the Social Networking for the Wise Genealogist course.  Because I'm enjoying the format, I can see a long future of taking American Records courses and thought this would be a good group to join!  I believe my next class is going to be one of the basic level courses.

Hi Debbie! Welcome. It's great to see you here.

Hey y'all. Im Lori and am currently taking Social Media for the Wise Genealogist.  I enjoy taking classes at the Institute, Im learning so much!  I am also a wife and mother to two amazing boys.  I live in Edmond, Oklahoma, USA.  

Hello, my name is Julie and I am on my way to becoming a professional Genealogist. Wish me luck as I just started and I am only on the Basic step. I live in Elko NV and I am a grandmother of 5. (not as old as I sound for sure).

Hi, my name is Patricia and I have been working on my families for many years. I'm interested in the American Certificate as a way to improve my skills as I search for answers. 

Hello, My name is Paula, and I am taking the Social Media course.  I've also taken the Google course, and have enjoyed them both.  I have been researching my families for about 10 years, and am considering whether to begin the path to certification. I am the registrar for a local DAR chapter, so am getting a chance to use my newly acquired research skills almost daily.

Hi,  My name is Linda and I am also taking the Social Media course.  I got it free after attending a conference in Providence.   I have finished the Basic Level courses and have really enjoyed them and learned a great deal.   I am the president of the local historical society here in Preston, CT, and I do a good deal of research using colonial records.   

Gary,

The National Institute also has a Professional Development Virtual Meeting that you might be interested. We discuss those courses in that meeting. The schedule can be found at 

http://www.genealogicalstudies.com/eng/chats.asp

Hello! I am taking the Social Media course. I have also taken the Google course and most of the Basic Level courses for the American Studies program. There is always more to learn!

Hello,

I, too, am taking the Social Media course from NIGS.  I am a genealogy librarian but in this ever-changing world there is always more to learn.  To be honest, I have only been at this for about three years, so it is still somewhat new to me.  In the past I did research my own family tree.  Happily the Stauffer and Pfaltzgraff lines were pretty much completed (as far as anyone can go) by cousins.  Let's hear it for cousins!

Hello,  I am taking the Social Media course which I won when I attended the last Alberta Genealogical Society conference.  I am midway through the Methodology Certificate training with the NIGS.  Although I live in Canada the majority of my research is in US record as many of my ancestors on my maternal and paternal lines lived in the United States.

I am currently searching through New York, Michigan, and Kansas, and have a keen interest in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, and Virginia, to name the states I find myself researching the most.

Hi, I am also taking the Social Media course from NIGS like many others who have posted, thanks to the "Great Canadian Genealogy Summit" of 2016. This is my first course! I'm a professional genealogist based in New York City, thus a lot of my work involves New York City or the immediate area. My mother's mother was from Erinsville, Ontario and my father's father was from Cape Breton, so naturally I have a lot of interest in Canadian genealogy on a personal level, and wish that I was asked to do more Canadian research for clients too!

I am taking this certification course and I am excited to get more involved in the details of researching my ancestors.  I also have taken the Social Media course, which I found immensely helpful.

Thank you.

I have been a member of this site since about 2012 and have not been on it for awhile.   I am taking the Social Media Course and have updated my profile; and, will be coming back often.    I am looking to obtain my certification    Thanks!    

Hello!  I am currently taking Land Records and have completed Methodology I and II.  This one is a bit of a challenge for me since pretty much all of the material is stuff I have never seen before, but I am really enjoying it.  I just have to carve out enough time in the next few weeks to finish it up!  Tough because we are in NY and my boys are in the last two weeks of school for the year and there seems to be multiple things going on at the same time for the next two weeks! 

I didn't know this site was here, and I'm excited to have found it.  The one thing I have found missing in the classes I have taken so far was a way to have easy discussions between students.

An interesting tidbit for anyone doing research in the western Finger Lakes area of NY state.  It's too bad I just saw this now, I would have been interested in stopping by this event.

Four hundred years ago today on June 10th a man named Pabos visited what is now Fishers in 1618, apparently the earliest known European visitor to Victor.

Commemoration of the 400th anniversary of this landmark visit is to be held at the Pabos monument by Irondequoit Creek on Wangum Road next to Fishers Park in Fishers at 11:15 a.m. Monday, June 11th.

