Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree

What topics will you cover?

• A consideration of the differences between primary, derived primary and secondary sources.
• An understanding of the importance of knowing who made a document and why and how they were created. *A key challenge of genealogy – finding the right person among a number of possible candidates, with ever-changing spellings of surnames – will be considered.
• Lateral ways to approach research including the FAN/cluster technique and mind mapping.
• Primary source databases including searching techniques to deal with name change or spelling differences; these include the use of wildcards.
• An introduction to main source types including civil, church, census and military records to give a sense of the typical type of data these records contain and how to use them.
• Review the content of major international and selected local and specialised databases and consider ways to evaluate databases.
• The principles of the Genealogical Proof Standard including how to establish proof and how to evaluate evidence.
• The use of DNA testing in genealogical research with a focus on autosomal (‘cousin-matching’) and Y-testing techniques.
• An exploration of secondary and primary sources which provide historic and social context, considering their quality and how to find them.
• The importance of providing evidence of the sources used in family history research and an exploration of the various systems of referencing in use.
• A consideration of tools used to store, track and analyse genealogical data; various types of family trees and reports including paper based resources, software programs and online tools.
• What are the best ways to begin writing a family history?
• Ways to protect and preserve physical records and digital data.