Melt Your Mortar

A Genealogy Journeys® Production, Presented by Sara Cochran & Jean Wilcox Hibben

Does This Sound Familiar?

Join this Interactive Course to Learn:

• Strategies for getting more information out of records you already have.
• How to create an effective research plan.
• Techniques for sorting through multiple families and staying organized.
• Avoiding distractions.
• To use critical thinking skills to solve complex research problems.

This Course Includes:

The Classes:

Class recordings are available for 3 months. Watch as often as you like. Class handouts are yours to download and reference forever. Homework assignments reinforce class concepts but are completely optional. The Facebook group is your place to collaborate and socialize with other students and instructors.

 

Week 1: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Is this Genealogy or the Cha-Cha? Sara Cochran, presenter

Revisiting and reevaluating our early research and home sources of information might seem like a waste of time, but often, it’s the key to getting past a roadblock in our research. We’ll discuss techniques for finding new clues in records we already have and look at several small case studies to see the value of taking the time to go backward in order to go forwards.

Week 2: The Sad Saga of George Richards. Jean Wilcox Hibben, presenter

This case study of a man whose choices served to confuse his descendants is reconstructed in this lecture. He was there, then gone, then back – see how a variety of records unlocked his real story. From England to the US, George’s life was filled with conundrums and poor choices. See how to locate original records (not all online); separate fact from fiction; and assess evidence for accuracy.

Week 3: Hopping Down the Paper Trail. Sara Cochran, Presenter

The records our ancestors left behind often lead us to other records, which sometimes take us down a rabbit hole. Learn how to scour each new record for clues, keep those clues organized, and how to prioritize which clues to chase first so that you stay on track.

Week 4: Shaking the Myth. Jean Wilcox Hibben, Presenter

Just because a story has been passed on for generations does not mean it is true. It may have elements of truth in it, or may be a figment of someone’s imagination. Applying theories of proving arguments to examples presented, this lecture discusses ways to prove or disprove family folklore.

The Structure:

A new Video Class will be accessible each week for four weeks. This gives you plenty of time to focus on that topic start your homework! After that, you have access to all the materials for three months - re-watch on your own schedule. If you have questions about the content, you can email the instructors anytime, or collaborate in the Facebook group.