Genealogy Education: BYU Independent Study Courses

Education is a key part of genealogical research. There are many online opportunities. This post will cover the BYU Independent Study Courses. They can be found at: http://is.byu.edu/site/courses/free.cfm.

Look for the offerings in the categories within: Family History / Genealogy

Some of the courses are several years old, but the information in them is relevant, Succinct, and useful. Because of the changing nature of the Internet, the links may not work.

Remember that the records that were difficult to find might now be digitized, and indexed.

 

Accessing the Courses

The first time you access a course, you will be asked for your name and city/state/zip. You will need to validate your e-mail address through an e-mail sent to the e-mail address you used. Just open the e-mail and click on the link in it.

From now on, you will use your e-mail address to access the courses.

The Mastery Checks that have blanks to fill in can have very detailed answers. Do not be put off that you have not listed all the steps; learn from the answers that are provided.

 

The Courses

The courses that are currently listed Family History / Genealogy — Introductory are:

FHGEN 070 — Introduction to Family History Research

• This class has  four lessons, each with multiple pages. The lessons cover getting started, getting organized, discovering new facts, and using that knowledge.
• It discussed the five steps to the basic research process, and developing research objectives.
• There are links to the charts, forms and logs that you will need.
• There are mastery checks with automated feedback so that you can check your understanding.

FHGEN 075 — Writing Family History

• This course links to a manual that contains the whole course.
• Walks through the process of writing a family history.
• Discusses making a family history CD.

FHGEN 080 — Helping Children Love Your Family History

• This course comes in three lessons, each of which is a pdf document.
• The steps to gather, validate and record your family history.
• Bring your family history to life in comic and coloring books, plays and clothing, vacations and interviewing.
• Scrapbooks, autobiographies and videos are also included.

 

The courses that are currently listed Family History / Genealogy — Record Type are:

FHREC 071 — Family Records

• There is one ten-part lesson in this course.
• Use diaries, journals, letters, civil and military records are covered. Others are covered.
• This has been my favorite of the courses. It lists the records that might have people think out of the box in their research.

FHREC 073 — Vital Records

• There is one fourteen-part lesson in this course.
• It covers understanding and locating vital records, as well as locating substitutes for vital records.
• Links to websites of interest, and a blank research log form.
• There are mastery checks with automated feedback so that you can check your understanding.

FHREC 076 — Military Records

• There is one lesson in this course. The lesson has twenty-eight parts.
• This covers three types of records: pre-service, service, and post-service.
• This lists the eight series of service records in the National Archives
• There are six appendices (separate from the lessons)
• Remember that there are websites, such as the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database that can be used instead of indexes.

 

There are also several other courses that focus on Family History / Genealogy — Regional and Ethnic:

FHFRA 071 — French Research
FHGER 071 — Germany Research
FHHUG 071 — Huguenot Research
FHSCA 073 — Scandinavia Research

 

After Ancestry.com retires Family Tree Maker

By now you may have heard that Ancestry.com is retiring the Family Tree Maker (FTM) software line. Ancestry.com cites the diminishing desktop application market as the reason to retire the software. That can be translated as the software group is not profitable enough for them.

If you are like me, you have seen the usefulness of having an online tree at Ancestry.com. You might have searched for new records from the tree. You might have followed the hint leaves. You also might have attached the records and other media (e.g. pictures and stories) you find by merging them into the profiles of people on that online tree. The more detailed those profiles are, the better the quality of the records that Ancestry.com suggests. Ancestry.com made it so useful and so convenient.

So far, the only method download the tree complete with the attached records and media was to synchronize it to FTM using the TreeSync™ feature.

When you download an online tree, it is packaged as a GEDCOM with citations, but not with the attached records or media. This is done by selecting the “View Tree Settings”, then in the Manage your tree section, click on “Export Tree”. Then you would need to download the actual records individually. Of course, you can always download the individual records one at a time independently of the online tree, and add them to a family tree on your computer.

What we know:

• Ancestry.com will not sell Family Tree Maker 2014 after 31 December 2015.
• FTM will be supported until at least 1 January 2017.
• Currently, no other family tree software has the ability to synchronize (sync) with the Ancestry.com online trees

Read about it on the Ancestry.com blog: http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2015/12/08/ancestry-to-retire-family-tree-maker-software/

Here are some options for Family Tree Maker users:

• Call Ancestry.com and let them know what you think. 1-800-ANCESTRY.
• Investigate other family tree software companies. Each of these has a basic free version.
  • Rootsmagic has made a page with a transition plan: http://blog.rootsmagic.com/?p=2546
  • Legacy Family Tree can be found at: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com
  • You can sync your online tree at MyHeritage to a desktop program using their Family Tree Builder software: https://www.myheritage.com/family-tree-builder

The big questions yet to be resolved:

• Will Ancestry.com online tree users be able to download the media attached to their trees after 1 January 2017?
• Will Ancestry.com allow other companies to interface with the online trees to sync with other programs?

