The schedule for the New England Historic Genealogical  Society English Family History Tour 25 September-2 October 2011 has been published on the American Ancestors Website

The Society of Genealogists will host this week long study day in its library in London. The programme includes presentations and workshops with SoG and NEHGS staff and experts; orientations and use of the Society’s extensive genealogical library and collections and visits to The National Archives and British Library

The Society of Genealogists is situated on the edge of the historic City of London and part of the tour will include a fascinating walk from the SoG through the City to St Pauls Cathedral taking in City Churches, Postman’s Park, the Guildhall Library and other places of interests.

Booking for the tour is through the American Ancestors Website

Technorati Tags: American Ancestors, family history, Society of Genealogists

The Society’s successful family history skills course begins again with the first sixteen-week series of classes for those who are new to family history or who have had a little experience and want to build upon their initial progress. The team of lecturers, Paul Blake, Else Churchill, Geoff Swinfield, Ian Waller, Michael Isherwood and Simon Fowler will introduce the records and illustrate how they should best be used for the study of family history.

This course provides plenty of opportunity to use genealogical sources in practical sessions in the classroom and as exercises at home. The lectures cover sources in all the major repositories but emphasis is also placed on the extensive collections held in the Library of the Society of Genealogists that can be of help to the beginner. CD publications, electronic finding aids and the internet will, of course, be included along with all the basic sources needed to start research.

Programme:

17 March Getting Started: Research Standards The World of Genealogy – the major repositories and online providers of genealogical information. The Research Process and Standards. What’s Been Done Before Research Directories. The Role of the Internet. (EC)

24 March Family Sources, Basic Records and Pedigrees Identifying & Assessing Family Sources. Basic Pedigree Layout. Oral Evidence. Using databases. (EC)

31 March Civil Registration, Records of Birth, Marriage & Death The Civil Registration System in England & Wales. Key Dates. Using the Indexes. Locating and Obtaining Certificates. Free BMD; UK BMD; Findmypast Family Relatives, BMD Index, Ancestry, Genes Reunited etc and other Internet sources. The content of BM&D certificates. (IW)

7 April Civil Registration (continued) Shortfalls and problems in the Civil Registration System. How to overcome them. Tricks of the Trade. (IW)

14 April Victorian & Edwardian Census Returns & Finding Aids The content of census returns 1841 – 1911 and how to access them. Indexes and Finding Aids. ‘Missing’ people and how to find them. (GS)

21 April No Class

28 April Using Record Offices, the Internet and Online Databases successfully Finding and using resources online and in local record offices. (PB)

5 May First Steps at Kew and Beyond An introduction to what can and cannot be found at The National Archives. 20th Century Records at the National Archives. The Valuation Office Records and The National Farm Survey. (PB)

12 May The Armed Forces and Merchant Navy in the 20th Century Sources for WW I & II. (SF)

19 May Newspapers, Directories, Electoral registers & Poll Books The value of using Newspapers, Directories, Electoral Registers & Poll Books. Where to find them and How to use them. (EC)

26 May The Library of the SoG & its Catalogue Tour of the Library and Explanation of the Catalogue System. Practical exercises in using the Library to establish what research has been done before. (EC)

2 June Parish Registers Anglican Parish Registers and Bishops’ Transcripts. Marriage Licences, Bonds & Allegations. PR Indexes and Transcripts – where to find them and how to use them. (GS)

9 June Parish Registers Continuation of above. (GS)

16 June Non- Anglican Family History Records of Protestant Nonconformist Denominations, Roman Catholics, Jews and Quakers. (MI)

23 June Wills, other Probate Documents & Reading Old Handwriting The genealogical Value of a Will. Standard formats. Nuncupative Wills. Administrations and Inventories. Probate administration and records pre and post 1858 – the role of Church. Where & How to find a Will. Practical examples. Writing an abstract. General principles of reading old handwriting. Examination and key points of various alphabets and script styles. (GS)

30 June Wills, other Probate Documents & Reading Old Handwriting continuation of above. (GS)

7 July Family History in Practice Case Study & Practical Exercise to demonstrate the skills and knowledge covered in the course modules. The rules and conventions of pedigree layout. Computer aided Family Trees. Exercise in drawing together information into a pedigree. (PB)

£200/£160 for SoG members All places must be pre-booked

http://www.sog.org.uk/orderline/software.shtml

by telephone: Tel: 020 7553 3290 or send a cheque to:

Society of Genealogists Library & Education Centre 14 Charterhouse Buildings Goswell Road LONDON EC1M 7BA

 For queries, contact Lori Weinstein at: events@sog.org.uk

Technorati Tags: ancestor, census, class, course, family history, genealogy, lecture, Parish Registers

 The Society of Genealogists and Pharos Teaching & Tutoring today announced a new joint programme, the distance learning Certificate of Family History Skills and Strategies (intermediate).

