Class 1
Digitize All Your Family Records!
It isn't as hard as it sounds. You can organize, categorize and
digitize your histories, photos, slides, books and random papers quickly
and efficiently with the help of some amazing technology at BYU or
other FS libraries. Learn best practices in digitizing your
photographs, slides, and family histories using the document feeder,
slider feeder, flatbed, book scanner and the slides/negatives flatbed.
This technology can cost thousands of dollars but is free for your use
at the BYU Library and elsewhere. Let's tidy up our records.
Class 2
Go on a European Family History Adventure
Learn how you can get the most out of a foreign trip and turn it from a
tourist destination to a family history experience. Have you always
wanted to walk the same streets your ancestors walked? Do you want to
see the same sights, and buildings they did? How about eating the same
foods and learning more about what daily life was like for them? You can
even attend the same church they did. Sounds impossible. It isn't. We
will show you how to plan, organize and execute the trip of a lifetime.
What pre-planning will make your trip a success? How far in advance do
you need to begin your research? We will cover tips for keeping travel
and accommodation expenses low and how to meet local people that will
further your research and add depth to your family history. Three
examples of such trips will be shared. Included will be trip to Scotland and the other to Graben, Germany, and Ottenbach Switzerland.
Class 3
Bring Your Ancestors to Life by Writing their History!
Okay, you have done the research and know a little about where and when
your ancestors lived. Don't stop there, now it is time to breath life
into their story. Using internet resources and making contacts in
foreign countries you can find out what they ate, the clothing they
wore, where they went to church, the taxes they paid, and how they lived
as well as how they traveled, infant mortality, schooling, and
occupations. Throw in the historical events of their lives and you have a
living history, rich in detail. This research will turn dry facts into a
panoramic view of their lives and give your family a history worth
reading. Real examples will be shared. What you learn can be turned into a slideshow or a picture book.
Class 4
Write your own personal history book!
Your
grandchildren want to know who you are, what you learned in life and
what you believed. There are two great ways to write your family
history. One is using Storyworth.
Using this method you can take a single year and daily add the small
and large details of your life to your story and add photos. A second
way is to make a list of stories that happened to you over your lifetime. Refine and hone them into little stories, add photos and voila: you have a book worth reading.
Go digital in your Scottish Research!
Scotland is known worldwide for its excellent family history records. What makes Scottish records so good? What are the best ways of accessing, evaluating and saving Scottish records? Once you have found the birth, marriage and death records, what other resources are available? Come see how to use ScotlandsPeople to find primary source records for your ancestors. This is a site that requires payment. In spite of that, how can you search for free to find records you are looking for so you and don't waste time and money paying for records that don't fit? What other resources are there in Scotland for maps, histories and photographs? Once you have collected everything available, how do you put it all together into a book or video to give family members a picture of what life was like for your ancestors?
Class 6
Create a meaningful online family library of all of
your videos which is instantly accessible to your family and friends.
This class will cover all aspects of working with family history videos
and publishing them online. This includes the basics of transferring
VHS tapes to your computer, creating video slideshows with music, taping
relative interviews, editing video footage for inspirational impact,
capturing special moments on videotape, free resources for enhancing
video, online storage and retrieval, sharing videos on social media and
websites, and backing up your library. In short, making a meaningful online family history library of all of
your videos which is instantly accessible to your family and friends.
Class 7
Use the FS Community to get the details of your ancestors lives!
The
FamilySearch Community is far in away the best resource to get amazing
help in locating records, having them translated and being able to see
the details of your ancestors lives. This is the most under-used and
yet best resource for helping your research. Experts in different areas
stand ready to help you. You just need to know how to ask and what to
ask. Once you understand how the Community works your research life will
change.
Class 8
Access original parish records on FamilySearch!
How
can you find birth, marriage and death parish records on Family Search.
Many of these records are not indexed but even if they are indexed
there are many facts that are hidden in these records. Let's say you
want a German birth record. What do you need to know to look through the
German records? How do you get a record translated?
Class 9
Make a FH picturebook!
Inspire your descendants with a family history picture book.