If were thinking of getting FamilyTreeMaker, it is only available as a download. It costs $69.99 and can be found at: http://www.ancestry.com/cs/apps/P-5194. If you have a previous version, you can upgrade for $48.99: http://www.ancestry.com/cs/apps/P-5195.

My history with FTM goes back to the Broderbund version of it in the late 1990s. After some experimentation, I moved on to Rootsmagic. However, I had been seriously considered buying FTM 2014 to sync with the online tree. Even though I have been keeping online trees at Ancestry.com, I have always kept a family tree with photos and other documents on my home computer in a desktop program.

 

New classes scheduled at the Odenton Regional Library

Two new talks have been scheduled for the Odenton Regional Library in the Spring. In response to your requests, the first class will focus on beginning genealogy, for those wanting to learn or review the basics.  The second class will be a new one about using electronic and online Family Trees.

Five Questions with Artist Barbara Talbott

You might recognize these images from A Week of Genealogy’s Facebook page. They were so interesting that I asked the artist, Barbara Talbot to share some information about them.

 

Images ©2015 Barbara Talbott, used with permission

 

1. Your photography is a great way to display family heirlooms. How did you come to take these photos?

I was working on my body of work, Tarnish, and a friend mentioned she had some pieces of vintage silver I could shoot for my show. When I went to her house to shoot the pieces, they were too contemporary for my work but I shot everything anyway. As I was working we talked about how she was trying to figure out how to display the silver since it was so tarnished and we came up with the idea of creating a wall of prints to hang over her buffet.

 

2. How did you make the items come to life?

The whole Tarnish body of work was actually an accident. I had these pieces and photographed them to create some etchings. When I opened them in Photoshop and started working with them, all these gorgeous colors came out and I loved the look of them. I worked on the original images for two years before I showed them to anyone. I rework the images to bring out all the color and texture.

 

3. What recommendations do you have for a genealogist who wants to photograph family items?

Metal objects are tricky. There are lots of reflections that tarnish and patina disguise. The best light comes from Windows and natural light. Use broad sources so the light can wrap around the objects. Place them on a fairly plain surface, an old damask table cloth or a dark oak table. The item should be the star. You can add props, fresh fruit in a bowl, napkins, but keep them subtle. You don’t want to hide the piece, just add a little color. Of course you can always find a professional photographer as well.

 

4. How do you recommend framing photos of family items?

In the case of my friend, she went to antique stores and second hand stores and bought frames. We laid out the frames and determined the design for her wall. We scaled the prints to fit the frames and she had them assembled at a framing shop.

 

 

5. Where can people see your work?

In December, I has a piece at the Circle Gallery in Annapolis and at Montpelier art center both. You can see my solo show coming up in February at a restaurant in Laurel called Olive on Main.

Barbara’s work can also be found at her website bjtalbott.com.

 
 
Barbara Talbott is a computer illustrator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and a Resident Artist at Montpelier Art Center, Laurel, Maryland. Barbara has been making things since she was a child. She attended MICA, Maryland Institute College of Art. She was at MICA, she studied the textural works of Jasper Johns, Jim Dine, and Frank Stella. The way these artists handled materials and created work so tactile made a distinct impression. It is the need to replicate the texture and surface of life that propels her to discover new ways to use materials and processes in everything she makes. After 30 years as an advertising photographer, graphic designer and computer illustrator, Barbara brings this experience into her work.

Using Ancestry.com’s Ancestor Profile Options

Ancestry.com has some new options with in an ancestor’s profile

In your Family Tree, decide which ancestor’s profile you will be investigating.

 

 

Click on an ancestor.

 

 

Click on the Profile button.

 

 

If it is not already selected, click on Lifestory.

Click on the Settings (Gear icon) if you would like to:

• Show/Hide Family Events

• Show/Hide Historical Events

 

 

From the Profile, you can also Resize Profile Image to crop the image that you use. This comes in handy when all you have is a group photo.

 

 

Drag and resize the square around your ancestor’s head.

 

 

The original image stays in the Gallery. (You can check by selecting Gallery from the Profile.)

 

 

To print the Lifestory, use the Tools drop down menu.

 

 

Select Print.

 

 

You have the options to print use the Print-friendly option.  A printer dialog box will open.

You can also choose one of the mycanvas products, which will take you to a partner site.