The Society of Genealogists, in conjunction with Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd is now bringing its popular classroom programme to the Web. Following successful pilot courses last year, the Society and Pharos have teamed up to make available a full course of instruction, with  optional assessment, to any interested genealogist anywhere in the world. First modules in the Skills and Strategies programme will be offered in September 2010. It will be possible to complete all 10 modules in an 18 month period. 

The modules are listed here in alphabetical order:

Apprenticeships & Guilds
Employment Records
Lists & Sources from Georgian England
Migration in the British Isles
Military Records
Nonconformity in England and Wales
The Poor, the Parish and the Workhouse
Victorian Crime & Punishment
Wills and Administrations
17th Century Sources

Tutors include the well-known authors and genealogists, Gill Blanchard, Liz Carter, Else Churchill, Simon Fowler, Sherry Irvine, Michael Isherwood and Stuart Raymond. All have made significant contributions to the world of family history and bring a wide array of records knowledge and teaching experience to the online classroom.

The Skills and Strategies course is suitable for genealogists who have had at least two years experience in family history research in England & Wales and have mastered the fundamentals of census, civil registrations and parish registers but who now wish to move on to new records and a greater understanding of research methods and skills.

Students choosing to take all ten modules as a full programme with assessments leading to the Intermediate Certificate can sign up now at an introductory price of £450. This represents a saving of £42.90 on the full listed price.  Each module is monitored by the Society to ensure excellent standards of content and teaching.

Students may, alternatively, choose not have work assessed and to take any arrangement of individual topics. Courses taken individually without assessment cost less.
 
Find out more or enroll  for this great learning opportunity

Information about the course and a link for bookings can also be found on the Society of Genealogists’ website

Helen Osborn, Managing Director of Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd, said today

“We are very pleased to continue and build on our collaboration with the Society of Genealogists. We know that many Pharos students are interested in working towards a certificate that acknowledges their achievements and that others are looking for a wider range of choice in online programmes. The Skills and Strategies course meets those needs, offered by organizations and teachers with shared standards of excellence.”
                                                         

Else Churchill, Genealogists at the Society & tutor on the new programme, said today

“The Society of Genealogists is delighted join forces with Pharos to offer the highly regarded SoG courses and education programme to a wider audience than can attend the Society’s classes in London. The Skills and Strategies course will offer a practical opportunity for family historians to take their research further and to develop their own expertise and understanding of genealogical sources and techniques.”

Technorati Tags: family history, family history course, Family History Courses, Family History News, genealogy, Pharos Teaching & Tutoring, Society of Genealogists

A series of four talks aimed at beginners to genealogy who have no prior knowledge of the basic sources. It is also suitable for those who wish to refresh their skills and learn how to access the records and their indexes online. Each session will provide a background to the records and demonstrate how they can be used to their best advantage through the internet.

PROGRAMME
10.30-11.45 Getting Started
Civil Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths
11.45-12.00 Tea/coffee
12.00-1.00 Census returns 1841-1911
1.00-2.00 Lunch (not provided)
2.00-3.30 Church registers and their indexes
3.30-3.45 Tea/coffee
3.45-5.00 Probate records

with Dr. Geoff Swinfield, £30.00 /£24.00 SoG members, must be pre-booked:

www.sog.org.uk   or tel: 020 7553 3290

Technorati Tags: beginners, class, course, family, genealogy, history, talk

The boundary changes of 1974 affected Lancashire more than any other county in England and
Wales. The industrial areas of the south of the county became Merseyside and Greater
Manchester counties, the area around Warrington was transferred to Cheshire. In the north of
the county, the Furness and Cartmell peninsulas became part of the new county Cumbria.
These changes present family historians with problems in locating the records. This half day
course will address these problems as well as looking at some of the social history of the
birthplace of the industrial revolution.

With Peter Park from 10:30am-1pm £17.50 (£14.00 SoG members).

The course can be booked online or by calling 020 7553 3290

Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy, Lancashire, lecture, Manchester, talk