Hello, my name is Kerry Atkins, and I am enrolled in the American Records certificate program. I just completed Methodology 1 & 2 and am currently taking Social Media for the Wise Genealogist. The coursework so far has been very interesting and fun and has allowed me to put what I’ve learned to practical use. Most of my research, btw, is in Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire. I particularly enjoy transcribing documents, which harkens back to my secretarial career. 

I recently joined the Connecticut Society for Genealogists and will soon be volunteering on a preservation project to index family group records donated to the Society between 1968 and present. My short-term goal is to attend a regional or national conference within the next 12 months. (Any suggestions?) My long-term objective is to become a certified genealogist.

I look forward to networking with my fellow genealogists and chatting with you soon!

Kerry - I research in NY also - along with surrounding states.  About conferences - Consider the New England Regional Genealogy Conference held every 2 years - the next one will be in Springfield in April 2021.  You can get on their mailing list by googling them. 

The NYB&G sponsors a New York Genealogy Conference every 2 years - I believe the next one be in the Albany area in 2020. 

Both of these conferences are definitely worth attending!

Greetings, I am Steve Conner a student in the Social Media for the Wise Genealogist course. I am looking forward to interaction with others who are pursuing genealogical research in the US with a goal to take our immigrant lines "across the pond" to our ethnic roots.

Hello, I'm Donna Baker from Ventura, California.  I am currently taking Social Media for the Wise Genealogist along with U.S. Religious Records - 1 and Google for the Wise Genealogist. I plan to start a Genealogy Road Trip business (next year). I'm looking forward to interacting with this group. 

Hi Donna and Steve. Glad to hear you are looking for participation. I joined, looking to be in a group that wasn't on Facebook. It's not as active as I'd like it to be. Maybe we can shake the tree a bit and find others who want to discuss.

Hi All, I have been working on my studies at Genealogical Studies for awhile now, almost done, just finishing up some electives. 

Anyone from Wisconsin? Appleton area. I know this is not an active group, but just checking.

Hi Ginger, not from WI but it's nice to see someone else here  :-) .

Hi Gaynol and Ginger! I'm in New Hampshire. I, too, would like to see this board be more active. I finished my American certificate a few years ago, but I'd like to do another one soon - maybe Canadian. :) 

I have one more compulsory to complete my Am Rec cert. Have half the Professional courses finished. Hope to start a business but I'm thinking it might be better to hold off to take a year to solidify my skills. There’s so much involved in becoming a serious genealogist. I'd no idea when I started down this path. Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool! I'm interested in Canadian too. I plan to take those courses bit by bit to keep learning.

How exciting - the end is near! Finishing a certificate is a great accomplishment! I agree - there's much more to being a professional genealogist than I would have thought, too. I'm still working on getting my business started, actually - lol. I did ProGen this past year, and that was really helpful. If you're interested in becoming a professional, I would recommend it, especially if you're thinking of BCG certification. 

Yes, I'd been looking at the background of some BCGs and saw ProGen. That's included on my pre-business plan as continued training. Have you settled on a a niche? I've some ideas but haven't picked a starter.

I have an interest in forensic genealogy, especially probate and dual citizenship, although I learned about a few other areas that interest me, too, after attending Catherine Desmarais' Forensics course at GRIP this past summer. I'm planning to go back this year for Part II - can't wait!

Since I live in NH, I also have been thinking about French-Canadian and Colonial/Mayflower research -- although it seems like there are a lot of folks already covering that ground. We'll see!

It's great that you're taking the Professional courses now! They were just rolling them out as I was nearing the end of my certificate program. I'm sure they're very helpful. :) 

Hi, I'm Beverly Duncan and I started my studies with the National Institute in 2012 and finished both my American Certificate and my English Certificate in 2015. Since then I have taken various other classes just to update or to study some of the subjects I've never taken.  I really enjoy taking these courses.  I've also taken the Boston University course and the Excelsior College course. ProGen was another challenge that I loved taken. There is so much information out there for us if we just reach out for it.  I'm looking forward to learning some new things on here. You always learn something in a group like this..  

Hi Beverly, I know what you mean. I have one to finish for American Records and I'm about a third way through Professional.

I plan on taking ProGen at some point as precursor to trying for a CG but maybe enough is enough!

My personal work right now is tracing my father's line (because it's easier!). I have a brick wall of where a 3rdGgf went after NY in 1800. I find his kids but not him and no death records. Now I;ve uncovered evidence he'd land in the Western Reserve in late 1790s,. So maybe he was on his way to OH from ME through NY. And was it Rev War bounty land? So that's where my search is heading now.