There are several different ways of formatting a book. What are the different ways and which is the best fit for you? Here are the steps to formatting and making a book.
Class 10
Make your own FH website!
Are you tired of people changing your carefully researched information on FS? Make your own FS website.
It is simple, costs nothing and you can make it instantly accessible to
friends and relatives. How is this done? It is not hard. You will see a
couple of examples of sites up and running right now! Here is a new one.
Class 11
Summarize all your FH findings!
Once
you have done all your research it is imperative that you explain your
methods and summarize your findings. How is this done? Here is an excellent example of a decade of work on the Stewart line using microfilm only. See the reasoning behind the research.
Class 12
Make Family History fun!
How
can you engage the rest of your family in FH? What can you do to
inspire them? Let's make FH enjoyable, an adventure, a blast!
Class 13
Organize your photographs!
Are
your photographs organizing, categorizing and easily accessible?
Keeping track of thousands of photos. This can be done using a Mac or a
PC? What are the ways you can make this happen? How much better will
your digital life be when you can easily locate your photos? Definitely digitize all your photos!
Class 14
Read German script!
It
looks crazy hard but it isn't. You can learn how to read German script
in a few lessons. In this class you will be able to read simple German script names and dates.
This is a class for beginners. There are lots of classes at BYU and on
FS dealing with this topic. Relax and see how easy it is to learn German Script. It isn't as hard as you think!
Class 15
Learn German research!
There
are many resources to learn about your German ancestors. How does
history play a part in finding your records? What records does FS have
on your German relatives? How hard are they to access?
Class 16
Host a Family Reunion!
There are lots of things to do to make a great family reunion.
What activities for all ages can your relatives enjoy so the reunion
fun for everyone? Where to host? When is the best time and location?
Class 17
Internet safety!
The
internet can be a safe place to do family history, get great
information and connect with others. It can also be a horrible place
where evil touches your live, you money is stripped from you and your
phone or computer are compromised. What are the best practices to stay safe on the internet? How can we avoid problems and stay safe?
Class 18
Social Media meets Family History
How can social media
help your FH research? What are the different resources available to
help with your research. You will be very surprised at what is out
there. The link above is to a page which is not complete. It is a work
in progress but give one an idea of what will be covered.
Class 19
Demise Desires
What are demise desires?
Why are they important? What is the least expensive funeral you can
have in Utah? What is the most expensive funeral you can have in Utah?
What are the important decisions
regarding your death that you need to make before you pass? How can
you avoid being put on life support in a hospital for months at a time
at a huge costs? What can you do to ease the burdens associated with
death for your family member? What are the burial rules in Utah?
Cemeteries and Headstones
What information can be had at your local cemetery? What are the new rules regarding the cleaning of headstones? Europe has a different way of handling graves. What are the rules in Europe? How can I find my ancestors grave? How can you help your relatives find family grave markers? Can you put whatever you want on a headstone? Are gravestones placed at the head or feet? Can you have a headstone with no body? What is the difference between a gravestone and a headstone? Can you use wet and forget on gravestones? How many words can you put on a headstone?The following are ideas that could be lessons:
Apps for Android and iOS
Beginner Computer
Beginner Indexing
Brick walls while you sleep
Cemeteries (lightly brush headstones only)
Census, maps, other census
Church Records (including LDS)
Connecting with distant cousins
Copyright rules
Cyber Security
Directories
DNA
Fact Checking other's work
Gedcom files
Genealogy toolbox
Hints, where to find them, how to check them
History Hub (national archives)
Homestead and BLM (land records)
Immigration records
Joining a local genealogy society
Journaling
Maps, Gazetteers and fire maps
Merging Records
Military records
Mistakes and bad habits
National Archives
Newspapers
Old Script
Oral histories and stories telling
Passing on your records
PERSI
Personal Family History Software
Photos, scanning, preserving old hard-copy
Probate Records
Proof Standards (may be too much)
Research Logs
Reunions
Search for maiden names
Social Media
Source and Citations
Sources at local libraries
Tax Records
Tour of the Family History Library
Using all of Google Tools
Using non-indexed records
Using other family trees
Vital Records Substitutes
Ways to save money in family history
WolframAlpha