Genealogy 101

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

Does This Sound Familiar?

You took a DNA to see what your ethnicity is, and now you want to learn how all these matches are really related?

You've always heard you have an ancestor that was in the Revolutionary war - but you're not sure it's true.

You want to learn more about your family's past and origins but aren't sure where to start.

Join this Interactive Course to Learn:

How to figure out what you already know about your family.
How to use that information to learn what you didn't know about your family.
The fundamentals of how to use DNA effectively in your genealogical pursuits.
How to use critical thinking skills to fact-check family stories.

This Course Includes:

4 One-Hour Video Classes

Access to the Students & Alumni Facebook Group

4 Reference Guides

4 Optional Homework Assignments

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: Genealogy 101: How to Climb the Family Tree Without Falling Off. Sara Cochran, presenter

This class discusses the very first steps to take after you’ve decided to start researching your family.

Week 2: The Two Sides of Interviewing. Jean Wilcox Hibben, presenter.

While most of us know the basics of interviewing, this presentation looks at it from a couple of different angles. Some of the material comes from the field of speech communication and some come from the field of folklore; more specifically, oral history gathering techniques. Also included is a discussion of the “other side” of interviewing: how to respond when you are the one being interviewed. Some suggestions for before, during, and after the interview, for those on both sides, are covered.

Week 3: To Spit or Not to Spit. Is DNA testing right for your research? Sara Cochran, presenter

Covering the very basics of Genetic Genealogy, we will cover the types of DNA tests available; review the companies that offer them, and determine how to choose which is best for your research and which family members to test – if any!

Week 4: The Devil is in the Details. Jean Wilcox Hibben, presenter

There are many details hidden in genealogy records; a simple mark or added word can easily be overlooked, leading to confusion later on. Whether the passed over information is an address, occupation, unknown abbreviation, or other bits of data that are not caught at first, the researcher can find him/herself being misdirected and even researching the wrong family. Catch the “little things” before you find yourself lost in a forbidden forest of other people’s family trees.

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.