What is your research interest?

Is anyone else completely fascinated by the Sacramento Police Mug Books now available on Archive.org? I can't stop browsing! 

https://archive.org/details/SPDMugBook1902-1908/mode/2up

Wasn't aware. Thanks for telling me about them. Imagine the stories in those!

What is ProGen?

Hello Gaynol!  I know you will love browsing through them. The photos are amazing and reading all of the details about why they were arrested and their sentences really fascinates me. Many of them were just for petty larceny...likely just trying to survive. You can see the desperation in some of their eyes....

Jessica, ProGen is a program for genealogists to hone their work product by going through the book Professional Genealogy chapter by chapter and doing assignments. It's geared toward those who are interested in professional credentials (BCG, ICAPGen, etc), but can be taken by anybody seeking to produce professional-quality work. It involves a yearlong time commitment and group feedback. It was a great experience, but could be quite intense! 

https://progenstudy.org/

Thanks Angela. Sounds great!

Hi, I'm Tamara Henschel and I'm just working on completing my advanced courses for the American certificate as well as my German certificate.  I started taking courses with NIGS in 2019 and will hopefully be finished with both certificates by spring of 2021.  Once I save up some money, I want to continue classes on my Professional certificate.  In addition to American genealogy research, I am planning on specializing in German research with a sub-specialty in the former Pommern region.  I am glad to meet all of you and enrich my knowledge with another group of people.  I wish there was a German records group on here as well!!!

Tamara, I'd try emailing   admin@GenealogicalStudies.com   or calling   1-800-580-0165. They could connect you with the person who can help you start one. They've always been super helpful to me no matter the question. If you email it may take a day or so for them to reply depending on what event's going on in the genealogy world.

May Virtual Meeting

American Virtual Meeting with Gena Philibert-Ortega
Tuesday, May 26th – 7:30 PM Eastern; 6:30 PM Central; 5:30 PM Mountain; 4:30 PM Pacific; 12:30 AM in London, England; 

Wednesday, May 27th– 9:30 AM in Sydney, Australia
MEETING LOCATION: https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/american/

These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend.

Attendees: NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first and last name, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

Hello,

I am taking the course in Social Media, and I had not heard about this site before. I am looking forward to learning more about it!

June Virtual Meeting

American Virtual Meeting with Gena Philibert-Ortega
Saturday, June 13th – 10 AM Eastern; 9 AM Central; 8 AM Mountain; 7 AM Pacific; 3 PM in London, England;

Sunday, June 14th– Midnight in Sydney, Australia
MEETING LOCATION: https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/american/

These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend.

Attendees: NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first and last name, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

I'm taking the Social Media class and decided to look into this group as part of an assignment.  Looking forward to learning more about this group.

Hi Lynn, 

Would be nice to get some discussion going here not just about the course but about interesting things we're finding in our records or trials and tribulations finding them.

Have fun in the social media course. I didn't think I'd like it because I'm not crazy about social media but it really made me understand how helpful it can be. Now I just have to crawl out from under my rock and get out there!

July American Virtual Meeting

American Records courses with Gena Philibert-Ortega 
Tuesday, July 28th – 9 AM Eastern; 8 AM Central; 7 AM Mountain; 6 AM Pacific; 2 PM in London, England; 11 PM in Sydney, Australia.

MEETING LOCATION: https://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/american/

These sessions are FREE and you do not have to be a current or past student to attend.

Attendees: NO USER NAME or PASSWORD REQUIRED. Please type in your first and last name, along with your geographic location; then click “Enter as a Guest”

I ran across an interesting group of records over the weekend. It is the Atlanta Funeral Homes Program Collection.

Here is the description from the site: Over 3300 funeral programs documenting the funeral services of Georgia residents, primarily from the Atlanta, Georgia area. Most of the programs are from services held during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. A majority of the programs are from churches in the Atlanta, Georgia area, with a few programs from other states such as South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York, among others. The programs typically contain a photograph of the deceased, an obituary, a list of surviving relatives, and the order of service. The collection provides extensive genealogical information about the deceased, including birth and death dates, maiden names, names of relatives, past residences, and place of burial. Alongside this genealogical information, the obituaries provide a rich source of local history.

https://dlg.usg.edu/collection/aarl_afpc